Hiroshima

Places to Stay

• J-Hoppers Hostel Official site

  This is a great hostel. The staff is very friendly and all speak English. It is about a 20 minute walk from the Peace Park and entertainment district. The rooms are nice, clean, and cheap. The ladies dorm is Japanese style while the co-ed dorms are bunk beds. The atmosphere was very fun and all of the guests hung out in the tv room and cooked dinner together, went drinking together, etc.

  If you are taking an overnight bus to Hiroshima from Nagoya, you should get off at the Hiroshima bus stop and take the tram to the hostel (tram 2,3, or 6 get off at Dobashi). Hiroshima station is actually quite far from the hostel, a 20 minute tram ride.

Things to do

• Peace Park and Memorial

  Museum and park will take about half a day. Do not plan to go out and have a fun night after doing this.

• Miyajima

  Half or full day trip. get the pass for 840 that includes tram ride there and back, ferry ride, and tram all day. You can walk up the mountain instead of taking the ropeway, it is only a 2.something km walk.

• Shopping area arcade

• Hiroshima Castle - This can be skipped

• World Peace Cathedral

  Catholic Cathedral that was re-built after a-bomb

Eating and Drinking

Hiroshima is a very international city!

• Okonomiyaki

  They also have their own Japanese speciality -- okonomiyaki with soba or udon. There is an area of town that has lots of these shops (check out the map for the Okonomura Village near PARCO).

• Starbucks

  There is a Starbucks in Hiroshima station (third floor), in the shopping arcade, and about a block from the peace park (up an escalator on 2nd floor)

• Get Hiroshima

  Look at this website Get Hiroshima for anything related to drinking and eating. If you are in the mood for something international, search on the website. They also have their own PINK maps that have everything marked plus descriptions.

  Get Hiroshima is also a great guide for bars. We went to Alcoholiday which had a great vibe/music posters but was dead even at 10 pm on a Saturday night. Koba was difficult to find but the bartender is the coolest guy ever and will mix a crazy drink for you (I had a cinnamon apple pie tasting drink). Also try Mac (i believe it is recommended in lonely planet, too). There were a lot of gaijin there, but you can request any cd off the racks and there is a small dancefloor.