I took a short two day trip to Hiroshima last week. It was kind of a spur of the moment decision but I’m really glad I went. It might have been a little ambitious of me to travel during the summer, but luckily I managed to avoid getting heatstroke and super tanned from my time out in the sun. =P

Initially when I was researching how to travel to Hiroshima I looked at several options. First was buying a JR tours package which includes the train and hotel stay. However it would mean I could only get a return ticket and would have to miss out on Himeji, which is on the way to Hiroshima. In the end I decided to buy everything separately and got my shinkansen tickets from a discount shop. Buying unreserved seats also helped me save a bit of money.

Early in the morning I took a train out to Himeji. It was sweltering hot by the time I stepped out of the station. Himeji Castle is about a 20 minute walk from the station. I was ready to melt making my trek to the castle. I totally had no shame pulling out my umbrella to shield myself from the sun. Lol

Once I made it to the castle grounds I paid for my admission ticket at the gates and went inside. Himeji Castle is also known as the White Heron Castle because of its massive white exterior. It is also the largest and most visited castle in Japan. Standing outside the castle I definitely felt very small compared to its sheer size.

Luckily after entering inside the castle it was significantly cooler than walking on the castle grounds. I really enjoyed making my way up. Once I got to the top, the view of the city below was absolutely breathtaking.

I spent most of the morning touring the castle grounds. You could definitely spend the better part of the day walking around the castle vicinity. For those who want to capture pics of the castle, there’s definitely different vantage points as you make your way around.

For lunch I stopped by one of the restaurants across the street. I had really wanted to try unago, which is a specialty in Hiroshima, but it was too hot to eat it so I ended up ordering somen to help cool down. =P

Later that afternoon I took the train over to Hiroshima. After I arrived, I quickly switched over to the streetcar and made my way towards Peace Memorial Park. Most people will know of Hiroshima as the city which suffered the world’s first atomic bomb. There are certainly many remnants and reminders of the horrors of the war. After stepping off the streetcar, the first building I saw was the old Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The building was near the epicentre of the nuclear bomb and all that remains of it today is a skeletal shell. It was definitely eery seeing it up close.

The rest of the park features memorials and monuments to commemorate the victims of the war. Aside from the Children’s Peace Monument, which is dedicated to the memory of the children who died from the bomb, there is also the Memorial Cenotaph, the Peace Flame and Peace Bell. Inside the park you can visit the Hall of Remembrance, which is part of the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall. I also took time to tour around the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was tranquil yet somber at the same time.

After leaving the park I realized I still had time to make it to Hiroshima Castle before it closed. The original Hiroshima Castle was destroyed by the bomb, so the one that stands today is a reconstruction. It took about 20 minutes to walk there from Peace Park. The castle is not visible from a distance so I was worried I was walking in the wrong direction the entire time. Haha.

Once I arrived there was hardly anyone there, so I was able to make my way up the castle relatively easily. After touring Himeji that morning, Hiroshima Castle was definitely nothing special in comparison. Maybe I should have done it the other way around. Lol

When I left the castle I also had a chance to see Gokoku Shrine, which is in the same complex. There’s also the ruins of the old military headquarters which was also destroyed by the bomb. Overall it was a nice walk to and from the castle.

Later that evening I made my way back to Hiroshima Station and had dinner at an okonomiyaki restaurant called Micchan. Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima is slightly different than in Osaka as the ingredients are layered and usually include noodles like yakisoba or udon. I’m not sure how people manage to eat an entire okonomiyaki by themselves, as I was already full after eating half my plate. However it was a good way to end the night and I was very happy making my way back to the hotel after a long day out.