Resources to moving to Hiroshima (for young people/ teens/ women/ etc)

I have been living in Hiroshima for about 3-4 years and other regions of Japan during that time as well. It was super hard to move here as a teenager and I wish I had a guide, so I am making one for future people who end up moving here.

Spending a whole covid year here too was hard and sometimes super lonely but I discovered a lot in this city!

I wanted to post somewhere a list of things I found out as a resources for other young people who may be living here and are having a hard time finding resources in English because its frustrating when you want to find resources and everything about Hiroshima in English seems to only mention the atomic bomb or tourist travel!

This list will try to be inclusive, you don’t need to know Japanese. Also this is from a girl’s perspective.

Each place will be linked with its location.

Feel free to add more below!

**It includes:**

​

* Shopping western clothes

* Things to do in the city

* Hair Salons (In English/ for different types of hair)

* Hobby Stores (Beauty and Makeup, Art stores, Anime/ Manga/ Doujinshi, Gardening, Vinyl shops)

* Malls

* Foreign Groceries

* Restaurants

* Jobs (from no Japanese to some Japanese knowledge)

* Set a Phone Plan in English

* Social life

* Concerts and Clubs

* Places for girls to Beware

* Drugs

* How to buy/ register/ rent / and fix a bicycle

* Where to get a pet

* Getting rid of items

# Shopping Western Clothes

Shopping for clothes in Japan can feel frustrating, clothing can be only come in small sizes and be baggy with dull colors with high prices. Here are places that offer more western style clothing and larger sizes that is inexpensive.

[H&M](https://goo.gl/maps/R2yUvmwY8hHdjfti9) \- This is the most common places I see people shop, I see a lot of Japanese and Western people wearing H&M clothing across the city. Prices are cheap here. Clothing is cute as well, probably the only place in the city that you can find cute and casual dresses/ body con dresses. The first 3 floors are women’s and floor 4 and 5 are mens. B1 is kids clothing.

[WEGO](https://goo.gl/maps/NSowFVpbfLfM7q5n7) \- This is a Japanese chain store that isn’t so monotonous with the clothing styles. Its right next to Starbucks and H&M. Clothing here can get pretty pricy though and large sizes aren’t offered as much unfortunately. They have an overpriced thrift section on the second floor too.

[SPINNS](https://g.page/spinns-hiroshima?share) \- SPINNS is like the sibling to WEGO. It has a really nice vibe. The staff are people who like fashion and run a cute instagram page and they don’t judge foreigners here :). They have a handpicked thrift section with cool items and a new clothing section. They sell cool stickers as well. They are located a bit off Hondoori on the second floor.

[THANK YOU MART](https://goo.gl/maps/WswzxrHWTpu2pVrr9) \- This is a 390¥ and up store. Its located in Sun Mall (Near the dome 5F) They have Really cool western and Japanese nicknacks, and also have clothing accessories and in the back a small thrift section. This entire mall has some cool stores. There is another 390¥ yen store on one of the first floors and some cool clothing on the first floor.

[Union](https://goo.gl/maps/4Unup3DEDEoMo35XA) \- Is also on the 5th floor next to THANK YOU MART. They have super nice staff and sell cheap thrift store clothing at a huge selection. I think they get some of their stock from the Iwakuni base, there is a lot of foreign clothing and military clothes there as well.

[BOOKOFF Hondoori](https://goo.gl/maps/TqiZsyZyjK13td3c8) \- This is a Japanese second hand store. On the first floor they sell second hand books, games, and figures. There is a large clothing section below at B1. They have many sizes and it changes depending on the season. If you are into thrifting this place is perfect.

[Don quijote](https://goo.gl/maps/1eXugSnNRqf7trxQ9) \- This is the random discount store that sells just about everything. On the 4th floor they sell some discounted pajamas, sports wear, and basic clothing. They sell shoes as well and sometimes I have seen some thrift dresses and other items.

