A plan for Hiroshima

Those expecting to step off the Shinkansen into a pile of smoldering rubble will be in for a surprise, as Hiroshima has all the ferroconcrete and blinking neon of any other modern Japanese city. Teenagers stream in and out of the station, where McDonald's and the latest keitai (mobile phones) await; hapless salarymen rush down Aioi-dori to their next meeting, casting a bloodshot eye toward the seedy bars of Nagarekawa as they pass. At first glance, it can be hard to imagine that anything out of the ordinary ever happened here.

Hiroshima was founded in 1589 on the delta formed by the Ota River, flowing out to the Seto Inland Sea. The warlord Mori Terumoto built a castle there, only to lose it eleven years later to Tokugawa Ieyasu after the Battle of Sekigahara, which marked the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate. Control of the area was given to the Asano clan of samurai, who ruled without much incident for the next two and a half centuries. Their descendants embraced the rapid modernization of the Meiji period, and Hiroshima became the seat of government for the region, a major industrial center, and a busy port.

By World War II, Hiroshima was one of the larger cities in Japan, and a natural communications and supply center for the military. Forced laborers from Korea and China were shipped in by the tens of thousands, and local schoolchildren also spent part of their days working in munitions factories. Residents of the city must have felt curiously blessed for the first few years of the war, as Hiroshima had been left largely untouched by American bombing campaigns; that was, however, intended to ensure a more accurate measurement of the atomic bomb's effect on the candidate cities, which had been narrowed down to Hiroshima, Kokura, Kyoto, Nagasaki, and Niigata.

Peace Memorial Park

Most of the memorials related to the atomic bomb are in and around the Peace Memorial Park (平和公園 Heiwa-kōen), reachable by tram line 2 or 6 to Genbaku Dome-mae. Coming from JR Hiroshima Station, you'll see the Peace Park on your left just before crossing the T-shaped Aioi Bridge, which is thought to have been the target of the bomb.

Once part of the busy Nakajima merchant district, this area was destroyed almost in its entirety by the bomb. Today, there are more than fifty memorials, statues, and other structures in the Park. Some will be obscure in their meaning; others are immediate and devastating. There is no entry fee, save for the Peace Memorial Museum, and access to the grounds is not restricted at night.

1 A-Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム Genbaku Dōmu). The skeletal remains of the dome are the most recognizable symbol of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. In another lifetime, the building was one of the city's best-known sights for an entirely different reason; designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915, the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall (and its fanciful green dome) had a bold European style in a grimy, crowded city with few modern flourishes. Because the explosion took place almost directly above the building, the walls remained largely intact, even as the dome shattered and the people inside were killed by the heat of the blast. Initially, as the city rebuilt, it was left alone simply because it was more difficult to demolish than other remains in the area; gradually, the A-Bomb Dome became the symbol it is today. The "Hiroshima Peace Memorial" was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996 amid some controversy — the United States and China both voted against the nomination for reasons related to the war. Today, the benches around the Dome are a favorite spot for Hiroshima natives to read, eat lunch, or simply relax. (updated Apr 2017)

Festivals

Flower Festival (フラワーフェスティバル). First weekend of May. This is Hiroshima's biggest festival, begun in 1975 to celebrate the Carp's first baseball championship. There are food vendors and things for sale, but live performances now dominate the program, with comedians and J-pop bands on stages along Heiwa-o-dori. It's the smaller performances that make the Flower Festival worthwhile, though, particularly in the stalls near Jizo-dori, where you might stumble across a phenomenal Okinawan band or a local jazz combo. Free.

Peace Memorial Ceremony (広島平和記念式典 Heiwa Kinen Shikiten), Peace Memorial Park, ☏ +81 82-504-2103. 6 August. Held each year on the anniversary of the atomic bombing, with many hibakusha in attendance. Ceremonies are held in the morning (8:15AM, the time the bomb was dropped). The air raid sirens sound, followed by a minute of silence, and then appeals for peace by the mayor of Hiroshima. There's also a ceremony in the evening (20:00), when a thousand colorful lanterns are floated down the river. Free.

Sake Festival (酒まつり Sake Matsuri). Early October. The suburb of Saijo is famous for its sake breweries and this annual boozy blow-out. For the price of entry, attendees can drink their fill of sake from local breweries. In short order, the festival area turns into a wild (yet reasonably well-behaved) display of public drunkenness involving people of all ages. Outside the festival area, tours of sake breweries are also available, with wood sake cups are available as souvenirs for your visit. JR Saijo Station is just a couple of stops from Hiroshima — you'll be swept up in the crowds as soon as you arrive. Tickets ¥1000 in advance, ¥1500 at the festival.

Food Festival. Last weekend in October. This one's pretty simple — food, glorious food of all kinds, from international delicacies to local favorites, from roasted slabs of meat and seafood to delicious vegetarian-friendly dishes and desserts, served in stalls lining the moat of Hiroshima Castle and parts of Chuo Park. There's a flea market as well, and usually some cultural performances at the castle in the evening. Free — pay for what you eat.

