Hiroshima and the nearby island of Miyajima form one of Japan’s most visited and emotionally resonant travel destinations. For residents, repeated visits reveal layers of history, excellent food culture, and one of the Seto Inland Sea’s most beautiful island experiences. This guide covers both destinations thoroughly for those making the most of living in Japan.
Hiroshima City: Peace and Renewal
Hiroshima was rebuilt from near-total destruction after the August 1945 atomic bombing and is today a modern, livable city of 1.2 million. The city’s western location on Honshu — on a delta where seven rivers meet the Seto Inland Sea — gives it a mild climate and flat, cycling-friendly terrain. Downtown Hiroshima is walkable from the train station, with the tram network connecting most major sites. The city is deservedly proud of its peace mission and its recovery, and locals genuinely appreciate visitors who engage thoughtfully with this history.
Peace Memorial Park and Museum
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a rigorous, deeply moving institution. The newer East Building (2019) provides historical context for the Pacific War, while the Main Building focuses on survivor testimonies, personal belongings, and medical records. Plan 2–3 hours minimum; the museum is not suitable for very young children. The A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu) — the iron-framed shell of the former Industrial Promotion Hall, preserved at the hypocenter — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The surrounding Peace Memorial Park, with its Children’s Peace Monument and Flame of Peace (lit until all nuclear weapons are abolished), is a quiet and dignified public space worth walking slowly. The park is often busiest with school groups in spring and autumn.
Hiroshima Food: Okonomiyaki and Oysters
Hiroshima has two culinary signatures. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is constructed in layers rather than mixed — a crepe base, bean sprouts, cabbage, pork, and noodles, topped with egg and sauce. The dish is assembled on iron griddles by the cook and served at the counter; Okonomi-mura (Okonomiyaki Village) near Hatchobori station has three floors of okonomiyaki stalls in a classic gritty food-hall setting. Hiroshima oysters (kaki), farmed in the nutrient-rich Seto Inland Sea, are Japan’s most produced — available grilled (kaki no dotenabe hot pot), fried (kaki furai), or raw from October through March. The Ondo no Seto oyster area near Kure and the Miyajima waterfront both have excellent oyster restaurants.
Miyajima: The Floating Torii
Miyajima (officially Itsukushima) is a 30-minute journey from downtown Hiroshima — 25 minutes by JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi, then a 10-minute ferry. The island is famous for Itsukushima Shrine’s “floating” torii gate, which appears to rise from the sea at high tide. Checking tide tables before visiting is recommended — high tide creates the floating effect while low tide allows walking to the gate. The shrine’s covered walkways and noh stage, built over the tidal flats on pillars, are architecturally stunning in any weather. Daisho-in Temple, a 20-minute walk uphill from the ferry pier, is a dense complex of Buddhist halls, prayer wheels, moss-covered lanterns, and small shrines that many visitors miss in favor of the main shrine — worth every minute. Mount Misen, the island’s highest peak (535m), is accessible by ropeway and then a 30-minute walk, with views across the Seto Inland Sea to Shikoku on clear days.
Hiroshima’s Seto Inland Sea Islands
Hiroshima Prefecture encompasses hundreds of Seto Inland Sea islands. Ōkunoshima (Rabbit Island) — 45 minutes by ferry from Tadanoumi — is home to hundreds of semi-wild rabbits originally brought during WWII when the island served as a poison gas manufacturing facility. The museum documenting this history is sobering; the rabbits hopping across the grounds provide a strange contrast. Tomonoura, a Edo-period port town that served as partial inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki’s “Ponyo,” has preserved old stone warehouses, sake breweries, and a bingo-utsumi (sea bream cuisine) restaurant scene.
Practical Notes
The JR Pass covers the Shinkansen to Hiroshima and the JR ferry to Miyajima — making day trips from Kyoto or Osaka (around 90 minutes) very feasible. For overnight stays, the area around Peace Park and Nagarekawa entertainment district has the best hotel concentration. The Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team has fanatical local support — Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium is worth attending for the atmosphere even for non-baseball fans. Hire a bicycle from the station area for a very pleasant cycling city.