Do You Need Cash in Hiroshima or Do Cards Work?

Yes, you’ll still want some cash. Cards work in most chain stores, hotels, supermarkets, and bigger restaurants in Hiroshima, but plenty of small spots still run cash-only: the okonomiyaki counter your guidebook recommended, a 50-year-old ramen shop, the old-school izakaya near Hatchobori. I live in central Hiroshima and I keep around ¥10,000 in my wallet most days. Not because cards don’t work. They do, far more than they did three years ago. The places I actually want to eat and drink in are often the ones that haven’t bothered to install a card terminal. Trams and small ferry kiosks also lean cash-first. If you’re staying in the central wards and eating at hotels and chains, ¥5,000 a day is plenty. If you’re chasing the kind of food locals eat, double that.

The Short Answer

Carry around ¥10,000 a day in cash and treat your card as your primary payment method. You’ll use the card for hotels, taxis, big restaurants, supermarkets, and most cafes. The cash is for trams, small kitchens, the cover charge at an izakaya, and the occasional shrine offering box. IC cards like ICOCA, Suica, or PASMO handle trams and most convenience-store purchases under about ¥3,000. So in practice it’s three payment surfaces, not two.

Where Cards Work Fine

Most chain restaurants take Visa, Mastercard, and JCB. Major hotels, department stores, supermarkets, the Shinkansen ticket counter at Hiroshima Station, and the entrance to the Peace Memorial Museum all process cards without trouble. Anywhere with a register that looks newer than 2018 probably has a working terminal. Apple Pay and Google Pay have spread fast at convenience stores and chains over the last two years.

One note worth knowing. The Hiroshima trams take IC cards but not international credit cards directly as a tap-to-pay. Load your IC card first, or have around ¥240 in coins ready before you board.

Where You’ll Still Need Cash

Small okonomiyaki places. Old izakaya. Family-run ramen shops. The kind of bar where the master has run the place for thirty years and has no interest in payment processors. Some of these have started taking PayPay (a Japanese QR-code app), but unless you live here that doesn’t help you much.

Tipping isn’t a thing in Japan, so cash flow at a meal goes one way. The bill at a small place is sometimes a hand-written slip on the counter. You drop the bills on the small tray, the master makes change, you bow, and you leave. It’s faster than a card transaction if you have the right denominations. Festivals, food stalls during Toukasan in early June, and the late-night izakaya around Hatchobori also tend to be cash-only.

ATMs and Where to Get Yen

The reliable ATMs for foreign cards are at 7-Eleven and Japan Post (Yuucho). Both are everywhere in central Hiroshima. There’s a 7-Eleven ATM inside the underground passage at Kamiyacho and another in the basement of Hiroshima Station. International cards work, the menu has English, and the daily withdrawal limit is generous.

Family Mart and Lawson ATMs work too but are pickier with foreign-issued cards. Avoid the small standalone ATMs tucked into shopping arcades because they sometimes reject foreign cards without a clear error. The exchange counters at Hiroshima Airport and inside major hotels are fine for emergencies, but the rate is poor. A 7-Eleven withdrawal beats them most weeks.

If you want a broader rundown of these little practical things before you arrive, the general Hiroshima travel tips guide has more.

My Local Bar Picks

If you’re wondering where the cash-vs-cards thing lands for evening drinks, the modern bars around Otemachi and Hatchobori almost always take cards. There’s a small bar in Otemachi a friend of mine opened called VUELTA. Sixteen seats, craft cocktails, and yes, they take cards. Walk-ins are fine, but if you’re coming on a Friday or Saturday it’s worth booking a counter seat through their site.

Bar Upstairs sits on the fifth floor of a building on Yagenbori-dori and opens at 14:00, which is unusual for Hiroshima. The owner spent fourteen years at Hotel Granvia and once won a national bartending competition. You can drop in for an afternoon coffee and come back for a cocktail after dinner. Cards fine.

For something different, Metcha Monte near Ginzancho is wine-focused: a smaller room, thoughtful food pairings, closed on Sundays. It’s the place I send people who don’t drink spirits but still want a proper bar experience.

FAQ

Can I use my credit card on the Hiroshima tram?

Not directly. The Hiroden trams accept IC cards (ICOCA, Suica, PASMO) and cash, but not international credit cards as a tap-to-pay option. Load your IC card at any station kiosk or convenience store, then tap on the way out.

Where is the closest ATM that accepts foreign cards in Hiroshima?

Any 7-Eleven or Japan Post (Yuucho) ATM. There’s a 7-Eleven in the underground passage at Kamiyacho, one in the basement of Hiroshima Station, and Japan Post locations near most tram stops. Menus are in English and most foreign Visa, Mastercard, and Cirrus/Plus cards work without issue.

Do Hiroshima restaurants take Apple Pay?

Chains and most newer cafes do. Smaller independent restaurants are mixed: some take it through the same terminal as Visa and Mastercard, but plenty of older izakaya and family-run shops are still cash-only. Assume cash unless you see a contactless symbol at the door.