Things to do in Hiroshima
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hiroshima
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring, joint best season. Cherry blossom late March to early April, mild 15 to 22 degrees.
Summer, festive but hot and humid. Rainy season mid June to mid July, August heat above 32 degrees.
Autumn, joint best season. Maple peak mid to late November, oysters and cycling weather.
Winter, quietest and cheapest, oyster season at its peak, cold 3 to 10 degrees but rarely snowy.
What's on
- Hiroshima Flower Festival 3-5 May
The city biggest party, parades and stages along Peace Boulevard in Golden Week.
- Toukasan Yukata Festival first Friday to Sunday of June
A 400 year old festival with the whole centre in summer yukata, marking summer start.
- Peace Memorial Ceremony 6 August
The solemn heart of the city year, 8:15 silence and lantern floating on the river at night.
- Saijo Sake Matsuri mid-October weekend
One of Japan great sake festivals, thousands of labels in the brewery town at full tilt.
- Hiroshima Food Festival late October
A food festival around the castle and central park in the autumn festival window.
- Ebisu-ko Festival 18-20 November
The centre boisterous year end commerce festival.
- Hiroshima Dreamination mid-November to early January
Winter illuminations along Peace Boulevard.
- Miyajima Oyster Festival mid-February weekend
Grilled oysters by the tray at festival prices near the ferry terminal.
Best things to do in Hiroshima
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Survivor belongings and testimony tell 6 August 1945 in a way that stays with you long after.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Walk from the Dome past the Cenotaph and Flame of Peace to the Childrens Peace Monument in one slow arc.
Itsukushima Shrine
The shrine and its Great Torii appear to float at high tide and can be reached on foot at low tide.
Daisho-in Temple
A quiet head temple of prayer wheels, lantern lit halls and hundreds of small statues behind the shrine.
Shukkeien Garden
A calm daimyo garden of ponds, tea houses and carp bridges, ideal after the Peace Museum.
Hiroshima Castle
A rebuilt castle and moat that work best as a local history museum and symbol of reconstruction.
Orizuru Tower
The open air deck looks down on the Dome and Peace Park, and you can fold a crane for the glass wall.
Mazda Museum
A free guided look at Mazda classics and rotary engines, ending above a real working assembly line.
Where to stay in Hiroshima
Peace Park / Hondori / Kamiyacho
first trip, all-round base
Walk to the museum in the morning, eat anywhere at night and hop trams in every direction.
Hiroshima Station
1-night and onward-travel trips
Step off the shinkansen into your hotel, with station dining and painless early departures.
Miyajima island
one special night
The island after day trippers leave, with the illuminated torii, empty lanes and Misen before crowds.
Ujina / Hiroshima Bay
resort stay, not a city base
Sea views and a boat to Miyajima, lovely as a resort add on but inconvenient for city dinners.
Think twice about
- Nagarekawa / Yagenbori
The nightlife quarter east of Hondori. Not dangerous, but noisy and seedy edged as a bedroom for light sleepers or kids.
- Miyajimaguchi
A functional mainland ferry port strip with little else after dark. Stay in the city or on the island instead.
- Far station-south / highway-side business-hotel sprawl
Avoid on value, not safety. Properties needing a bus to the tram line waste the city walkability.
Best restaurants in Hiroshima
Micchan Sohonten
The originator of modern soba iri okonomiyaki, layered never mixed, and where locals send first timers.
Hassho
The purists pick for okonomiyaki, with thin batter, exceptionally crispy noodles and no gimmicks.
Lopez
A Hassho trained chef serving orthodox okonomiyaki plus a jalapeno signature, at fair prices.
Nagataya
English friendly okonomiyaki five minutes from Peace Park, with no tourist trap drop in quality.
Okonomimura
A four storey village of some 25 okonomiyaki stalls, pick a busy counter and eat off the grill.
Anago-meshi Ueno
One dish for 120 years, charcoal grilled conger eel over rice cooked in anago bone dashi.
Kakiya
Miyajimas oyster specialist, raw, grilled, fried and in rice, best in the October to March season.
Denko Sekka
Hiroshima tsukemen with cold noodles and an ice cold spicy sesame broth rated on a heat scale.
Outdoor things to do in Hiroshima
Hike Mt Misen
Three trails or the ropeway lead to a summit view across the island dotted Seto Inland Sea to Shikoku.
