To Hiroshima

I took the first bus from Kazurabashi bus terminal to Oboke, then took the Nampu train (Dosan limited express) to Okayama. I then took shinkansen to Hiroshima.

This is the first time in my trip that I have the luxury of time to find bento lunch to be consumed on shinkansen. The food is great, all the components are tasty. Bento dishes in Singapore are nothing in comparison. It is surprisingly cheap at 1000 yen (oops an average meal in Japan is more expensive).

Hondori shopping street

Upon arriving at Hiroshima, I intended to go to Fukuromachi elementary school first. However, I chanced upon this bustling street, and since I had a bit of time, I visited it first.

Treated myself with a tasty crepe! The crepe here is softer, and there was much more filling.

The street was rather functional. Unlike Teramachi in Kyoto, which sold lots of souvenirs, the shops here sell necessities that locals would buy on a regular basis: food, household furniture, stationery, etc.

Found several gift shops that sell very cute cat statues.

This city has street cars running along the roads. I got to ride the street cars, and they are very crowded. Not romantic :(

Found the monument marking the hypo-center of the atomic bomb at the end of the street. The actual hypo-center is 600 meters vertically above this point.

Revisited here at night for a tasty treat of ice cream with red beans!

Spot a few buskers at night too.

Fukuromachi elementary school

This school was near the hypo-center, and some of the students were re-located to the countryside due to fear of American bombings. Some remained here.

The west building was ferro-concrete and survived the atomic bomb. Soon after the blast, it was turned into a medical emergency center, treating atomic bomb survivors. Currently, this is a functional elementary school.

In the aftermath of the blast, many went to this school writing messages to search for their loved ones. Through collaborated efforts to recover the messages, the board is fully recovered and a life-size photocopy is pasted here.

Interestingly, there were 3 survivors at this school, all of which were students that happened to be in the basement. Their testimonies are produced.

Peace summits are held, and crane artworks are made in memorial of the atomic bomb blast. This elementary school also has compulsory peace education.

Orizuru tower

It is the tallest building in Hiroshima. From here, you can see the view of the city from the top floor (floor 13), with the atomic bomb dome in sight. Note that the entrance fee can be a bit pricy.

The 12th floor is open for activities dedicated to peace messages, in particular, crane making.

Made my own crane! Don’t worry if you don’t know how to fold one, they have tutorial for you to follow. Afterwards, I got to drop the crane down the glass wall.

Okonomimura

This particular building is known to be the republic of okonomiyaki. On the third floor, it is filled with okonomiyaki shops, all of which were full at the time I arrived …

I ordered one with oysters, pork and noodle. Noodle is part of okonomiyaki here: every option has noodle included.

I’m not a big fan of this kind of okonomiyaki though. The noodle doesn’t fit in a pancake for me. Moreover, the oyster doesn’t taste fresh … It is probably Hiroshima style, but I would much prefer the Okayama version.

Hiroshima peace park/museum

This is for sure a must-visit in Hiroshima. You cannot pass by Hiroshima without visiting the museum here.

Peace park

Outlook of the atomic bomb dome from the park.

There are quite a number of monuments within the peace park: memorial for Korean victims, bell of peace, statue of goddess of peace, etc. Above is the memorial for children victims, with lots of crane chains at the back.

The eternal fire of peace.

Peace memorial museum

Fukuromachi elementary school museum is just appetizer. This is the main course. The museum is VERY extensive. It is much more worth than its 200 yen entrance fee. Spare yourself ample time to explore this museum, this took me 2hr+ to explore everything within the building.

The display includes items, fragments, testimonies, etc from the moment of explosion, to the aftermath decades after the bomb. There are hundreds of stories, ranging from the immediate burns as a result of the explosion, to the diseases that developed afterwards due to the intense heat, or the intense pressure of the explosion, or the radiation. Most are quite graphic, so I would not show them here.

The steps at the bank that a man was sitting at when he evaporated the moment the bomb exploded, leaving a shadow on the steps.

A German Catholic priest that miraculously survived despite being very near to the hypocenter. He then helped with the post-bombing relief efforts.

The museum has a dedicated section explaining how the atomic bomb was developed, the catastrophic powers of the bomb, and Japan’s effort in promoting the elimination of atomic weapons. They even have interactive maps showing the development of the atomic weapon landscape worldwide.

They also have a dedicated section for the foreign students that were affected by the bomb, dead or survived. These students were invited by Japan from the occupied region to nurture a future generation of leaders obedient to Japan’s rule. Interestingly, there were no students from Indochina.

Tsukemen

I ate tsukemen for lunch. This place is the nearest to the peacepark that has tsukemen. It tastes so flavourful! For a very affordable price.

Tsukemen in Hiroshima differ from regular tsukemen in that the broth is richer, more oily, and filled with sesame seeds. This seems to be normal tsukemen.

