I stayed one night in Hiroshima city and loved it just because the right size!

Hello everyone. I have stayed overnight in Hiroshima, and I would like to write about my impressions of the city.

The town is just the right size.

First, we collected basic information about Hiroshima City.

The population in 2023 is about 1,180,000. The area is 906.7 km², I asked ChatGPT and they said it’s the size of 1,588 Tokyo domes. Thanks GPT, even though I couldn’t find anything by Googling.

It was not as crowded as Hakata, not as crowded as Hakata.

I was able to fully enjoy myself even during my one-night stay, so I will write about the places I visited.

Ferry to Miyajima

I went from JR Miyajima-guchi station to the ferry terminal and took the ferry to Miyajima. The boat ride took about 15 minutes.

Otorii (Grand Gate) of Itsukushima Shrine

Miyajima is one of the three most scenic spots in Japan. The view of the Otorii (Grand Gate) of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima was very beautiful in good weather.

I had no basic knowledge of what kind of shrine Itsukushima Shrine is, so I went home and looked it up.

Here is the Wikipedia information.

It was founded in 593. That’s about all I could get out of Wikipedia. I heard that Miyajima itself was an island where the gods resided. In the past, it must have been an island that was not easy to enter.

After passing through a large torii gate, it was time to enter Itsukushima Shrine.

There was also a five-story pagoda.

Five-story pagoda (photo by iPhone 12 Pro Max)

The city’s tramways weave through the cityscape, which is also wonderful.

In Hiroshima City, many streetcars operate in place of subways. I also rode the streetcars. Unlike the subways, I enjoyed the view of the city from the windows of the streetcars.

There are many bridges and it is fun to take a walk.

Enjoyable stroll in Hiroshima City (photo taken with iPhone 12 Pro Max)

We also rode the ropeway.

Riding the ropeway as it slowly made its way to the station at the top of the mountain, I was able to forget about time. I feel that we modern people are too time-bound, too controlled by time.

By the way, I arrived at the ropeway stop at Momijidani Station around 10:30 in the morning. It was a Sunday, so there was a bit of a line, but I think I was able to board the ropeway within about a 15-minute wait. However, when we returned from Shishi-iwa Station to Momijidani Station at around 12:00 p.m., there was a long line and the waiting time was 50 minutes. I thought it would be better to go early in the morning if you have no time to spare and want to take the ropeway.

The ropeway video was shot with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. I have not used the iPhone camera much in the past, but I personally think it is more beautiful than I expected.

Great view from the observation deck.

When we arrived at Shishi-iwa Station, we immediately went to the observatory. The observatory was located just a short distance from the station. It was a refreshing view of the Seto Inland Sea.

Extra: Place names (Kanji) in Hiroshima are difficult to find.

Itsukushima Shrine is located in Hatsukaichi. Can you read the kanji for the name of this place, 廿日市? It is Hatsukaichi. There are many other place names that I am not familiar with, such as 阿品, 地御前, 猿猴橋, etc., and for a moment I did not know how to read them.

I also went to see the Atomic Bomb Dome, but I do not know how to write about it because I felt the scars of war so close to me, so I will not mention it here. Or rather, I unfortunately does not have the resolve and courage to touch it.

However, I intuitively felt that the atomic bomb should not be used when I saw the A-bomb Dome.

Thank you very much for reading to the end.

Sponsored Link