Hiroshima Port Day – What should I do?

Hiroshima is a surprising city in a lot of aspects. Most travelers arrive expecting a somber history lesson, and while that is a core, intentional part of the city, the real story of Hiroshima is its resilience. It is a city of wide, clean rivers, lush greenery, and unique dishes. 

If you are in Hiroshima for a single day at a port of call, you don’t need a complex minute-by-minute itinerary if you want to explore the city at leisure. Most of the major sights are nearby, and everything else is accessible by public transport. Here are the essential things to see and do.

The Peace Memorial Park & A-Bomb Dome

This is the heart of the city. Before 1945, this was Hiroshima’s busiest commercial hub; today, it is a vast, serene green space dedicated to peace.

• The A-Bomb Dome: This is likely the first thing you’ll see. The skeletal remains of the Industrial Promotion Hall were preserved exactly as they stood after the blast. Seeing the exposed iron and brick against the backdrop of a modern, thriving city is a jarring but necessary experience. This was the effective epicenter of the bomb, with the blast detonating directly above the building, the shockwave was vertical and resulted in the building remaining somewhat standing, the same could not be said for nearly all the surrounding buildings. 
• The Museum: Do not just show up. With massive amounts of tourism to Japan, the Peace Memorial Museum is frequently at capacity. Book your tickets online in advance. If you don’t, you might find yourself in a 90-minute queue, which will eat up your entire afternoon. This is especially relevant when hundreds of others from your ship will likely be heading here too. Book your tickets and skip the queue. This museum can be extremely confronting, so be prepared.  
• The Children’s Peace Monument: This is where you will see thousands of vibrant paper cranes. They are sent from schools worldwide in honor of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who inspired the world by trying to fold 1,000 cranes while battling leukemia.The Peace Park is filled with similarly beautiful monuments, including a traditional bell that you can ring to wish for peace, it’s a beautiful place to explore and spend an entire day in if you like. 

Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima Island)

You cannot visit Hiroshima without taking the 10-minute ferry to Miyajima. It is genuinely one of the most stunning places in Japan, an island off the coast of Hiroshima filled with shrines and walks through nature. Many travellers when visiting Hiroshima will spend a whole day in Miyajima, but given you are here as a port of call, it’s perfectly OK to spend just a morning here to see the major sights. 

• The Floating Torii Gate: At high tide, this massive vermillion gate looks like it’s floating on the Seto Inland Sea. At low tide, the water recedes entirely, allowing you to walk right out to its base to see the barnacles and the sheer scale of the pillars. The Torii gate is situated out from the water, with a temple facing it directly from the island, but you can get excellent photos from outside the temple too. The best photos however are found inside Itsukushima Jinja, which has a small entry fee. 
• The Deer: Just like in Nara, the island is filled with wild deer. They are generally polite, but they have a refined palate for paper—keep your ferry tickets and maps tucked away, or they will become a snack. Likewise, avoid eating near the deer, or they will come and bother you. (Unfortunately I have personal experience with this)
• Miyajima Maple Leafs: Miyajima has a famous local dish, a buckwheat and rice cake shaped like a maple leaf. You can find many local stores selling these, and they go great with a coffee or matcha early in the morning. They are sweet, filled with a slightly-maple flavoured red bean paste.

Okonomimura

When hunger hits, don’t just look for “Okonomiyaki”, look for Hiroshima-style. In Osaka, ingredients are mixed together; in Hiroshima, they are built in a meticulous tower. It starts with a thin crepe, followed by a mountain of cabbage, pork belly, and a thick layer of crunchy yakisoba noodles, all topped with a fried egg and sweet sauce.

• Where to go: Head to Okonomimura (Okonomiyaki Village). It’s a building with three floors packed with dozens of tiny stalls. There is no “best” stall; just follow your nose, grab a stool at the counter, and watch the chef flip your dinner with a pair of metal spatulas.

But to be honest, you can find Okonomiyaki nearly everywhere in Hiroshima. Do not be afraid to try it, it’s an experience itself to have it made in front of you and the locals are extremely friendly and happy to have you as customers. 

Hiroshima Castle (The Carp Castle)

If you want a break from the crowds at the Peace Park, walk ten minutes north to Hiroshima Castle. Though the original was destroyed in 1945, the reconstruction is a beautiful “flatlands” castle surrounded by a massive moat. 

• The “Survivor” Trees: Inside the castle walls, look for the eucalyptus and willow trees that survived the atomic blast. They are scarred but still growing, serving as living symbols of the city’s endurance.
• The View: The top floor of the castle offers a 360-degree view of the city, which gives you a great perspective on how the rivers carve Hiroshima into distinct islands. It can be a steep climb, but it’s extremely affordable to enter and a great way to see how the castles were built to defend against attacks by rival Shogun. 

Practical Logistics for the Day

• The Ferry Trick: If you are starting at the Peace Park, you can take a “Peace Boat” ferry directly from the riverbank near the A-Bomb Dome to Miyajima. it’s more expensive than the train, but it saves you about 40 minutes of transit and offers a beautiful view of the city.
• Trams over Taxis: Hiroshima’s “Hiroden” streetcars are an icon. They are easy to use, and some of the older models are actually vintage cars from other cities (and even some that survived the war). They are the most atmospheric way to get around.
• The “Hera” Etiquette: When eating Okonomiyaki, you’ll be given a small metal spatula called a hera. While you can ask for chopsticks, the intended way is to use the spatula to cut and eat the pancake directly off the grill. These spatulas also make a great souvenir to bring home! 
• Seeing the Most: If you want to see absolutely everything you can, we highly recommend you go to Miyajima first, as this is where the crowds will be the largest and you will have the biggest bottle-necks with the ferry timings. Even if the Peace Museum is busy, you will still be able to access it given that you pre-booked a ticket, and the crowds in the museum are less impactful as you will be spending most of your time reading the plaques.