[Iwakuni base thrift store](https://goo.gl/maps/wgktrN99gVA77MoS9) \- Here is the cheapest and largest selection of clothing. Its an hour train ride from Hiroshima city however, you need to get access to the base. You do not have to be American to enter, just check Iwakuni base online rules and fill out whatever you need to. once you are inside the base take a left and it should be there. It is open a few days of the week at select hours [(check here for the hours)](https://www.facebook.com/IwakuniThriftStore/) Also this thrift store unfortunately only accepts USD cash. You can enter the base from this gate [here](https://goo.gl/maps/hhDjZ3wgQ9WCM9tp6) with the proper documents.

# Things to do in the City

**Walk Hondoori** \- Most of the young people hang out and walk this shopping street. There is a very nice Starbucks with 3 floors that is fun to study in. There are also 3 Daisos and one of them is 5 stories. If you have friends this can be a fun experience to walk.

**Flea Market** \- There is a flea market once a month in Higashi-Senda Park. It is not as big as the one in Kyoto or Osaka but it can be a nice place to get cute Chinas. Check [GetHiroshima Events](http://gethiroshima.com/event/senda-wasshoi-matsuri-flea-market-2/) for the next flea market.

**Donquihote and DAISO** \- Its fun to walk around these stores and find a lot of random things

**Hondoori arcade**

**Go to Miyajima**

**Walk by the river and dome**

**Hiroshima Castle**

**Take the JR train** \- its a beautiful ride across the ocean, and see the mini stops of suburbs outside Hiroshima city

**Take the tram** \- All you need is a JR card and hit the sensor when you enter or you can pay a fixed adult fee in cash as you exit.

**Shukkeien garden** \- Bring student card for a discount

**Try Purikura** \- (Japanese Photo booth, they are located within most malls)

# Hair Salons

There is only one english speaking Salon in Hiroshima called [LAFF hair design](https://goo.gl/maps/7zCiYvMokBnFxUHt5). You can call them in English. They only have male stylists so if you want a woman stylist you could try [Cleo hair International](https://goo.gl/maps/JTHVjkZP6QkDCKZh9) (I think its located on the 8th floor, Hachiboori branch). Some of the staff have trained abroad and they didn’t seem to judge foreigners or be too pricy. You have to call in Japanese though, so it would help if you learnt a few basic phrases.

If you want your hair dyed light professionally or have special textured hair, try these two places. (they are suuuupper pricy though so keep that in mind.)

[mimic trickmonster](https://goo.gl/maps/RHVReXuCsxpokFw69) \- [Instagram Page](https://www.instagram.com/mimic_trickmonster/)

[800 hair](https://g.page/800hair?share) \- [Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/800_hair/?hl=en)

If you are a teenager or are a student, show them a card and most hair salons give you a discount. ask for “studento discounto ga arimasuka?”

# Hobby Stores

**Tokyu hands** \- will have pretty much everything for every hobby but at a very expensive price. If you cant find it anywhere else, go there as a last resort.

**Beauty and makeup** \- Check [don quihote](https://goo.gl/maps/oM8avaNE6mTFKs579) and [Tokyuhands](https://goo.gl/maps/Dur6GdGvYjLdsJSy7). Japan only has one type of foundation so if you need another shade, either order online or go to the Iwakuni base Mall. On the second floor they offer many foundation colors as well as hair care products for other hair types including afro textured hair.

Also the only place you will find hair dye in this city is [donquihote](https://goo.gl/maps/oM8avaNE6mTFKs579). It is expensive and small so if you need a lot, order it online. The Mega Donquihote further south actually has a smaller selection of hair dye so it isn’t worth checking out. The salons in Hiroshima will all cost at least 30-40 for a hair cut and 200 for a full head of bleach and hair dye.

**Art stores** \- [Tokyu hands](https://goo.gl/maps/Dur6GdGvYjLdsJSy7), [yuzawaya](https://goo.gl/maps/6xv5JjNaUQdXgXJx6), [VILLAGE VANGUARD](https://goo.gl/maps/q4Dt1f9tsP59se2P6) (located in SUNMALL Floor 5, they have art books, anime, and pop culture merch.)

