Things to do in Hiroshima, from the Dome to Miyajima

Hiroshima's best-known stop is also its easiest to reach. From JR Hiroshima Station, Hiroden streetcar No. 2 or 6 stops at Genbaku Dome-mae, a 1-minute walk from the Atomic Bomb Dome, and the whole trip takes 17 minutes.¹ The Dome began as the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, designed by Jan Letzl and finished in 1915, and it joined the UNESCO World Heritage List in December 1996.^6,7 It is the first thing you see on arriving at the park, across the Motoyasu River.⁸

The park behind it is a district given over to memory rather than a collection of attractions. Before the bombing this was Nakajima, a commercial center in the Edo era and the political, administrative and commercial heart of the city in the Meiji era.⁹ A law passed on August 6, 1949 devoted the whole district to peace memorial facilities, and the park, which covers 122,100 square meters, was designed by Kenzo Tange and three others in a competition that drew 145 proposals.^10,11 The bus tour on this site gives the Dome 15 minutes and the park 35; walkers can stay as long as they like.

Look for the order in it. The view from the museum's pillars through the Cenotaph to the Dome is called the North-South Line, and the city's stated aim is that no buildings or structures are visible behind the Dome.^12,13 Walk that line slowly once, then wander: the Flame of Peace, lit on August 1, 1964, the Peace Bell with its map of a world without borders, and the Children's Peace Monument, built by the classmates of Sadako Sasaki, are all in the park.^14,15,16

Hiroshima Castle is about 15 minutes by tram from the station.³³ Mori Terumoto built it in 1589, and the atomic bomb destroyed every building; the Hirayagura, Tamonyagura and Taikoyagura were completed in 1994, restoring the look of the Ninomaru, the second enclosure.^34,35,36 Expect the outside of the keep only: it closed in March 2026, though its exterior can still be viewed.³⁷ The moat and the stone walls are the older part of the picture.

The Ninomaru is free to enter. It opens 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM from April to September and 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM from October to March.^2,38 In a day that otherwise charges at nearly every stop, the castle grounds are the one place where you can walk in without buying anything, which makes them a good buffer between the museum and a late lunch. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing time.³⁹

Shukkeien, a 10-minute walk from Hiroshima Station, is the garden to pair with the castle.⁴⁰ Ueda Soko, a tea master and chief retainer of the Asano clan, built it in 1620 around a central pond dotted with islands of various sizes.^41,42 Adults pay 350 yen.³ The garden is open 9:00 to 18:00 from March 16 to September 15 and 9:00 to 17:00 from September 16 to March 15, with last admission 30 minutes before closing.^3,43

Miyajima is the natural second half of a Hiroshima day. From JR Hiroshima Station the Sanyo Line reaches Miyajimaguchi in around 30 minutes, and the ferry takes around 10 minutes more.⁵ A 100 yen visitor tax comes with the ferry ticket.³⁰ From the pier it is about a 10-minute walk to Itsukushima Shrine.⁴⁹ A ferry also runs from the Hiroshima Peace Park to the island and takes 45 minutes.⁷²

At Itsukushima Shrine adult admission is 300 yen, and the grounds are open year-round, 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from March 1 to October 14.^28,73 The O-Torii stands about 16.8 m high, and what you see depends on the tide: at high tide the shrine and gate appear to float, and at low tide you can walk up to the gate.^59,32 Check the tide before you choose the hour; the shrine's own guest hours do not change with it.

Beyond the shrine, Daishoin is the island's oldest temple, and Senjokaku is the largest structure on it.^51,74 About 2,000 people live on Miyajima, along with free-roaming deer, which visitors are not allowed to feed.^55,75 The ropeway climbs toward Mt. Misen, which stands 535 m high, and an adult round trip costs 2,000 yen.^54,29 Plan the hour of the shrine visit around the tide, and the hour of the ropeway around the weather.