Hiroshima and Miyajima: A Complete Travel Guide
AirHuntr Editorial
June 18, 2026
Hiroshima is one of the world's most important destinations — a city that bears witness to history while also being a vibrant, modern, and genuinely welcoming place to visit. Combined with the island of Miyajima, it makes for one of Japan's most memorable two-day trips.
Hiroshima is one of the world's most important destinations — a city that bears witness to history while also being a vibrant, modern, and genuinely welcoming place to visit. Combined with the island of Miyajima, it makes for one of Japan's most memorable two-day trips.
The Peace Memorial
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is mandatory. The permanent collection documents the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945, through photographs, survivor testimonies, and preserved artifacts — melted glass, scorched clothing, shadow impressions burned into stone steps. Allow at least two hours and go on an empty stomach emotionally.
The Atomic Bomb Dome (Genbaku Domu) — the only building left standing at the bomb's hypocenter — sits on the bank of the Ota River, preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Across the Peace Memorial Park, the Children's Peace Monument is covered in thousands of origami cranes.
The park and dome are free to visit, open around the clock.
Miyajima Island
Miyajima (officially Itsukushima) is a sacred island 30 minutes from Hiroshima by train and ferry. It's home to the "floating torii gate" — a vermilion gate that appears to stand on the sea at high tide and on the mudflats at low tide. Both versions are beautiful in different ways.
The island itself: Itsukushima Shrine (walk through it), 5-story pagoda, Daisho-in Temple (excellent and less crowded than the shrine), wild deer roaming freely everywhere, and a wooded mountain (Misen) accessible by ropeway or hiking trail.
Oysters: Hiroshima Prefecture produces 60% of Japan's oysters, and Miyajima is the place to eat them — grilled, raw, fried (kaki furai), or in a momiji manju (maple leaf-shaped cake). Do not skip this.
Momiji manju: Small maple leaf-shaped cakes stuffed with red bean paste, custard, or chocolate. You'll be offered free samples every 10 meters on the main shopping street.
Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki
The must-eat dish in Hiroshima. Unlike Osaka's mixed version, Hiroshima okonomiyaki is built in layers: crepe, cabbage, bean sprouts, bacon, noodles (yakisoba or udon), egg — then flipped and grilled on the flat iron griddle in front of you. The Okonomimura building in central Hiroshima has three floors of small restaurants, each specializing in this dish. Order with a cold Hiroshima Lager.
Getting to Hiroshima
From Osaka: 1 hour 15 minutes by Nozomi Shinkansen (not covered by JR Pass) or 1 hour 45 minutes by Hikari (covered).
From Tokyo: 3 hours 30 minutes by Hikari Shinkansen.
A JR Pass covers the ferry to Miyajima from Miyajimaguchi pier.
Practical Tips
- The Peace Museum's queues can be long — buy tickets online in advance
- Hiroshima is best as an overnight trip rather than a rushed day trip
- Miyajima at sunrise or sunset (when day-trippers are gone) is incomparably more atmospheric
- The island has overnight accommodation — a night on Miyajima is one of Japan's most serene experiences
Day Trip or Overnight?
If you're coming from Osaka or Kyoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima are doable as a day trip — but it's rushed. Spending one night in Hiroshima and visiting Miyajima at dusk, then leaving the next morning, is significantly better.
Hiroshima carries the weight of history with dignity. Most visitors leave having felt something they didn't expect to feel.
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