**Anime/ Manga/ Doujinshi** \- [Animate Hiroshima](https://goo.gl/maps/gVZiAnmBxQtNzLLH7) (its 5 floors but I think the 4th floor is 18+ for men so be careful!) , [VILLAGE VANGUARD](https://goo.gl/maps/q4Dt1f9tsP59se2P6) ,[Comic Toranoana Hiroshima](https://goo.gl/maps/Wct4XTSnwQ2mGmj49) (Mostly doujinshi comics NSFW, 3rd floor is for women and 4th floor is for men), Also most bookstores have manga search for your nearest junkudo, kinokuniya, BOOKOFF, or enter a bookstore. [donquihote](https://goo.gl/maps/oM8avaNE6mTFKs579) has some merch as well.

**Gardening** \-

100 yen store and 350 yen stores – they sell pots and sometimes cheap plants

Shukkeien garden – they sell bonsai trees and other plants near the cafe

[Tokyu hands](https://goo.gl/maps/Dur6GdGvYjLdsJSy7)

Check Home centers – Kohnan, Daiki, The Daiso Home Center Konan Ujina Shop, time home center (房尾種苗店)

Koi Garden Square

Pallete Garden Hiroshima

PELE plants&flowers

And plenty more!

**Vinyl shops**\- I know of two places that have vintage records and punk. Both are very cozy places here:

[Record Shop MISERY & Bloodsucker Records](https://goo.gl/maps/F9ymUUtA8FjFZQMH8) (Second Floor)

[STEREO RECORDS](https://goo.gl/maps/UyrwQwtz5bUqq2pV8) (Second Floor)

[TOWER RECORDS](https://goo.gl/maps/aMDXyB9EFLUXS1M66)

[DUMB RECORDS](https://goo.gl/maps/uGaucUh2DD9Q6eA66) (they have live music, events, and this is a half a bar)

# Malls

To be honest I didn’t really like the malls in Japan or Hiroshima. I feel as if you can buy whatever you need in another place for a cheaper price. It can be a fun trip for a day though.

**PARCO** \- Its popular and big, a lot of small pricy stores to look at.

**Aeon Mall Hiroshima Fuchu** \- Its close to Hiroshima Station, take a bus from the station

**SUNMALL** \- I actually really like this mall. They have Baskin robins and donut stores. Also thrift stores and cute clothing and anime things on 5F.

**FUJI grand hiroshima**

**The Outlets** \- This is a shopping mall outside Hiroshima city, and it is quite harder to get to. You need to take a train and a bus. Its a large outlet where some military foreigners go, and has a wider selection of western chain stores however in my opinion, it is just expensive brand stores and the chain stores are smaller than the ones in Hiroshima. It is kind out out the way and pricy, but do it if you have a day free. Here are the instructions in English if you are interested to go:

From Hiroshima Station

Take the JR train to Nishi-Hiroshima Station

From the station head down the stairs on left, there is a bus station

Take the Mayugaoka Line (五月が丘線) Via the Outlets (ジアウトレット経由)

Ride 11 Stops Until the Outlets Hiroshima

TO RETURN: go to Platform 2 and check the time table, there is also a help desk inside the mall that can speak english

# Foreign Groceries

It is hard to find foreign groceries so check these places that have foreign food:

[Bagels](https://goo.gl/maps/vXg1kAzbRs3Ahs1UA) \- WILD MAN BAGELS

[Fred](https://goo.gl/maps/NnBjmLmfrBhQLzdq8) \- Foreign grocery store (pricy)

[Costco](https://goo.gl/maps/6BmiqUKWxqjF5c6YA) \- (You need to have a membership to shop here, I think its like 3000 yen a month)

[Iwakuni Commissary](https://goo.gl/maps/QsSsWAiy7iEHHuKa8) \- Must get base permission online before you enter.