Shimanami Kaido cycling
Seventy kilometres of bridges and island roads on blue line lanes, best ridden halfway to Setoda by day.
Onomichi Temple Walk
A signed hillside route linking some 25 temples to Senkoji Park and the classic channel view.
Kintai Bridge
The five arched wooden bridge of 1673 spans the Nishiki River, with a ropeway castle view above it.
Sea kayaking to the Great Torii
Guided kayaks float beside the Great Torii at high tide, a perspective the ferry crowds never get.
Saijo sake district brewery walk
Seven plus breweries line Brewery Street with white walled kura, chimneys and sake well water to taste.
Peace Cycling Tour Hiroshima
A three hour e-bike loop with a local guide to A-bombed buildings and trees most walkers miss.
Setouchi Golf Resort
Eighteen coastal holes with Inland Sea views on every hole, plus villas and a huge terrace deck.
Best hotels in Hiroshima
Sheraton Grand Hiroshima Hotel
Station connected flagship with club floors, spa and pool, the default luxury pick for short stays.
Hilton Hiroshima
The newest international luxury hotel near Peace Boulevard, with pool, spa and executive lounge.
RIHGA Royal Hotel Hiroshima
The grand dame tower overlooking the castle and Peace Park side, classic rooms and five restaurants.
KAI Miyajima
A new Hoshino onsen ryokan giving Miyajima a true luxury overnight for the first time.
Iwaso
The classic luxury ryokan in maple valley, with tatami suites, rotenburo baths and full kaiseki.
THE KNOT Hiroshima
A design hotel near Peace Park with a rooftop bar and the best score to price ratio in the centre.
Hotel Granvia Hiroshima
In station reliability with five restaurants, unbeatable for early trains and onward travel.
Hotel Granvia Hiroshima South Gate
The newer Granvia tower opened with the station redevelopment, directly at Hiroshima Station.
Is Hiroshima expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ¥8,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ¥16,000 a person |
| Splurge | ¥35,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum: weeks ahead
- Mazda Museum: weeks ahead
- Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima: weeks ahead
- Private guided Peace Park and Miyajima day: weeks ahead
- Shimanami Kaido cycling: a few days ahead
- Sea kayaking to the Great Torii: a few days ahead
- Setouchi Golf Resort: weeks ahead
- KAI Miyajima: months ahead
- Peace Memorial Museum timed entry for peak dates including blossom, Golden Week, Obon and 6 August.
- Mazda Museum tour is free and weekday only and fills weeks ahead.
- Miyajima ryokan, KAI Miyajima and 6 August hotels need months, not weeks.
- Carp weekend and holiday tickets sell out on the official release.
- Top private Peace Park and Miyajima guides sell out 2 to 4 weeks ahead in spring and autumn.
Is Hiroshima safe?
- Hiroshima is very safe, and solo walking at night in the centre and station areas is normal.
- Heed earthquake and heavy rain or landslide warnings for Sandankyo and mountain hikes.
- Summer heat and humidity punish midday hiking. Carry water up Misen.
- In Nagarekawa ignore bar touts and drink in places with posted prices.
- Behave in Peace Memorial Park as at a cemetery that is also a park. No drones or loud calls.
Hiroshima travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Doing Hiroshima, Miyajima and Misen as a rushed Kyoto or Osaka day trip is the most regretted itinerary.
- Okonomimura as your only okonomiyaki. Pair one stall there with Micchan or Hassho for the benchmark.
- Miyajima at 13:00 on a weekend is peak day trip crowds. Arrive before 10:00 or after 15:30.
- Do not feed the Miyajima deer. They are wilder than Naras and will eat paper, maps and tickets.
- Hiroshima Castle is a reconstruction, not an original. Save castle superlatives for Himeji or Matsuyama.
- Peak local oyster season is October to March, whatever menus imply year round.
Getting around Hiroshima: public transport and more
- Trams are the city, flat 220 yen in the centre, with IC cards or cash on exit.
- Station to Peace Park is 15 to 20 minutes by tram or a pleasant 25 to 30 minute riverside walk.
- The Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass bundles trams, buses and both Miyajima ferries.
- Hiroshima Airport is 45 to 50 minutes by limousine bus from the station, not near the city.
Who Hiroshima suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Hiroshima your trip
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