#018 My second home town Hiroshima
Lots of offers that an international city in the west of japan can make
I was grown up in Tokyo for the most of my childhood except for 6 years in Hiroshima. I move to Hiroshima at the age of three and stayed there until the end of my third year in primary school. It means I spent my early childhood there and it was a very important period for the formation of my character. Every time I visit my second home of Hiroshima there is always something that I recall even after half century. In this newsletter I will write about the charm of the city and tips for those who are thinking about visiting.
Hiroshima stands out in the record books as one of the first cities with Nagasaki in history where an atomic bomb was used in actual warfare. When I moved to Hiroshima it didn’t take long before I realized that Hiroshima had an atomic bomb attack even as a small boy. I was so shocked and started crying from all the display of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. After more than half century, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum finished the innovation completely in April this year and contents of the museum are well organized to give enough information and chances to rethink about the war to visitors. The Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park, which are world heritage sites, are representative spots that have to add to the museum.
Miyajima, which is consisting of Three Most Scenic Spots of Japan is another must-go places in Hiroshima. It is a very interesting place from the point of history and architecture of the shrine. Seto Inland Sea is very unique geographically and combination of islands and sea make landscapes very appealing. Small ferries were the only option to go to the small islands during my time, but development of bridges and roads enabled to visit by car. It may be possible to find your own small beaches in small islands.
It is true that the term “Hiroshima” appears on text books in Europe and the States, so tourists who are planning to visit Japan know the place well beforehand. The Atomic Bomb Dome, the Peace Memorial Park, Miyajima…. Hiroshima has lots of well-known resources, and additionally Hiroshima Prefecture and Hiroshima City have designated specific countries, as priority markets, and are developing promotions that respond to the travel characteristics of each country. So huge amount of money and resources are put into marketing. As a result of these Hiroshima kept increasing the number of visitors before the pandemic. So there are always reasons why lots of visitors from overseas. You don't find difficulties to search for well established English web site.
Now I will go through some additional points which lots of guidebooks don’t cover.
Getting Around Hiroshima-city
Hiroshima is a city built on top of delta and is surrounded by mountains. So there is always a limit of lands, no matter how it tries to expand. This will keep the city very compact and if you are fit enough walking, you really don’t need many public transportation without exaggeration.
The tram system is well established in Hiroshima and you can go most of tourist attractions by trams. One day ticket cost 700 Yen and 900 Yen for including ferry to Miyajima. It takes a bit more time, but there is a tram line which goes to the ferry terminal of Miyajima.
International flights are cancelled at least until the end of September due to the pandemic, but there were 6 cities in Asia from Hiroshima Airport. From Tokyo it is not impossible to use Shinkansen, which will take just over 4 hours. But you’d better use the airplane cheaper tickets.
Accommodations
Recent development of Hiroshima station makes not much of difference from the point of convenience to city centre. You just have to spare 30 minutes to walk to city centre from Hiroshima station and it is pleasant walk. Or you can take a tram and it only takes 10 minutes to the city centre.
If you are arriving or leaving by Shinkansen, definitely book a hotel near from Hiroshima station. There are lots of restaurants in the station.
Food
From sumptuous cuisine to common dishes, you have a variety of choices in Hiroshima. For fish lovers, you can taste completely different fishes which you rarely see in Tokyo. Hiroshima City collectively refers to the seven representative seafood species caught in Hiroshima Bay. It is difficult to taste some of them in Tokyo.
Okonomiyaki is a staple food in Hiroshima and Hiroshima style is well known in Japan. There are lots of different kinds of Okonomiyaki depending on regions. The ingredients are steamed by covering the dough. There are differences in ingredients and toppings. The typical Hiroshima style is “Niku-Tama Soba” consisting of pork, egg, lots of cabbage and noodles. In Hiroshima prefecture there is a variety of different Okonomiyaki depending on the region. There is a place called "Okonomi Mura" which stands for Okonomiyaki Village and the whole building is consisting of small eating place of Okonomiyaki.
Baseball
Major sports in Hiroshima is baseball and the local professional team “Hiroshima Toyo Carp” is loved by everybody. Local people talk about the team enthusiastically every day. The team makes a strong influence on the local economy. If you go to the stadium when they have a home game, you will understand why. The stadium is called MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium and MAZDA is a huge sponsor of the team. Mazda is based in Hiroshima and supported the local economy for many years.
So it is not only history and peace in Hiroshima. The international city will offer more than you expect.