Hiroshima, Go Deeper
A city rebuilt into a symbol of peace, and the gateway to Miyajima — the sacred island whose great torii seems to float on the tide. Between the memorial and the shrine lie quiet gardens, temples that survived the bomb, and Hiroshima's own layered okonomiyaki.
- Tap Open in Google Maps on any place for live directions, transit, hours & reviews.
- Get an ICOCA / Suica IC card — tap on/off trains, subways & buses, no ticket needed.
- Carry some cash (¥) — many small shops, shrines & old streets are cash-only.
- Go early: the famous spots are calm and beautiful before ~9am.
Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima)
The shrine built over the sea so commoners wouldn't tread its sacred island — its giant vermilion torii appears to float at high tide, then lets you walk out to it at low. One of Japan's three great views.
Peace Memorial Park & A-Bomb Dome
The skeletal dome left standing beneath the 1945 blast, preserved exactly as it fell. The park and its museum are a quiet, unflinching place — the reason many people come to Hiroshima at all.
Mount Misen
Miyajima's sacred peak, reached by ropeway then a rocky climb past a flame said to have burned for 1,200 years. The summit view over the Inland Sea's islands is the island's real reward.
Shukkei-en Garden
A 400-year-old 'shrunken scenery' garden of miniature hills, valleys and a carp pond, rebuilt after the bomb. A green, contemplative counterpoint to the memorial nearby.
Hiroshima Castle
The 'Carp Castle,' faithfully rebuilt after being levelled in 1945. A surviving eucalyptus and willow on the grounds sprouted again within a year of the blast — quiet symbols of the city's recovery.
Okonomi-mura
Three floors stacked with two dozen okonomiyaki stalls, each griddling the Hiroshima style — layered, not mixed, and packed with noodles and cabbage. Pick a counter and watch it built in front of you.
Daishō-in Temple
Miyajima's oldest and most atmospheric temple, climbing the mountainside past spinning sutra wheels and rows of little capped Jizō. Most day-trippers never make it up here.
Mitaki-dera
A temple of three waterfalls hidden in forest on the city's edge, blazing with maples in autumn and almost empty. Its water is still drawn for the Peace Memorial ceremony each August.
Fudō-in
Its great thatched golden hall is one of the few buildings in Hiroshima to survive the atomic bomb intact — a National Treasure that gives a rare glimpse of the city before 1945.
Miyajima Omotesandō
The island's shopping street, thick with the smell of grilled oysters and fresh momiji-manju — maple-leaf cakes baked before your eyes. Look for the world's largest rice scoop overhead.
Plan this trip
Curated experiences (tea ceremonies, guided walks) and places to stay for this route.
Coming soon