Where to stay in Hiroshima

See

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.

• A-Bomb Dome
• Hypocenter
• Children's Peace Monument
• Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students
• Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-Bomb
• Peace Bell
• Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound
• Rest House
• Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims
• Flame of Peace
• Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims
• Peace Memorial Museum

Do

• Flower Festival
• Peace Memorial Ceremony
• Sake Festival
• Food Festival
• Hiroshima Toyo Carp Baseball
• Hiroshima Sanfrecce Soccer
• Nekoda Kinen Gymnasium
• Family Pool
• Big Wave
• Hanbe Gardens
• Round One
• 縮景園 (Shukkeien)

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.

Drink

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.

Stay safe

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.