# Restaurants

I am only going to list a few of my favorite restaurants that are foreign friendly. Most foreign restaurants or cafes have either foreigners who have moved to Japan a long time ago or Japanese owners that have been abroad. So I feel like the foreign food in Hiroshima is authentic unless it is a Japanese chain brand cafe. If you want a complete list of restaurants, Get Hiroshima made a pretty solid list already [here](http://gethiroshima.com/category/dining/):

[(Indian) Ganesh](https://goo.gl/maps/pE8ATp6Cdx62Lyqi8) \- This is probably my favorite restaurant in Hiroshima, the owners are super friendly and the food is deliciousssss

[(Latino) Cusco Cafe](https://goo.gl/maps/QxDuzfHBgTFbJJPG9) \- The owners are from Peru and the staff speak Spanish, English, And Japanese. They have events sometimes and this place is a vibe.

[(Latino) Borrachos](https://goo.gl/maps/ty2uFFrcm8FSyq236) \- This is a cute bar with some latino food, it is kinda expensive but the decorations and music are very pleasant.

[(Japanese) Shuichi](https://www.instagram.com/shuichi.1640/) \- This small Mazesoba shop is run by a wholesome guy who likes to talk to his customers. The dishes are delicious and cheap and they are open all night (until 5 am I think?) and so it’s convenient to go for a midnight snack. Be careful going to his shop late at night, it is next to a park which at night can have annoying characters.

Icecream – Check out [Baskin robins](https://goo.gl/maps/eqr9t135gWyephQj9) and [Polar bear](https://goo.gl/maps/hnRxLUMVVhJZUXMx9) (very popular here in Hiroshima) (sweets in Japan are very expensive tho!)

Matcha Tea – [Musubu Hodoku](https://goo.gl/maps/qjG3ReNXz3eE9XzH8) (田頭茶店) – You can go alone here if you want, they have great tea and you can buy it to take home as well. You can get the Matcha whisk at Tokyu hands for 1,500 to make it at home.

# Jobs

To be honest, you do not have many options in Hiroshima city if you are a foreigner and if you don’t speak Japanese. But here are some options that work on various levels of Japanese. In order to work as a foreigner you need to go to the [Hiroshima Regional Immigration Bureau](https://goo.gl/maps/jrmN1A2xZ9PSGgoz5) and fill out a form for permission to do a part time job. Then they will stamp your residence card and you can work. There are restrictions because it is part time I think you can only work three days a week a maximum of a few hours a day (don’t quote me though). Also If you are over 18 i think you are allowed to work later shifts, and night shifts pay better.

**(No Japanese) Uber Eats** \- All you need is a bike and order the Uber eats bag offline and you are good to go. The app is in english but the addresses are in Japanese so copy and paste them into google maps. Learn to ask basic questions if you need to call the customer or restaurant. Be careful biking, pedestrians are difficult in Hiroshima and when it rains it is super slippery by bike. You need to have a Japanese bank account to accept the money, and It is hard when you are a foreigner. The Bank of Hiroshima does not give accounts to foreigners and are not foreign friendly, so try to look for other banks. If you don’t have a bike you can rent one for 150 yen a day.

**(No Japanese) Waiter/ Waitress** \- Email or message some foreign restaurants that are owned by foreigners who moved to Japan. Sometimes its likely they have available spots. You will need to know some basic Japanese phrases once you get the Job.

**(No Japanese) Selling items** \- I guess this isn’t really a Job but you can earn some small cash selling used items in your home on [Jmty](https://jmty.jp/hiroshima), just use google translate to create the post. Don’t expect to make much though.

**(Some Japanese) Jmty and other Japanese sites** \- [Jmty](https://jmty.jp/hiroshima) is kind of like the Craigslist of Japan and there are Jobs posted there, some more informal than others. Use a chrome extension to translate the job listings. If you speak some Japanese you can get some decent jobs on there or other Japanese site listings. Usually you have to do a phone interview for these jobs, even if it is just cleaning. Make sure you are searching only in the Hiroshima prefecture. city area.

**(Medium Japanese) Convenience Store / Mcdonalds / Japanese Job Postings** \- You need to pass the phone interview in Japanese and these jobs require you to know Keigo (respectful Japanese speech) also you will need to do several tasks in this job that require some Japanese.