Hiroshima is famous for its style of okonomiyaki (お好み焼き), which literally means "cook it as you like it". Often (and somewhat misleadingly) called "Japanese pizza", it is better described as a type of savory pancake made with egg, cabbage, soba noodles, and meat, seafood or cheese. It is grilled in layers on a hot plate in front of you and slathered liberally with okonomiyaki sauce, with optional extras such as mayonnaise, pickled ginger, and seaweed. It sounds and looks like a mess, but is very tasty and filling. To give you a sense of the civic pride involved here, the Hiroshima tourist information office offers a map with a whopping 97 shops serving okonomiyaki within city limits, and reports have several hundred more in the area. Micchan (みっちゃん) is the most famous of the Hiroshima- style okonomiyaki restaurants with long histories. It has a few branches in and around the center of Hiroshima.

Hiroshima style and Osaka style are the two competing types of okonomiyaki, and if you raise the subject of okonomiyaki with a local, be ready to state your preference between the two! Basically, in Hiroshima the ingredients are layered and pressed together while cooking, while in Osaka the batter is mixed together first, and the ingredients do not include noodles. According to local legend, both dishes originate from a cheap snack called issen yōshoku (一銭洋食) or "one-cent Western meal", which consisted of a wheat and water pancake served with scallions and sauce. Representing the other side of the pancake divide, Tokunaga (徳永) is the best-known Kansai-style okonomiyaki restaurant in Hiroshima.

There are Japanese and American chain restaurants clustered near the station, including Starbucks, McDonald's, sushi shops and okonomiyaki shops among many others. Most will serve until 22:00, though McDonalds stays open later.

Nagarekawa has the highest concentration of bars in Hiroshima — the good, the bad, and the hostess — but there are a number of good, quiet wine bars on Hakushima-dori, and plenty of foreigner-friendly pubs clustered around the giant PARCO building. Yagenbori-dori is full of bars and clubs that are spread across floors of the various high-rise buildings as well as a number of "soapland" brothels.

Sake enthusiasts should not miss the chance to visit the breweries of Saijo, particularly during the annual festival in October — see above.

1 Barcos, 7-9 Yagenbori-dori, Naka-ku (Sanwa Building, 2nd floor) (Hatchobori tram stop), ☏ +81 82-246-5800. Daily 08:00-17:00. All races and creeds are in attendance on an average night at Barcos — from the locals to the international community (and not just English teachers), from fashionistas and lunkheads to lost souls and chatterboxes. If you come on a weekend or a holiday, be prepared for a massive crowd. The DJs play a wide range of music, including soul, techno, R&B, and Latin, but they're happy to take requests. Mambos Latin Bar, on the third floor of the same building and with the same owner, focuses on the Latin music, with dance classes in various styles in the early evening before things get rolling.

2 Club Quattro, 10-1 Hon-dori, Naka-ku (PARCO Building, 10F) (Hatchobori tram stop), ☏ +81 82-542-2280. Doors open for most shows at 18:00 on weekdays, earlier on weekends. The biggest rock venue in town, Club Quattro hosts most of the major touring bands that deign to visit Hiroshima. Tickets vary; anywhere between ¥2-8000 depending on the band.

There is a Visit Hiroshima Tourist Pass that covers either 1-3 days of unlimited journeys inside the city or the prefecture. It can be obtained from the Information Center on the first floor of the airport, the JR station, the Hiroshima Bus Center, and other tourist locations. Digital passes are also available online and are suitable for travelers seeking to use public transportation frequently during their trip in the city.

By tram

Hiroshima has an extensive tram (streetcar) network, which is operated by Hiroden (広電). It's a slow but reliable way of getting around. The trams themselves are a mix of old rattle-traps and sleek, new "Green Movers" — although they all run on the same lines for the same fares. There's no difference other than the smoothness of the ride. Because the trams were bought from other cities, you're getting a tour of Japanese transit history — some have been in service for more than fifty years, and that might be an old Kyoto tram taking you through Hiroshima. Trams 651 and 652, both of which survived the atomic bomb blast, are still sometimes used in regular service.

Most lines originate from JR Hiroshima Station, and run frequently during daytime and evening hours, approximately one tram every 10 minutes per line. Boarding and payment procedures vary by tram; however, the entrance and exit are clearly marked in English. (If in doubt, just follow the locals.) Pay as you exit. Change machines are usually available on board if you don't have exact change — check near the front or back of the car. A of Nov 2025, trips are a flat ¥240 (¥120 for children ages 6-11; up to 3 children ages 1-5 may ride with a paying adult/older child). One-day passes are available from the tourist office for ¥700 (¥350 children). A day pass which also includes travel on the Matsudai Kisen ferry to Miyajima costs ¥1000 (¥550 children). Digital passes are also available online and include 8/24 hour passes for ¥600/700 (¥300/350 children) and weekday (10:00-16:00) and weekend (8 hours) passes for ¥440 (¥220 children).

Hiroshima has a rough reputation among Japanese people from other cities, thanks largely to the yakuza movies that were filmed in town. In reality it is much safer than any large Western city. As with most places in Japan, petty theft is virtually non-existent. Nagarekawa, the nightlife district, has the usual range of adult entertainment venues found in most large Japanese cities, including some hostess bars that may overcharge — so the standard caution applies.

There have been a few surprise police raids on bars that offer dancing after 01:00, in accordance with a semi-obscure local law about public immorality that Hiroshima occasionally feels compelled to enforce — probably in order to catch people who are in the country illegally. Japanese citizens are generally allowed to leave right away, but foreigners have been made to stand in line to have their paperwork checked. If you find yourself in one of these situations, just stay calm, show the police your passport, and you'll eventually be allowed to leave without any trouble.