Hiroshima is one of Japan's most moving and most underrated cities. Rebuilt from the devastation of August 6, 1945, it has become a global symbol of peace and resilience, and a place that leaves almost everyone who visits changed. But Hiroshima is far more than its history. It is a relaxed, leafy riverside city on the Seto Inland Sea, famous for its own style of okonomiyaki, its oysters, and the sacred island of Miyajima just offshore. Most travelers come for a day and wish they had stayed longer.
The city is built across the delta of the Ota River, with six channels splitting the center into a series of green, walkable islands. Almost everything a first-time visitor wants to see sits in or near the Peace Memorial Park in the Naka-ku central district: the skeletal Atomic Bomb Dome, the Peace Memorial Museum, the Cenotaph, the Children's Peace Monument, and the Peace Flame. Allow at least half a day here. The museum is profound and emotionally heavy; the park itself is calm, contemplative, and beautiful, especially in cherry-blossom season.
Beyond the park, the center is easy and pleasant. The covered Hondori shopping arcade is the lively heart of the city, full of shops, cafes, and okonomiyaki joints, and a short walk north brings you to reconstructed Hiroshima Castle and the exquisite 1620 Shukkeien Garden. The single most important thing to know about Hiroshima food is that the local okonomiyaki is layered, not mixed, and built around a generous nest of cabbage and a layer of fried noodles. Try it at the multi-stall Okonomimura building or at a neighborhood favorite like Hassē.
No visit is complete without Miyajima, the sacred island a short ferry ride away where the great vermilion torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine appears to float on the sea at high tide. Tame deer wander the lanes, the food street sizzles with grilled oysters and maple-leaf cakes, and the hike or ropeway up Mount Misen rewards you with a panorama over the Inland Sea. It is the perfect counterpoint to the gravity of the Peace Park, and most people give it a full day.
Getting around is simple. Hiroshima's beloved streetcar network (Hiroden) trundles between the station, the Peace Park, and the Miyajima ferry pier, and a rechargeable IC card covers trams, buses, and trains without fuss. The center is flat and very walkable, and the JR Sanyo Shinkansen puts Osaka, Kyoto, and Fukuoka within easy reach. For most visitors, two days is the sweet spot: one for the city and the Peace Park, one for Miyajima.
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