Hiroshima広島
A western-Honshu city rebuilt around the Peace Memorial Park, where the A-Bomb Dome and museum tell the story of 1945, and the gateway to the sacred island of Miyajima with its 'floating' torii. Famous for layered Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and fresh oysters; the centre is flat, green and easy to walk.
History Culture Nature Food
Verified highlights
Itsukushima ShrineShrine
Step-free
The UNESCO-listed shrine built on stilts over the sea, its corridors and great red torii appearing to float at high tide and standing on the sand at low tide (when you can walk out to the gate).
OkonomimuraFood
Vegetarian options Vegan options Cards OK
A building of stacked stalls each griddling Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki — layered with noodles, cabbage and egg rather than mixed.
The Great Floating ToriiLandmark
Step-free
The 16-metre vermilion gate standing in the sea before the shrine — Japan's most photographed torii, 'floating' at high water and reachable on foot across the sand at low tide.
Kaki-fune Kanawa (oyster boat)Food
Cards OK
A celebrated 'kaki-fune' — a traditional oyster boat moored on the Motoyasu River near Peace Bridge — serving refined oyster courses (raw, grilled, in hotpot) in tatami rooms over the water.
Atomic Bomb DomeHistoric site
Step-free
The gutted, dome-topped ruin left almost directly below the 1945 blast and preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage peace memorial.
Yakigaki no Hayashi (grilled oysters)Food
Cards OK
A long-running Miyajima restaurant famous for big, plump grilled and fried oysters straight from the bay, plus conger-eel rice.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial MuseumMuseum
Step-free
The deeply affecting museum documenting the atomic bombing and its human toll, rebuilt with a strong, modern exhibition.
Hiroshima Andersen (bakery)Food
Vegetarian options Vegan options Cards OK Step-free
The flagship of the beloved Andersen bakery, born in Hiroshima, in a handsome former bank on Hondori — Danish pastries, fresh bread and an all-day café.
Neighbourhoods
Peace Memorial Park
The green riverside heart of modern Hiroshima, laid out where the bomb fell in 1945 — the skeletal A-Bomb Dome, the moving Peace Memorial Museum, the cenotaph and eternal flame, and the Children's Peace Monument. Flat, paved and fully stroller- and wheelchair-accessible; a sobering, essential half-day.
Downtown (Hondori & Castle)
Hiroshima's busy centre — the covered Hondori and Hatchobori arcades, the okonomiyaki halls, the rebuilt castle and the elegant Shukkeien strolling garden. Trams thread it all together; this is where you eat, shop and base yourself.
Miyajima Island
The sacred island of Itsukushima in Hiroshima Bay, where a vermilion shrine and its great torii appear to float at high tide, tame deer roam the lanes, and a ropeway climbs holy Mt Misen for bay views. A full, magical day-trip — reached by a short ferry from Miyajimaguchi.
Where to stay
Downtown (Hondori & Castle)
The Hondori/Hatchobori core — covered arcades, Okonomimura, trams in every direction and most hotels. The best-connected base for the Peace Park and Miyajima day-trips.
Miyajima Island
Staying overnight on Miyajima lets you see the shrine and torii lit up after the day-trippers leave — quiet, special and a little pricier.
Some links may earn hi tabi a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Getting there
Hiroshima Station (Sanyo Shinkansen)
~1h40 from Shin-Osaka and ~4h from Tokyo by Shinkansen; trams and buses run from the station to the centre and Peace Park.
Hiroshima Airport (HIJ)
~50 min east of the city by limousine bus; mostly domestic flights with a few international routes.
Miyajima ferry (from Miyajimaguchi)
For the island: take the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi (~25 min) then the JR or Matsudai ferry (~10 min). The JR ferry swings past the torii at high tide.
FAQ
Can you combine Hiroshima and Miyajima in one day?
Yes, but it's a full day: do the Peace Memorial Park and museum in the morning, then take the tram or JR line to Miyajimaguchi and the short ferry across in the afternoon. Check the tide times — the 'floating' torii only floats at high tide.
Is the Peace Memorial area wheelchair accessible?
Largely yes — the park is flat and open, and both the A-Bomb Dome surroundings and the Peace Memorial Museum are step-free with lifts. tabi's catalog verifies accessibility per place, and most of central Hiroshima's riverside sights are easy going.
Can vegetarians eat okonomiyaki in Hiroshima?
The classic Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is built on pork and often dashi, but several stalls in Okonomimura will make meat-free versions if asked, and cafés like Caffe Ponte have verified vegetarian options. tabi checks these against real menus rather than assuming.
How up to date is this information?
Every place in the catalog is human-checked, and volatile facts — opening hours, closures, payment — sit on a quarterly re-verification cycle. Plans and pages are regenerated with every site release, so what you read reflects the current catalog.