72 Hours in Hiroshima

Hiroshima is a modern city with a dark past. This city is forever marked by the atomic bomb that fell here in 1945 - but it is so much more than that. On our most recent trip to Japan, Hiroshima may have been our favorite city, precisely because history and modern life come together here. Let me show you how we spent (almost) 72 hours in Hiroshima.

Day 1

From Kyoto, we take the shinkansen to Hiroshima, a journey of about two hours. Upon arriving at the station, we catch a bus into the city toward our hotel. Our hotel is close to downtown, just a five-minute walk to shops and restaurants. After the tiny hotel rooms in Tokyo and Kyoto, our “spacious” (by Japanese standards) room in Hiroshima is a pleasant surprise. We even have a beautiful view over the city. We’re staying at The Knot Hiroshima, which I highly recommend.

We check in and head into town to find something to eat. By chance, we stumble upon an Ichiran Ramen that, to our surprise, is completely empty. In other big cities, it’s almost impossible to eat at Ichiran without waiting at least half an hour, but here we can sit down right away. We enjoy a bowl of tonkotsu ramen and continue our walk.

Our next stop is the Pokémon Center. We’ve been searching for a specific Pokémon plush that we haven’t been able to find anywhere. Will this Hiroshima Pokémon Center be the one? Spoiler alert: no. It’s a small but once again very quiet shop. We take a quick look around, buy nothing, and move on to dinner.

Of course, okonomiyaki is a must when visiting Hiroshima, as it’s one of the city’s specialties. My sister and brother-in-law had recommended Lopez Okonomiyaki - a small place run by a man from Guatemala. At the restaurant, the okonomiyaki is cooked right in front of you on a huge griddle. You choose your own toppings: we go for a “regular” one and one with soba noodles. If you like, you can add chorizo, cheese, or peppers. None of these are traditional, of course - they’re Mr. Lopez’s own twist.

While cooking, the owner takes a genuine interest in us - asking where we’re from and how we found his place. We always enjoy this kind of interaction, and it didn’t feel forced. The okonomiyaki is delicious, and we leave happy. If you plan to eat here, keep in mind that it’s cash only. My boyfriend had to run to a 7/11 during dinner to withdraw money - not recommended. Afterward, we play a quick round of Mario Kart at an arcade before calling it a night.

Day 2

We start the day with bagels from Wildman Bagel. The ones we had our eye on were already sold out (even though we arrived fairly early), but we were still happy with our other picks - something with cream cheese and one with blueberry cream cheese. There’s no seating inside, but there’s a bench outside where we enjoyed our breakfast before heading straight to the Peace Memorial Museum.

I didn’t take any photos inside the museum, but all I can say is: wow. This is something you really need to see for yourself. The museum is filled with personal stories that truly convey the impact of the bomb - stories of real people: those who lost family, those who lost everything, and those who were far away yet suffered lifelong injuries. We couldn’t have imagined the scale of the destruction until we saw the photographs. Some images are difficult to look at, but the museum’s message is clear: this must never happen again. If you’re in Hiroshima, a visit to this museum is an absolute must.

Afterward, we walk through the Peace Memorial Park and see the famous memorial: the iconic view of the only building left standing after the bomb. It remains as a reminder of what happened here. It’s striking to see it in real life and to think that the ground beneath our feet once didn’t exist.

We take a short walk to process everything, have lunch - yes, at Ichiran again - play Mario Kart in a random shopping mall, visit the Pokémon Center (again), and eat taiyaki. Then we head to Hiroshima Castle. This is a replica of the original castle, as the original was destroyed. It’s beautifully reconstructed and very photogenic. Inside, it’s set up as a museum, which we didn’t find particularly interesting. We went straight to the top to enjoy the panoramic views of the city.

In the evening, we have dinner at a local spot I found on Google Maps: Halelea. I had been craving hamburger rice, and we were not disappointed. What a great find! I order the hamburger set meal, and my boyfriend orders the steak set meal - both cooked perfectly. The prices were great too: we paid less than 2,000 yen total for both meals (excluding drinks).

After dinner, my boyfriend has a new mission: to find secondhand Nintendo Switch games as cheaply as possible. He says he’s found a shop within walking distance, so we head over. We’re the only customers there, but we hit the jackpot: loads of Switch games. We buy four - I don’t remember the exact total, but it was far less than what we’d pay in the Netherlands. My boyfriend is thrilled, and we head back to the hotel satisfied.

Day 3

Our last day in Hiroshima! We have breakfast at Komeda’s Coffee. I had read that it’s a great place for breakfast because you get toast with egg salad and coffee for a low price. That’s true, but we weren’t overly impressed. A decent breakfast, but nothing to write home about. That’s fine - you can’t win them all.

Next, we head to a place we’ve really been looking forward to: Miyajima Island! The island is famous for its “floating” shrine and for the deer that roam freely. We take the ferry over and spot the shrine from the boat. It’s high tide, so it really does look like it’s floating! It’s the typical torii gate you see at many temples, but as we get closer, we’re struck by its enormous size. Photos just don’t do it justice, this is the largest torii I’ve ever seen.

As soon as we step onto the island, we’re greeted by deer. So yes, the rumors are true! There aren’t as many as in Nara, but they’re much calmer. We take a closer look at the torii and snap some photos before moving on. You can take a bus up the mountain and then a ropeway to the top for panoramic views, but it’s extremely hot, so we decide against it. Instead, we stay in the shade and walk partway up before somehow getting completely lost. We end up walking down along the car road - not recommended.

We eventually reach O-shoji Street, the island’s main street. Here you’ll find many shops and restaurants. We enjoy homemade lemonade, browse the shops, and have lunch at a small restaurant. Then it’s back on the ferry to Hiroshima.

We spent about half a day on Miyajima, which was enough for us - especially considering the heat that day. If you want to hike up the mountain, you’ll need more time. Once back in the city, we head to an arcade to try and win a Quagsire Pokémon plush from a claw machine. Honestly, it didn’t go well. I don’t know how many tries we needed, but it was a lot. Eventually, the staff even tried to help us. But! We won it, and we had a good laugh about it.

We ended the day at the same restaurant as yesterday, where I had hamburger rice again but with a different sauce. Another big success, and a perfect way to wrap up our time in Hiroshima.

All in all, we found Hiroshima to be a fantastic destination. The city has a calm atmosphere, which we appreciated after coming from busy Kyoto. We didn’t do a huge amount, but we enjoyed taking things at a slower pace. If you have a few extra days, I’d definitely recommend adding Hiroshima to your itinerary.