Chugoku · western Japan
Hiroshima & Miyajima
The hardest day of your trip, and the one you will talk about afterwards.
Best seasonApril–May and October–November
How long to stay1–2 days
AreaChugoku · western Japan
Why go
- The Peace Memorial Museum is honest and difficult. Give it two hours, and do not plan anything demanding after it.
- The A-Bomb Dome, left standing exactly as it was, is a short walk away.
- Miyajima island, where a vermilion gate stands in the sea and appears to float at high tide.
- Mount Misen above Miyajima, by ropeway or on foot, for the view back across the inland sea.
Practical notes
- Check the tide table before going to Miyajima — the floating gate only floats at high tide.
- Hiroshima runs trams, not a subway. They are slow, cheap and easy to use.
- Take the museum seriously; it is a memorial, not a sight. Photographs inside are best kept few.
Getting there
About 4 hours from Tokyo by shinkansen, or 1h 40m from Osaka. Miyajima is a short train and ferry from Hiroshima.