Hiroshima castle

I went here after lunch, not for the castle but for the myriad of activities going on here.

A Shinto shrine with so much life going on! There is even a child sumo class.

There are the ruins of the imperial army headquarters. When the wars were ramping up, the Japanese army headquarters moved here for easier deployment of troops and equipment. There isn’t much to see here since everything was destroyed by the atomic bomb. I found some trees that survived the atomic bomb.

Caught samurai performance! It is amazing that they still maintain these performances free of charge.

Peace memorial cathedral

Aka Assumption of Mary cathedral, this church is dedicated to prayer for peace.

Here echoes the words of Pope John Paul II’s appeal for peace in Hiroshima.

War is the work of man. War is the destruction of human life. War is death. To remember the past is to commit oneself to the future. To remember Hiroshima is to abhor nuclear war. To remember Hiroshima is to commit oneself to peace.

I do observe a trend that for most of the English masses, the majority of the attendees are Filipinos. Some songs and events are also catered to Filipinos.

Hijiyama park

I finished my itinerary for today early, so I had some time in the afternoon to go to this park for some nice views.

Such a tall escalator! To the moon it seems.

Nice view of the city!

A little cat town here. The cats here are obviously shyer than the cats in Istanbul.

I did try to go to Shiomidai observatory, which according to AI can see the Seto inland sea. It actually does not have any view, all sides are blocked by trees.

Onomichi ramen

It is okay, decent. But since I already had better ramen for lunch, this pales in comparison.

Miyajima island

I took a day trip to Miyajima island the next day. The island could be reached by taking the JR Sanyo line to Miyajimaguchi, then ferry to Miyajima.

There are lots of deer roaming around the island. Unlike the deer at Nara that would ram into you for the crackers, the deer here are much more gentle. They would sneakily steal your food if you do not guard it properly.

A deer coveting after my coffee ice cream. They keep no face in asking for food. Unlike Nara, here they do not sell crackers for deer, and you are not allowed to feed the deer.

On a side note, coffee powder on ice cream is not a good idea though. Would prefer vanilla ice cream.

Torii gate

There is a tide pattern here that you can check online for schedule beforehand. At high tide, the gate appears floating on water. At low tide, you can walk towards the gate. I took a picture at high tide.

Beautiful! There is a platform with a direct view towards the gate, but it was further away, so taking pictures from the side is better actually.

The temple opposite the gate also appears floating on water.

The temple has a lot of worship activities like picking charms, reading signs, etc. There was also a ritual going on.

Food tour

In order of the photos:

• Coffee ice cream, the one that the deer coveted after above.
• Momiji manju: a soft sponge biscuit with custard filling. The outer layer is really soft, and the treat is really tasty.
• Cheese grilled oyster: a delicacy here. Very fresh and well-seasoned.
• Fish cake with asparagus filling and wrapped in bacon. Decent, nothing special, not too bad.

I ate so much that I was still full by lunch. I planned to eat conger eel rice, but my small stomach did not allow.

Mt Misen

You can take the ropeway up and down, or you can hike too. To save time, I decided to take the ropeway.

At the top, the view of the Seto inland sea is magnificent! Never have I seen a view like this before.

At the station at the top, you could go to the observatory nearby, where I took the above photo, or you could hike up Mt Misen, which took me around 30 minutes. The path is easier to walk than Mt Miune (of course!), with a clear paved walkway and stairs.

Tbh, the view at the top is just the same as that at the observatory.

With the addition of the observatory and the Shishiiwa station (ropeway station).

Food tour v2

I decided to have another food tour before taking ferry back to Hiroshima.

The fried version of momiji manju. It is good! Since it was fried, the outer layer is more firm, and the custard filling is also more solid.

I also tried fried oysters. I would prefer the grilled version though, since the batter dilutes the taste of the oysters.

I have not had the stomach to try conger eel :( perhaps, next time.

Hiroshima tsukemen

I went to a restaurant with actual Hiroshima tsukemen this time.

It is rated decent on Google maps, and rated high on Tabelog. But, I actually prefer normal tsukemen :) the sauce here isn’t special, I would prefer the thicker soup of normal tsukemen. The meat provided in normal tsukemen is also better.

Concluding words

If you ask me what are the memorable things in Hiroshima, I would say, only the peace museum (and its surrounding park) and Miyajima. The rest of the experiences are just … acceptable. But those two alone already make the city so much worth a visit. Hiroshima is definitely a city with lots of history, even before the atomic bomb was dropped, and Miyajima is just such a nice and chill island to visit, with going up Mt Misen being a must. Foodwise, I don’t like Hiroshima versions. Maybe that’s just me, or maybe I should trust AI less :) Either way, great experience at Hiroshima.