Hiroshima– category –

With time left before my return bus, I took a walk nearby and came across Motomachi CRED, a huge complex of shops and a hotel. Much of the former department store wing now seemed empty, but the building still carried the flashy grandeur of another era.

At lunchtime, I walked around looking for a place to eat, but everywhere nearby was packed with tourists. I eventually found Goemon in the restaurant floor of Aqua Hiroshima Center-gai and, after a long wait, had okonomiyaki again—because if I was in Hiroshima, I wanted to eat the local specialty.

At the end of my trip, I visited Hiroshima Castle just before the keep’s closure. The rebuilt tower was crowded, and with plans for a future wooden reconstruction, I found myself thinking about the scale of the project.

On the final day of my Hiroshima trip, I took the Hiroshima World Heritage Sea Route from Miyajima straight to Peace Memorial Park, then walked from the Atomic Bomb Dome to the cenotaph and the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

During my Hiroshima trip, I stayed at Miyajima Hotel Makoto on Miyajima. The hotel had a spacious Japanese-style room with a sea view, deer gathering in the park out front, and meals served in a large banquet hall.

Staying overnight on Miyajima let me see a quieter side of Itsukushima Shrine, from the illuminated torii at night to the tidal flats around it the next morning.

For lunch after arriving at Hiroshima Station, I headed to Hiroshima Okonomi Monogatari Ekimae Hiroba, a slightly old-fashioned building near the station, and enjoyed a satisfying Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki meal at Sozo cooked right in front of me at the teppan counter.

I arrived in Hiroshima by Shinkansen from Yamaguchi and was struck by the station’s newly rebuilt complex, where the streetcar platform now extends into the building itself.

After lunch, I headed to Miyajima by JR and ferry, only to find both the crossing and the island packed with holiday crowds. After checking into Miyajima Hotel Makoto, I made my way to Itsukushima Shrine, where the sheer number of visitors made even walking along the approach difficult.

In Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, I visited the National Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, a late work by Kenzo Tange. Mostly hidden underground, the building uses time, water, and a descending path to create a powerful space for remembrance.

On a summer trip to Hiroshima, one of the first places I headed to was Hiroshima City Nishi Fire Station. Its glass walls and distinctive louvers make it feel surprisingly open, turning a working fire station into architecture that invites the public in.