Travel by Region

Hiroshima Day Trip: Peace Memorial, Miyajima and Local Food

By JAPN Published

Hiroshima Day Trip: Peace Memorial, Miyajima and Local Food

Peace Memorial Park

The A-Bomb Dome stands as the skeletal remains of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the only structure left standing near the hypocenter of the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing. Its exposed steel frame and crumbling walls are preserved exactly as they appeared after the blast, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Peace Memorial Museum, reopened after renovation in 2019, presents personal artifacts including a melted tricycle, a scorched lunchbox, and shadow imprints burned into stone, alongside survivor testimonies recorded on video.

The Cenotaph in the park’s central axis frames the A-Bomb Dome through its arch and contains a register listing all known victims, now exceeding 330,000 names. The Children’s Peace Monument honors Sadako Sasaki, who developed leukemia at age 12 from radiation exposure and folded paper cranes believing 1,000 would grant her wish for recovery. Glass cases around the monument overflow with millions of origami cranes sent from schools worldwide. The Flame of Peace has burned continuously since 1964 and will be extinguished only when all nuclear weapons on earth are eliminated.

Miyajima Island

Itsukushima Shrine’s vermilion torii gate appears to float on the water at high tide, standing 16.6 meters tall with pillars made from 500-year-old camphor trees. At low tide you can walk out to the base and see the barnacles and seaweed clinging to the lower sections. The shrine itself, originally built in 593 and expanded by warlord Taira no Kiyomori in 1168, extends over the tidal flat on wooden stilts connected by covered corridors and a curved bridge stage used for traditional bugaku dance performances.

The island has no traffic lights and roughly 500 wild deer roam freely, significantly calmer than Nara’s pushy deer since vendors do not sell deer crackers here. Momijidani Park at the base of Mount Misen fills with Japanese maple trees that peak in mid-November. The Mount Misen ropeway carries visitors partway up the 535-meter sacred mountain, with hiking trails continuing to the summit where eternal flame in the Reikado Hall has reportedly burned for 1,200 years since Kobo Daishi meditated here. Grilled momiji manju maple leaf cakes and fresh oysters on the half shell are the island’s signature street foods.

Hiroshima Food Culture

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki layers ingredients rather than mixing them. A thin crepe base goes down first, then a mountain of shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, pork belly slices, a cracked egg, and yakisoba noodles, all pressed together on the griddle and flipped as a single stack. Okonomimura near the Peace Park packs 24 okonomiyaki stalls across four floors of a single building, each with counter seating where you watch the cook build your order. Hassei and Nagata-ya are considered among the best standalone restaurants.

Tsukemen ramen originated in Hiroshima with a spicy dipping broth that distinguishes it from Tokyo’s lighter tsukemen tradition. The local version features a thick, chili-infused broth served alongside cold noodles and garnished with sliced pork and green onions. Momiji manju, the maple-leaf-shaped sponge cakes filled with red bean paste, custard cream, chocolate, or matcha, have been made on Miyajima since 1906 and remain the top regional souvenir. Hiroshima also produces more lemons than any other prefecture in Japan, and lemon-flavored products from cakes to sour cocktails appear throughout the city.

Getting There and Around

The Sanyo Shinkansen from Osaka reaches Hiroshima in 80 minutes and from Tokyo in four hours. JR Pass holders ride free. From Hiroshima Station, streetcar line 2 reaches the Peace Memorial Park area in roughly 20 minutes for 220 yen, and streetcar line 2 continuing to Hiroden-Miyajima-guchi connects to the JR ferry to Miyajima, which is also covered by the Japan Rail Pass. The entire Hiroshima to Miyajima journey takes about 70 minutes door-to-door by streetcar and ferry.

A combined Hiroshima and Miyajima day trip from Osaka is manageable but tight. Arriving by 9 AM and spending two hours at the Peace Park, then heading to Miyajima for the afternoon, catching the last ferry back around 5:30 PM, and returning to Osaka by 8 PM covers the highlights. An overnight stay in Hiroshima allows a more relaxed pace including evening dining in the Nagarekawa entertainment district and morning visits to Shukkeien Garden, a 1620 miniature landscape garden with tea pavilions overlooking a central pond.

This content is for informational purposes only and reflects independent research. Details may change — verify current information before making travel plans.