In this entry we are going to summarize what to see in Hiroshima and Miyajima in a day. In our Japan itinerary You could not miss a visit to these two tourist destinations. We dedicate to you half day to Hiroshima and half day to Miyajima and it was more than enough. In any case, apart from telling you about our experience, stay and places to eat, we are going to give you some tips so that everything goes well and you don't make the same mistakes as us.
What to see in Hiroshima and Miyajima
What to see in Hiroshima
To get to Hiroshima, you can do it perfectly with your JR Pass to Hiroshima Station. Remember to reserve your train and seats at the nearest JR station. Once in Hiroshima, The city can be visited practically in half a day, since after the nuclear bomb, almost everything had to be built again. In Hiroshima you must visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial or "The Dome". They are the only remains of the attack that have remained in the city.

In the surroundings of “The Dome” you can visit many other monuments of peace to children, the flame of fire and the museum. Another of Hiroshima's attractions are its shopping streets. and, of course, Okonomimura. The best of Hiroshima! We tell you everything in the section on where to eat in Hiroshima.
Restaurants in Hiroshima: Okonomimura
Without a doubt one of the tourist attractions of Hiroshima are its okonomiyakis or Japanese pizzas.. And this typical dish originates from this area and, therefore, is the epicenter of okonomiyakis in Japan. There is a 4-story building called Okonomimura where you can eat your Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. We leave you with the photo of the great platform and the place we were on the 4th floor.

It seemed quite local, since there were only residents who, while eating, commented on the baseball game with the cooks. A culinary experience that cannot be missed. We recommend the Hiroshima specialty which is with spring onion, spring garlic or chives.

Hotels in Hiroshima
TIP: Stay in a hotel in Hiroshima near the station. This way your trips will be faster and you won't have to carry your suitcases around too much. Ours was great, with views of the river and close to everything on foot. The hotel was called Court Hotel Hiroshima and we barely paid €42 a night. Super recommended.
What to see in Miyajima
The next day we woke up and We headed to the island of Miyajima without much haste or organization. Big mistake on our part, since The island receives a lot of tourism and it is interesting to see the great tori when the tide is high. We arrived at the island around 11:00 when the tide was beginning to go out and the island was crowded. Almost impossible to take a photo without dozens of people around. We must keep in mind that we are going to visit a place declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

So, to avoid the rush hour, we decided first go up to Mt. Misen by cable car and contemplate the views from the highest point, discover its trails and temples.

Climb Mt. Misen by cable car
The climb to Mt. Misen can be done on foot, but the climb takes 1 hour and a half and is very steep. There is no problem going down and that's what we did: up by cable car and down on foot. We met a few tourists who were climbing almost out of breath and the truth is that If you are not very fit and have all the time in the world, we do not recommend GOING UP on foot. The cable car is paid and, as we say, you can only pay for one trip.

Once at the top, there are several trails that run through the mountain with views of Hiroshima and all the surrounding islands. At the top there are also several temples (one of them is that of lovers). Upon returning from visiting the mountains of Miyajima we toured the main streets of the island, visited the surroundings of the pagoda and temple and headed to the great Tori. As the tide was low we were able to get close and touch it, but without a doubt we believe that its total splendor is at high tide.

Where to eat in Miyajima
In Miyajima we ate a Okonomiyaki with oysters (Miyajima specialty) hoping it would be like Okonomimura's. It was a big mistake, since he was nothing like him unfortunately. Therefore, we will not recommend the restaurant we went to. The place we wanted to go was closed, the next one there was a long line… and that's what happens when you improvise. Nevertheless, Yes, we ate the best sweet we tried in all of Japan. Some leaf-shaped puff pastries filled with cream. We buy them on the main street of shops and restaurants. We'll send you a photo of the site in case you see it. Don't let those sweets escape!

Hotels in Miyajima
If you decide to spend the night here instead of in Hiroshima, which is not a bad option If you want to schedule the visit with high tide. It will always be easier for you. Of course, it is three times as expensive as Hiroshima. We leave you a link to the hotels in Miyajima here
How to get to Miyajima
To get to Miyajima island there is a ferry that is included in the JR Pass. You don't have to book, just get in line and get on the boat by showing your JR Pass before entering.. There are quite frequent boats, so don't worry. Look at the route oyster crops in the sea. Something very interesting if you haven't seen it before.

And these have been our recommendations on what to visit in Hiroshima and Miyajima. We hope you found them helpful.
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Below you can see other posts that will help you when organizing your trip to Japan:
- What to see in Kyoto
- What to see in Tokyo
- What to see in Koyasan
- What to see in Osaka
- What to see in Shirakawa-go and Takayama

Hello! I am Ruth, Canarian with a traveling soul. With training and experience in the tourism and digital marketing sector. In this blog I tell you all the tips you need to get to know the most authentic side of Gran Canaria on your own. I also share my travel guides to all the places in the world that I am visiting so that you can discover the destinations like a local and save time planning. In addition to traveling, I love gastronomy and sports. I run and hike in the mountains with my “dog-children” (Silver and Plata). In all these adventures my partner accompanies me, Jorge, which you will also see a lot on this blog.
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