If you’re contemplating making the trip to Hiroshima during your trip to Japan, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU GO! It takes a bit to get there, but our 24 hours in Hiroshima was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan! It’s full of history but also some of the best people and food in all of Japan!
Here’s how we spent 24 hours in Hiroshima and the surrounding area. Enjoy!
Things to do in Hiroshima
9 am: Visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial and Museum
We came from Kyoto and got to Hiroshima in the morning, around 8 am. After checking into our hotel, we took the bus to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to start our day. It only costs 200 Yen for a museum ticket and you just purchase them day of, not in advance. The earlier you get there the better, because there are large crowds. I had concerns that the museum would feel weird visiting as an American, but it focuses on the impact of nuclear war, which is a lesson for everyone, no matter the nationality. I won’t share the details here being I believe everyone should experience it for themselves, but it was very emotional – I 100% recommend visiting.
11 am: Walk though Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Right outside the museum is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. There’s many different memorials you can visit, but I would absolutely make sure to visit the children’s memorial and the paper cranes. This was the most impactful part of the park for me, especially the story of Sadako Sasaki, who was young Japanese girl who became a symbol of all the innocent children who died from the nuclear attack and was the inspiration behind this memorial.
11:30 am: Learn about the A Bomb Dome
This building was the only one to somewhat survive the A-bomb attack because the bomb went off right above it, so it wasn’t blasted outward like the rest of the buildings in the city. Walk around the building and read about what it used to be on the nearby information plaque. Also, if you want to see the hypocenter of where the bomb went off, stroll down the street a bit to that site and spend a moment thinking about what happened just over your head and the people it impacted.
12 pm: Grab lunch at Akushu Cafe
We were a little skeptical to try Akushu Cafe in Hiroshima being it’s located right near the A Bomb Dome and was full of tourists, but we were SO HUNGRY so we decided to go for it. We were pleasantly surprised! We ordered the okonomiyaki wrap and the fish and chips. The chips are homemade and the wrap was a fun twist on the traditional okonomiyaki dish that’s famous in Hiroshima! It you need a quick food pit-stop I would definitely recommend.
2 pm: Explore the island of Miyajima
Exploring the nuclear attack sites can be heavy, so spending the afternoon at the nearby island of Miyajima was just what we needed. We took the 45 minutes ferry right from the Peace Memorial Park area for about $30 per person round trip. There’s cheaper ways to get there by train and then a 10 minute ferry, but this option was more convenient so we went for it! Make sure to walk around the local shops – there’s so much fun stuff to see there!
2:30: Cool down with Miyajima Coffee ice cream
While exploring the local shops in Miyajima, we stopped for some coffee ice cream at Miyajima Coffee. Yes, coffee ice cream! It felt so good to cool down in the coffee shop and eat some cold ice cream. YUM!
3 pm: Sip on a local beer at Miyajima Brewery
We also stopped at Miyajima Brewery for some local brews and oysters. Located right downtown, you will walk past the little bar from the street, but if you want A/C or food, head to the 3rd floor taproom. Here, I had one of my favorite beers while in Japan, the Hiroshima Lemon Ale. It tasted similar to a summer shandy! And the steamed Miyajima oysters were fantastic! If you stop anywhere while in Miyajima, make sure to stop here!
4 pm: Take in the Itsukushima Shrine
Does this torii gate look familiar? The original gate was created in 1168, but the current gate was erected in 1875. It’s the most famous feature of the shrine because it’s right on the water! Walk around the shrine and make sure to take a photo in front of this famous landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site. But watch out for the deer that walk around the area!
4:30 pm: Experience Japanese Culture with an Air BnB Experience
After our trip to Japan I became a huge fan of Air BnB experiences. Read about all the other ones we did here! But our favorite was the Japanese Culture Air BnB Experience we did in Miyajima. Located in a temple on the island, we started our experience by getting dressed in traditional kimono and then took part in a Japanese tea ceremony before making matcha of our own! From there, we took a calligraphy class where we learned how to write some Japanese words and even our own name in Japanese! The most amazing women run this experience and were the sweetest ever!
8 pm: Eat the famous Hiroshima dish at Okonomi-Mura
You can’t visit Hiroshima without trying the famous dish of okonomiyaki! It’s referred to as a Japanese pancake that is best in Hiroshima and consists of egg, noodles, cabbage, green onions, pork, sprouts, and lots of other toppings! The best place to experience okonomiyaki is Okonomi-Mura. This is a four story building that’s full of okonomiyaki vendors. Their tiny restaurants and grills line the floors. Just walk around, find the best looking one to you, sit down, and enjoy! We chose Okonomimura Takenoko which was on the 3rd floor and ordered one with Miyajima oysters on top! So good! Our food highlight of our 24 hours in Hiroshima for sure 🙂
Hiroshima offers all the things I love: history, beer, and good food. Make sure to add it to your Japan itinerary when you visit – even if you just spend 24 hours in Hiroshima like us!
Looking for more Japan city guides? Check out our Kyoto itinerary here!
