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Chūgoku
Hiroshima
A city of memory and rivers, and the gateway to Miyajima.
Introduction
Hiroshima is a modern, green, river-crossed city that carries its history openly rather than heavily. Most visitors come for a day; staying overnight lets the place register as somewhere people live.
Pair it with Miyajima, a short ferry away, and you have one of the most affecting two-day stretches in the country.
The Sakura Insider Editors · Updated 20 March 2026
- Region
- Chūgoku, Honshū
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
- From Osaka
- Shinkansen, about 1h30
- Don't miss
- Miyajima at low tide
Why visit
Why Hiroshima
01
The Peace Memorial Museum
Unflinching, carefully made, and the reason to slow down rather than rush through.
02
Miyajima
The floating torii, forested walks and a mountain worth the ropeway or the climb.
03
A distinctive food culture
Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is layered with noodles and defended with conviction.
Neighbourhoods
Best areas
- Peace Park & Nakajima
- Museum, memorials and the riverside walk between them.
- Hondori
- Covered shopping street and the centre of the city's eating.
- Miyajima
- Stay overnight on the island once the day visitors leave.
Things to do
Worth your time in Hiroshima
Give the museum a full morning
It is not a stop between other stops.
Walk the memorial park
The A-Bomb Dome and the children's memorial reward a slow, quiet circuit.
Take the ferry to Miyajima
Check the tide table before you go — the torii is a different sight at each end of it.
Okonomiyaki at a griddle counter
Multi-storey buildings of small stalls; pick one and sit at the hotplate.
Stay
Where to stay in Hiroshima
- Central Hiroshima
- Walking distance to the park and the covered arcades.
- Miyajima
- A handful of ryokan on the island; the evening there is the reason to book one.
Find your stay in Hiroshima
Editorial guidance only. We don't publish prices, ratings or availability.
Eat
Where to eat
- Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
- Cabbage, noodles and egg, layered rather than mixed.
- Oysters
- The bay is famous for them; grilled at a stall on Miyajima in winter is the version to have.
Transport
How to get around
- Trams cover the city centre and reach the ferry terminal for Miyajima.
- The shinkansen station sits a short tram ride north of the centre.
- Miyajima ferries run frequently; the JR service is covered by nationwide rail passes.
Plan
A suggested Hiroshima route
- Day 1Museum and memorial park in the morning, Hondori and okonomiyaki in the evening.
- Day 2Early ferry to Miyajima, the shrine at high tide, Mount Misen in the afternoon.
Insider tips
What we'd tell a friend about Hiroshima
Reading
Hiroshima stories
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