# How to Set up a Phone Plan in English

Call Y!mobile or Soft bank, there is no english support in person in any store in Hiroshima. If you go to Tokyo they have select stores with English speakers.

If you sign up, you can go to the Base on Iwakuni and Get a phone plan. They speak English there.

**Y! mobile**

0570-039-151

Press “5” for English support

Business hours 10:00am-7:00pm

**Soft Bank**

0120-03-006

Business hours 19:00-17:00

(double check this number on the Soft Bank website in case it changed)

# Social Life

It is hard to make friends in Hiroshima, if you aren’t part of a school or job, it may be impossible to find people outside. You can try to keep up with foreign related events in the city and try to connect with people with your hobbies. There are some concerts you can meet people here as well. I found using Tinder here for friends is very bad. I was able to meet some friends but just finding friends on Tinder only works if you are a girl because none of the guys are looking for anything other than sex. Most Japanese accounts don’t show faces and seem to only be interested in hookups. Also most foreigners are military living on Iwakuni base also looking for hookups, and take my advice, a lot of the military men can be douchebags who aren’t allowed to be talking to foreigners outside the base anyway so don’t do it and get in trouble.

# Concerts and Clubs

The clubs in Hiroshima are mediocre but be careful because if you go alone/ are a foreigner / are a girl/ you will just get harassed. People don’t really dance and stand around smoking awkwardly. I would skip the clubs all together, plus they are super expensive. If you want to go, only do it on Friday or Saturday night after 12:00 because more people come then.

These are the Main clubs:

[HERBIE hiroshima](https://g.page/clubherbie?share)

[Club G hiroshima](https://g.page/clubGhiroshima?share)

There are some small bars and restaurants with live music with some concert events that are actually quite nice. Local punk and hip hop shows in Japanese and sometimes there are foreigners in the crowd as well. They usually start at 2500 yen with required drink ticket of an additional 500 yen. Concerts are quite expensive in Japan. To see events check twitter pages, those get updated the most frequent in Japan. Also some restaurants/bars have dance nights, so look around.

[Club Quattro](https://goo.gl/maps/rcoB1AygsyHxrwcPA)

[Conquest Hiroshima](https://goo.gl/maps/dfuoDFD4pwD7AN7E9)

[Spyder](https://g.page/spyder-hiroshima?share)

[Hiroshima Backbeat](https://goo.gl/maps/Uv2WCgJGbrDUEu5EA)

[Hiroshima Cave – BE](https://goo.gl/maps/BikRsHHwMpBoEe3y8)

[Hiroshima Almighty](https://goo.gl/maps/hknt4JbbLgZMmdfg7)

Try google maps for more locations!

# PLACES FOR GIRLS TO BEWARE!!!

Japan in general has a lot of work until it is comfortable for women. Clubbing in general in Osaka or anywhere can be super intimidating when you are on the street, Men in Japan can be often drunk or don’t know how to behave. Men in Hiroshima are no exception. Mostly an older population live here and especially if you look foreign, people will use that as an excuse to harass you. You can never be too cautious, it really isn’t worth talking to people who say the following. I included links to the areas to be careful around because unfortunately there is this side to Hiroshima I have not heard people really mention.

Common things Men can say that you should ignore:

\-Where are you from?

\-Hey babe / what’s up / Oye

\-Onesan or “nesan” (means hey older sis in Japanese)

\-onna (woman in japanese)

\-Gaikokujin desuka? or anything with the word Gaikokujin or Gaijin (all words for foreigner)

[In front of PARCO](https://goo.gl/maps/iEFHiwcLdMSsgygH7)\- the main corner between H&M and Starbucks in front of PARCO is a place where people commonly meet. It is also where a bunch of men from their late teens to 30s loiter and harass girls. They ask for their age and what they are doing, they basically want a date but they stand there in groups almost every day. If someone tries to talk to you just ignore them and continue walking. This happens more the later the night. Around midnight and further, this place is empty and skaters like to hang out here which are worse.

