If you are looking to explore the insta-worthy Itsukushima Shrine (aka the "floating gate" in Miyajima), why not consider taking a day or two to immerse in the places surrounding it specifically Miyajima island itself and Hiroshima, a prefecture that is rich in history and played an important part during the World War II.
Exploring Hiroshima
If this is your first time to Hiroshima and you have only a day to spare, visiting the peace memorial park and the beautiful Hiroshima castle is a must. We will suggest that you plan your accommodation within Naka-ku, Hiroshima-ken.
Hiroshima Castle
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| Hiroshima Castle across the moat. |
Hiroshima Castle sits in the middle of a large moat surrounded by many cherry trees and plants. As we went in spring, the moat was filled with cherry blossoms petals while the castle was decorated with pink cherry flowers. It was really a pretty sight just by looking at it from the outside across the moat.
Constructed in 1589, Hiroshima Castle served as the political and economic center of the city due to its strategic location that is accessible to both water and land transportation. However, it was demolished along with many other buildings during the atomic bomb attack in 1945. To raise awareness of Hiroshima and its history, the castle was "resurrected" in 1958 featuring 4 floors of museum exhibits mainly on Samurai culture.
Opening hours: 9am-6pm (March - November)
9am-5pm (December - February weekdays)
Last admission: 30mins before closing
Admission fees: 370 yen for adults, 180 yen for children (Under high school)
Peace Memorial Park
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| A-Bomb Dome within the park during Sakura season. |
Just across Hiroshima Castle stands the Peace Memorial Park built to commemorate peace after World War II ended with many victims. There are about 50 memorials in and around the park, each has different significance to commemorate different groups of people who sacrificed during the war. The more outstanding ones are the A-Bomb Dome, the Pond of Peace, the Flame of Peace, the Children's Peace Monument and of course, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum which holds records of tragedy itself.
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| A-Bomb Dome |
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| Children's Peace Monument |
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| Memorial Tower for the students who were mobilised to demolish buildings in the central area of Hiroshima City on the day that the A-Bomb dropped. |
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| Flame of Peace that has been kept lit since Aug 1964 and will remain lit until our planet is free from the threat of nuclear annihilation. |
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Bell of Peace
Opening hours: All day
Admission fees: Free
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Peace Memorial Museum
Within the Peace Memorial Park, stands the Peace Memorial Museum that holds records of the atomic bomb that was dropped on 6th Aug 1945. It speaks for the innocents who lost their lives while working at the bomb site on that fateful day through artefacts that were donated by their families who survived the war. A thorough walk through the museum will give you insights on what exactly is radiation, how it kills, what are the immediate effects on the victims as well as the aftermaths of the war itself. Give yourself 2 hours to complete the tour of the museum.
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| Hypocenter of the A-Bomb |
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| Granite used to calculate the hypocenter of the A-Bomb |
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| Measuring radiation |
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| Immediate effects of the A-Bomb |
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| Radiation that burnt through fabric and charred skin |
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| People left messages on tiles in the hope of reuniting with their families again after the war. |
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One of the aftermath of A-Bomb: Black rain
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| Obama's Message and Paper Crane after visiting the museum in May 2016 |
Opening hours: 8.30am-6pm (Closed on 30th and 31st Dec)
8.30am-5pm (Dec - Feb)
Last admission: 30mins before closing
Admission fees: 200 yen for adults, 160yen for groups of 30 or more
100 yen for high school students, free for groups of 20 or more
Free admission for junior high school students and younger
Food in Hiroshima
From the Peace Memorial Park, you can take a 10mins walk to Hiroshima's Okonomiyaki Village and have some Hiroshima style okonomiyaki for dinner! We came across this shop just next to the entrance of Okonomiyaki Village and went ahead to try their okonomiyaki, it is delicious!
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| 村长の店 |
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The making of Hiroshima style Okonomoyaki
As you can see from the video above, Hiroshima style okonomiyaki is slightly different from Osaka style okonomiyaki. Both of them uses same ingredients, however, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki have their ingredients layered one by one and will always include noodles and a fried egg in them whereas Osaka-style okonomiyaki mixes all their ingredients together and usually have more vegetables in it.
Address: 5-22 Shintenchi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, 730-0034, Japan
Opening hours: 11am - 11pm
Price range: SGD$12 - SGD$18
Hiroshima is really a city that is very much underrated and less visited by tourists. So if you do want to get away from the crowd (especially during sakura period) and get soaked in some history, do include Hiroshima in your itinerary to Japan!
That's one day in Hiroshima! Do use the map below to find the most affordable and available hotels in Hiroshima.
Next up, to Miyajima!
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