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If you’re visiting Hiroshima on your Japan trip, what are the city’s must-see sights? Here are our top 10 must-dos…
1. Atomic Bomb Dome & Peace Museum
These are among the most visited sights in Hiroshima, and for good reason.
The defining moment in Hiroshima’s recent history is the atomic bomb that dropped on the city in 1945, and viewing the physical impact of this via the scarred ruins of the Atomic Bomb dome, and the personal stories and artifacts that you find in the Peace Museum is essential for understanding the bomb’s material, emotional, and societal effects.
Allow at least half a day to see these sights. The Atomic Bomb Dome is visible 24-7, the Peace Museum opens at 7.30 am – advance booking is mandatory for entries between 7.30-8.30 am. After this, you can buy tickets in advance to skip the queues. They cost 200 yen for adults, 100 yen for children. The closest tram stop is Atomic Bomb Dome.
Related Read: How to use the trams in Hiroshima
2. Other Atomic Bomb Sites
While the two sights above are the best-known sights in Hiroshima associated with the bombing, there’s a lot more to see than these..
They include multiple memorials in the Peace Park, the hypocentre, and trees, statues (like this jizo showing scorchmarks), and buildings like the old Bank of Japan and a nearby elementary school that still show damage from the blast. One of the things I found most memorable on my visit was a simple broken window pane on a door in the Fukuro-machi Elementary School Peace Museum.
Find a guide to Hiroshima’s atomic bomb sights and a walking route to take you around them in our guide to Hiroshima’s atomic bomb sights.
3. Miyajima Island
Spending half a day visiting the Atomic Bomb sites, and half a day visiting this island, located about an hour from Hiroshima, is the most popular thing for people to do if they have one day in Hiroshima.
Sights on Miyajima include the friendly deer, the detailed Daishoin temple, the massive Senjokaku Hall, and the famous floating torii gate, which attracts many tourists to the island.
While I think Miyajima deserves more than a quick half-day visit as there is a lot of great things to do on Miyajima, if time is tight, our guide on how to see Hiroshima city and Miyajima island will help you plan the perfect day if that’s all you have.
Okay, so the above are probably the sights you expected to see in this guide, but now let’s delve a little deeper.
4. Explore Ekinishi
I wandered around this cool little bar area slightly west of Hiroshima Station on my first night, and I wish I’d had more time to bar hop while I was there. However, even on my short visit, I managed to do the thing that this area is known for.
I ate oysters.
I was here in November, prime oyster season in Hiroshima. During autumn and winter, bars and restaurants in this area offer various oyster dishes – they even have an oyster-based pub crawl some nights.
I tried mine at Hiroshimaakayakien Ekinishi Honten – they fried them in butter, and the result was delicious. I also added one of their giant okonomiyaki pancakes (more on those in a minute). While this isn’t the biggest bar area in Hiroshima, I liked it because the bars were on the ground floor and most had open doors and windows so I could see inside – as a solo traveler, I find that less intimidating.
I arrived here around 6 pm on a Monday, so it was quiet. However, by the time I left, the place was filling up with couples on dates and office workers. Its location next to the station makes it popular for after-work drinks. Most bars open around 5.30 to catch the after-work crowd.
So, why didn’t I explore more? I was so stuffed after eating all that food, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. So, a note to others: wander around before you eat!
To find Ekinishi, look for the TKP Garden City Premium conference centre on the map. The bars are just above this.
Find out where else I ate in Hiroshima here.
For a more bustling nightlife option, head to Nagarekawa, the city’s central entertainment district. This is filled with bars and restaurants but also some more, erm, adult entertainment.
Although, as with Tokyo’s Kabukicho, without a good grasp of Japanese, you might not realise what’s going on behind some of the doors. Legit bars that welcome tourists include Mac Bar, Tropical Bar Revolucion and Raku Beer.
Need Extra Planning Help?
Our Japan trip planners can help. You might like our First-Timers Japan Planner, which will help you plan your trip to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka step-by-step, including tips on everything from picking hotels to sightseeing and dining. Or our super-duper Tokyo Disney Planner makes arranging your park trip MUCH easier. Find them in our Planners store – printable and digital versions are available.
5. Gardens and Castles
Hiroshima’s Shukkeien Garden was built in 1620 and has survived numerous fires, as well as the events of 1945. It took 30 years to restore the garden after that day, but it’s now full of trees, shrubs, seasonal flowers, and walkways that traverse ponds via picturesque bridges. It’s a lovely way to spend an hour soaking up the views.
The garden is open seven days a week from 9 am to 6 pm in Summer and 5.00 pm in winter. Entrance is 350 yen for adults, 150 yen for university students, and younger children go in for free. It’s closed between December 29-31. You can also buy a combined ticket with the nearby Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum.
You can combine a trip to the garden with a visit to Hiroshima Castle, or Rijo Castle, which translates to Carp Castle. The original castle was destroyed in the bombing, and so this is a concrete version rebuilt in 1958. This is why it doesn’t get its own spot on the Top 10; there are older castles in Japan that you could see instead. However, it is still impressive, especially the view from the lake. There are still some original parts of the building scattered around the site.
The castle is open daily from 9 am. Closing hours vary by season, so check the website for the day of your visit. Admission is 370 yen for adults, 180 yen for children of high school age, and younger children go free. It is closed December 2nd and between December 29th and January 2nd.
You can also try Kyudo, Japanese archery, in the castle. Usually, this takes years of training before you are allowed to pick up a bow, but in this one-hour lesson, you’ll be dressed in an authentic Kyudo uniform and get to shoot an arrow at the target. Whether you hit it is another matter. See more here.