[Alice Garden](https://goo.gl/maps/mDdQDrRYMRPf2FMJ9) \- this is another common meeting place for Japanese people. Unfortunately the later you go the more it gets dangerous. NEVER GO AT NIGHT. This a known spot is where business men go to look for sex, and if you go there you will be harassed, or even taken photos of. There are love hotels all around this area for this particular reason so be careful!

[Don Quihote](https://goo.gl/maps/oM8avaNE6mTFKs579) **and Hondoori**\- basically people will loiter anywhere along hondoori to harass you at night

**Walking at night near the river** \- walking anywhere at night in Hiroshima as a foreign girl stinks but I have had friends tell me that they were harassed by the river. Always try to go with someone at night and walk as if you are going somewhere in a hurry.

[Shitenchi Park](https://goo.gl/maps/tTFUeW3x2mTR9C1Q6) \- At night young people like to smoke here but a lot of drunk people come though here and it is not a safe place. People closer to the clubs will start pointing out that you are a foreigner if they see you here.

**Nagarekawa** \- This Street goes without saying. This is the bar/ “party” street of Hiroshima. There will always be drunk people on this street and people standing outside promoting bars and prostitution. Prostitution is illegal in Japan but they have a work around with sketchy massage places. People stand outside looking for men who look alone to try to get them interested in paying for prostitution. Once you enter you search through a catalog of girls and are asked to go to another location on this street where a girl will wait for you. That is why there are so many random massage and girl clubs on the street that seem empty.

# Drugs

Drugs are super illegal and basically do not exist in Japan, and as a foreigner you will be sent to jail for a long time and then kicked out of the country forever. Japan has an insane conviction rate because of a biased system. If you really want to go on a hunt it probably exists in Osaka, Tokyo, And Hokkaido. Don’t waste time searching anywhere else, it doesn’t exist in Hiroshima and don’t search for it at all if you care about yourself. I know a lot of foreigners want to find them but I am placing this here as a warning, you are better off just buying alcohol.

# How to buy / register / rent/ fix a bicycle

You can buy a bicycle from any bike store or donquihote. Bikes can be very expensive so can check [Jmty](https://jmty.jp/hiroshima) as people sell used bikes or give them away for free here. Once you get the bike, bring it to the Hiroshima Police station and tell them you want to register. They will give you a form and fill it out and you will get a sticker. I don’t think it is a huge deal if you dot register it, but you can report it if its stolen. You can rent bikes throughout Japan and Hiroshima for 150 yen a day. Look for a red bike stand which are across the city and follow the instructions. You can return it to any of the bike stands. If you need your tires pumped or get oil to your bike, take your bike to any bike shop or [PG bicycle](https://g.page/CYCLESHOPP-G?share), they do it for 500 yen.

# Where to get a pet

This depends how long you are going to stay and what you prefer. The pet stores in Hiroshima sell popular breeds as babies so the prices are high. If you are looking to adopt a pet from someone you can go to [Jmty](https://jmty.jp/hiroshima) Hiroshima and under pets there are posts of people who have pets that need homes. Make sure if you are in an apartment that it is allowed.

# Getting rid of items:

Try [Jmty](https://jmty.jp/hiroshima) \- (Japanese Craigslist) to sell any item. If you really need it gone, you can set the price to free. Use google translate to create the post and when someone is interested in buying your item you can arrange to meet them in a public place to hand it off.

Getting rid of Clothes/ Books / etc – Donate to [BOOKOFF](https://goo.gl/maps/QjgGjbEHTb3g5UnC7). Bring a bag of your items to the BOOKOFF counter. Clothing counter is below the first floor and everything else counter is on the first floor. they will give you a number and you must wait. once they call your number return to the counter and they will explain which items they will accept and how much they will offer. They are picky so expect some items to be non acceptable.

Donations to [Iwakuni base thrift store](https://goo.gl/maps/wgktrN99gVA77MoS9)\- if you still are having trouble getting rid of items, you can donate it to the thrift store in Iwakuni. Place the items in a bag and hand it to the people working there. They do not check or are picky about items. Just be warned you will not get paid for this donation. Read above about how to access the base and where to find their hours.

Thanks for reading, hope this helped and feel free to comment more!