Hiroshima and Miyajima: A City of Peace and a Shrine Afloat at Sea

Updated October 15, 2026 | By Tokyo Paul

A tram rolls out from Hiroshima Station and heads toward the river delta, passing office towers and shop arcades in a city of more than a million people. Few places on earth are tied so closely to a single date. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was devastated, and what followed became one of the most inspiring stories of rebuilding in modern Japan: a city that chose to speak for peace. Today it is calm, friendly and easy to enjoy, with broad riverside avenues, a famous food culture and a castle rebuilt in 1958.

Pair it with Miyajima (宮島), the island shrine a short train and ferry ride away, and you get two of Japan's most meaningful World Heritage sites in one trip. One invites quiet reflection. The other, with a shrine built out over the water, invites wonder. Both can be reached by tram, train and ferry without a car, and one long day covers the essentials, though two days is more comfortable. This guide explains what each place is, how to visit respectfully, and the practical details that save time.

A City Rebuilt as a Message of Peace

The first atomic bomb used in war was dropped on Hiroshima at about 8:15 in the morning on August 6, 1945, and roughly 70 percent of the city's buildings were destroyed. In 1949 the national parliament passed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, which provided funding and land for reconstruction and proclaimed the city a City of Peace. The decision gave the rebuilding a clear purpose. Streets were laid out again, the tram network was restored, and a new civic identity took shape around remembrance and hope.

That story is visible in everyday life. The streetcars of Hiroden, the local tram operator, numbered almost 300 in a 2011 count, more than in any other Japanese city, and two cars survived the blast. Hiroshima Castle was rebuilt in 1958 and now houses a museum of Edo-period life, while Shukkeien, a landscape garden, offers green quiet near the center. The modern city is lively, welcoming and proud of how it recovered, so leave time beyond the memorials to see how it lives today.

Peace Memorial Park: Where to Begin

The Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園) opened on April 1, 1954, and was planned by the architect Kenzo Tange. Its layout is a lesson in alignment. The Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims, a saddle-shaped concrete arch, frames the Peace Flame and, beyond it, the Atomic Bomb Dome. A stone chest beneath the arch holds a register of more than 220,000 names. The Flame was lit in 1964 and is meant to burn until nuclear weapons are eliminated. Most visitors stand here quietly for a moment, and many offer a small bow.

Nearby, the Children's Peace Monument honors Sadako Sasaki, a girl who folded paper cranes (origami tsuru) while ill and became a symbol for children everywhere. Students and visitors from around the world still send strands of colorful cranes to the monument, and the colorful offerings are a moving reminder of how one story reached across borders. The park contains many other memorials, so a slow walk of an hour or more suits it. Photography outdoors is common, but keep voices low and avoid casual poses near the monuments.

The Museum and the Dome

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum covers the buildup to war, the city's role in it, and the bombing and its effects, using photographs, personal belongings and survivor accounts. At the time of writing, admission is about 200 yen, and the hours run from 7:30 to 19:00, with later closing in August and earlier closing from December to February. Advance booking has been required for the first hour of the day and the last 90 minutes, so a midday visit is simpler. The exhibits are serious, so plan some quiet time afterward.

Across the river stands the Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム), the skeletal remains of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall and the closest structure to the hypocenter that remained partly standing. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on December 7, 1996. The building is preserved as it was left rather than restored, and it reads well from the riverbank in morning or late-afternoon light. Tram lines 2 and 6 from Hiroshima Station stop at Genbaku-Domu Mae in about 15 minutes, for roughly 240 yen.

Okonomiyaki and the Taste of Hiroshima

A meal is a gentle way to reconnect with the city. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (お好み焼き, a savory griddle pancake) is built in layers rather than mixed: a thin crepe of batter, a tall mound of cabbage, pork, often noodles, and an egg, all cooked on an iron plate. It uses roughly three to four times as much cabbage as the Osaka style, which makes it lighter than it looks. Many restaurants cook in front of you, and you eat it straight off the griddle with a small metal spatula.

Oysters from Hiroshima Bay are another point of regional pride. They appear grilled, fried and simmered in hot pots, with the season generally running from autumn into spring, so availability varies by month. Casual okonomiyaki restaurants are an affordable option for a filling meal, though prices differ by shop. Many have English menus or photos, and you can also pick your toppings and noodle type, so pointing at the menu works perfectly well.

Miyajima: The Island Where Gods Live

Miyajima, officially Itsukushima, is an island of about 30 square kilometers in the Seto Inland Sea, home to roughly 2,000 residents. Ferries run from Miyajimaguchi on the mainland and the crossing takes about ten minutes. Shinto tradition treats the island itself as sacred, and trees on it may not be cut for lumber. Wild sika deer roam freely and are regarded as messengers of the gods, but they are still wild animals, so keep food and paper out of sight and never feed them.

Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社) took its present form largely through Taira no Kiyomori, the warrior-courtier who contributed heavily to its construction in 1168, and it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996. The halls stand over the tidal flats, so at high tide they seem to float. The great vermilion torii, about 15 meters tall and built from camphor wood, dates to 1875. At low tide you can walk out to it across the sand, and at high tide it appears to stand in the sea. Shrine entry costs around 300 yen.

Beyond the Torii: Misen, Temples and Maple Cakes

Mount Misen is the island's highest point at 535 meters, and a ropeway carries visitors to within roughly a 30-minute walk of the summit. Daishoin, a Shingon Buddhist temple known for its maple trees, is one of the island's quietest corners. Down near the shore, the five-story pagoda built in 1407 stands beside Senjokaku (the Hall of One Thousand Mats), which Toyotomi Hideyoshi began as a Buddhist library and never finished before his death in 1598. Together these sites reward at least half a day.

For a snack, look for momiji manju, maple-leaf-shaped cakes usually filled with sweet azuki bean paste, sold across the island. Some shops also offer custard, chocolate or cheese fillings. Many visitors come only for the day, so staying overnight on the island, or lingering until the late ferries, gives you far quieter evening and early-morning hours. Evening opening times and lighting around the shrine vary, so check them before you plan your timing.

Plan Your Visit

Hiroshima Station is on the Sanyo Shinkansen line, and trams run from there into the center. From the city, JR trains and ferries take you to Miyajima. Check a tide table before you go: high tide gives the floating look, while low tide lets you walk to the torii, and either is worth seeing. Museum fees, hours and reservation rules can change, so confirm them on the official sites. If you plan to visit on August 6, expect crowds and ceremony, with a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m. in the park.