CHRISTY: Vancouver Lifestyle, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Business, & Food Blogger ❀

Japan is a super popular destination for many people. I have only been twice, previously to Osaka, and then to the Fukuoka area. Prior to heading to Hiroshima by bullet train, I was staying with a friend in Kudamatsu!

While my friend was at work, I decided to travel by myself to Hiroshima and also Miyajima. Here’s my short itinerary and travel tips!

🗓 DAY 1 (1/2): Hiroshima – Hiroshima Castle, Peace Memorial Park, Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome)

Knowing a bit of the history behind Hiroshima and the damages from war made this trip very meaningful.

• Morning
  • Take the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima station – best to get a pass online before your trip for this!
  • I was so excited to see Christmas decor outside the station

• Okonomiyaki Yocchan: There’s a famous okononomiyaki place near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, you can walk by there first across the bridge to grab some food. It’s inside a building so it may take a bit of wandering around. The menu is also mainly in Japanese, but you can definitely ask the servers the top item there in English!

• Early Afternoon
  • Hiroshima Castle: It was near the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park so worth a quick stop to see what the inside of the castle looks like!
  • Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park: Walk through the shopping streets to the park. The park has the Genbaku Dome (Atomic Bomb Dome) which is the only structure that is still standing around the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. As you walk around the park you’ll also see the Memorial Mound, Children’s Peace Monument, Peace Bell, and more notable structures.

• Once you’ve explored the area, you can do a bit of shopping or start heading over to Miyajima (Itsukushima Shrine) by bullet train again (the last ferry (10 minutes or so) to the area is around 4pm but you can check the website to make sure!)

🗓 DAY 1 (2/2): Miyajima, Itsukushima Shrine

One famous landmark is the Miyajima (Itsukushima) Shrine. To get there, you have to get off at Miyajima-guchi Station (NOT Miyajima!! I saw some other people get off here and it wasn’t the right stop). When you get there, you take a ferry from Miyajima-guchi Pier to Miyajima (fee covered by JR Pass also).

I came here during the fall and it was SO beautiful! You can see all the autumn leaves and the shrine. Also you’ll get to see the cute deers walking around and bowing (like the ones from Nara but you cannot feed them).

• Late Afternoon
  • Itsukushima Shrine: Get tickets to the shrine. It was beautiful structure beside the beach and torii.
  • Torii (Red Gate): Take photos with a landmark, looks as if it’s floating on water!
  • Walk higher up to Senjokaku (a large wooden hall).
  • Omotesando Shopping Arcade (Shopping & Food Street): Walk along the streets filled with different Japanese food and cute souvenirs. I got an adorable keychain with a deer on it!
    • Snacks I Had: I got a Half Coffee & Half Vanilla soft serve, Momiji Manju (Maple Leaf Sweet) – must have in Miyajima, sandos, cream puffs (there was a Rilakkuma Honey Stand with lots of cute desserts), matcha sweets, buns, fish cake on a stick

• Other Snacks To Try: Rice paddle
• When I was done with the above, I took the ferry back to Miyajima-guchi Station (and got to catch the sunset)

• Evening
  • Hiroshima Shopping Streets: I didn’t have time earlier during the day to go shopping so I went after Miyajima. You can pretty much check other areas. I went to an animate store!

• Dinner: Red Rock Beef Bowl – The BEST! Try their delicious beef rice bowls (they have a raw egg on top which is fine in Japan).

Before it got too late, I returned back to where I stayed by bullet train. This day trip was super memorable as I got to learn more about the history of Japan and also got to spend some time wandering around by myself. My favourite part was definitely Miyajima because the shrine was so beautiful and there was a lot of delicious food there!

Other Places To Go:

• Miyajima Aquarium
• Hiroshima Castle

Other Links:

• 🍴 Check out my foodie account @christyenjoys for more!
• If you’re also travelling to Hong Kong or Osaka nearby, check out my blogs!
• Stay tuned for my upcoming Bangkok blog!
• See the full suy mmary of my Asia trip