Lastly, collect a 100 Famous Castles Stamp. Getting the other 99 sounds like a lifelong quest to me!
6. Take the Seven Lucky Gods Walk
Hiroshima isn’t known for jaw-dropping shrines, but north of Hiroshima Station is a walking route that takes in seven small shrines – Nigistu Shrine, Myojoin Temple, Tsuruhane Shrine, Toshogu Shrine, Onaga-tenmangu Shrine, Kokuzenji Temple, and Saikoji Temple.
Ostensibly, your goal here is to find the statue at each shrine of one of the seven lucky gods, but aside from that, what makes this shrine walk particularly unique is reading the stories of how the atomic bombing impacted the shrines.
Some escaped unscathed, others were decimated and rebuilt. Look out for the tree trunk with rings showing the day the bomb hit at Myojoin.
The row of shrines was built here because people believed that this area was where misfortune could enter Hiroshima, so the shrines were built as a barrier against evil spirits and bad luck.
You can also take a longer walk, visiting these shrines and more. This 10km path is known as the Futaba-no-sato History Walk, and it includes the hike up to the silver Peace Pagoda, which perches high above the city. Most Hiroshima visitors overlook this but apparently, the views over the city are amazing from up here.
I say apparently, as during my visit, I was dealing with a pain issue and couldn’t do the longer walk, but it’s on my list for next time. If you want to try it, you can pick up a map at one of Hiroshima’s tourist information centres.
7. Go to the Baseball
If you’re in Hiroshima during Japanese baseball season (March to September), watching a Hiroshima Carps game is a must. Established in 1949, the team is named the Carps because of the carp in the Otagawa River, which flows through Hiroshima City, and after the official name for Hiroshima Castle.
They play at MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium, which has a natural grass outfield, something that’s rare in Japan. The team has won the Central League championship nine times and the Nippon Series three times. Find the game schedule and book tickets via the official Carps website.
If you’re a baseball fan back home, or want to wish the local team luck on your way to the game, you might also want to take a quick detour to Hiroshima’s baseball shrine – Atago Jinja. Here you can buy baseball-themed amulets or write on a baseball-shaped prayer plaque to pray for your team’s success. It’s north of Hiroshima Station. Also, look out for the Carps manhole covers dotted around the city.
8. Make Paper Cranes at the Orizuru Tower
At 50 metres high, this isn’t the tallest observation deck in Japan (Tokyo Skytree is 634 metres to compare).
Nonetheless, I really enjoyed my visit. Hiroshima hits hard emotionally, but ending your day here lets you unwind while watching the sunset – maybe with a glass of wine or a beer, if that’s how you roll
But, before you take your seat for the big show on the horizon, take a moment to make a paper crane and add it to the Orizuru Tower wall. Paper cranes are a symbol of the peace movement in Hiroshima.
The Tower costs 2,200 yen for adults, 1,400 yen for high school and junior high school-aged children, and 900 yen for elementary school-aged students. Children aged four and under pay 600 yen. It costs an additional 100 yen to make a paper crane. It’s open from 10 am to 6 pm, seven days a week. The cafe may offer later hours in summer. It’s closed on New Year’s Eve.
See our longer post on the Orizuru tower to see more pictures and learn why paper cranes symbolize peace in Hiroshima.
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T&Cs apply. Some items, including Tokyo Disney and USJ tickets, are not available for discounts.
9. Take a Sake Tour
Saijo is a 40-minute ride on the local Sanyo train line from Hiroshima, making it an easy addition to your visit. The water here is incredibly pure, and as such, there are seven sake breweries in the town, all on a simple walking route.
You can visit these alone (pick up a guide at the tourist office at the station) or, even better, get someone from the office to guide you. I did this and definitely recommend it.
The 90-minute tour included visits to three breweries and samples – including one with gold leaf sakura shapes served when President Obama met the Japanese Prime Minister – it was so good I bought a mini bottle to bring home (and I never bring home souvenirs). I also tasted the best plum wine I’ve ever had.
I took the Saijo Sake Tasting Tour from Klook. The exact breweries visited vary, but with so many award-winning breweries in the area, you won’t be disappointed. The town is also pretty – and very quiet, which might be a welcome relief after Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo. See more about it in our longer review, but, it was definitely one of the best sake experiences I’ve tried so far.
Related Read: Day Trips from Hiroshima
10. Try Okonomiyaki
Osaka and Hiroshima compete for the best Okonomiyaki, with each city preparing it in its own way.
In Hiroshima, they layer the pancake differently, add noodles, and often top it with a fried egg. Depending on your appetite, this will either be the best change ever, or leave you so full if you eat one solo, you have to go back to your hotel and lie on the bed instead of wandering around some more (guilty as charged).
Okonomiyaki is everywhere in Hiroshima – I went to Hiroshimaakayakien Ekinishi Honten, but the most famous place for tourists is Okonomimura, a building with three floors of pancake proprietors, each with their own personality or take on okonomiyaki – take a look at their descriptions to see which one you prefer. Some have English menus, and vegetarian options are available.
As you can see, there’s plenty to keep you busy in Hiroshima, and I haven’t even mentioned the art museums or the Mazda Museum! If you’re now wondering if one day is enough to spend here, have a look at our guide on how long you should spend in Hiroshima. If you’ve already decided you need to spend a couple of days, then check out our guide on where to stay in Hiroshima.
Who Writes This Blog?
My name is Helen Foster, and I’m a journalist and author. My travel articles have appeared in publications including The Australian, Escape, RAC Horizons, Jetstar Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine, and more.
I’ve traveled to Japan eight times before – solo and with my partner and visited over 25 towns and cities. My last visit was November 2024 so, everything here is pretty up to date.
