NEW! How to Spend Just 1 Day in HIROSHIMA and MIYAJIMA Japan, 2025! Vlog & Guide

If you were to ask what's the perfect amount of time to visit Hiroshima and the nearby Miyajima, the most common answer you'd get would be two days. But unfortunately for us, we'd put ourselves into a situation where we literally had 24 hours to experience both. So in this video, we'll show you the highlights of what just one night here actually looks like, what we'd have done different with hindsight, and I'll finish with what else is good to know So let's put up the real-time clock on screen and begin. You'll most likely be arriving by Shinkansen into Hiroshima station, a little outside of the city centre itself, but this streetcar took us to our hotel in 20 minutes. Following the rise of subways across the country, these streetcars now only serve a handful of Japanese cities and it makes for a distinct first impression. To make the most of our time, our hotel was almost as central as you can get, a nine-minute walk to the nearby Peace Museum. We were travelling off-peak in winter, so were able to get this basic room with breakfast for 60 US dollars, which I'll link below in the description, along with all other places coming up in this video. As we'd arrived so early, we dropped off our bags at reception and walked straight to our first destination. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is, without question, the most powerful and impactful museum we've ever visited. Whilst hearing and witnessing the stories that are shared here isn't what you might normally seek out whilst on holiday, they are nonetheless essential to be heard. And over the 90 minutes we were here, despite the large number of visitors inside, the faint hum of air conditioning was often the only sound breaking the gentle silence of reflection. Whilst I can't show what's fully on display for obvious reason, the museum focuses on first-hand accounts of what the following hours and years felt like, which is obviously terrifying. But stepping back into daylight, we both felt an unexpected feeling of hope, that despite what we'd just seen, this area was now a place for living, albeit with an iconic reminder for history never to forget. Whilst we'd be returning to central Hiroshima tomorrow morning, there's another location that would steal us away for the rest of the afternoon. And that was a visit to the centuries-old Itsukushima Shrine. And so, with time ticking, the most direct route for us was this fast boat, departing right next to the atomic bomb dome. I'll cover more on the practicalities of this trip at the end of the video, so for now, this 45 minute cruise was the perfect transport to somewhere that's been on my personal bucket list for well over a decade. Whilst the island's official name is that of its most famous resident, Itsukushima, it's most commonly known as Miyajima, literally translating to Shrine Island. With a population of 2,000 living across 12 square miles, it's incredibly peaceful and perfect to explore on foot. The Itsukushima Shrine is considered one of the top three scenic sites in all of Japan, and the main reason people flock to this island. Known as Otori, or Grand Tori Gate, it stands almost 17 metres in height, and can be seen floating on the waves at high tide. Whilst this island itself is considered holy, the shrine's specific position makes it a protector over sacred lands, a job it's kept over 1,400 years. There is even more to Miyajima though, with this Buddhist temple being the island's most important. It's worth noting that whenever you see these prayer wheels, spinning them means you can still receive the benefit of their blessings, even without being able to read them, which is useful since I don't have the time nor the understanding of Japanese. From here, you can next hike up to the summit of Mount Misen, the island's peak at 500 metres, taking around 90 minutes. Or alternatively, for those without time or lung capacity, there is a ropeway which can be ridden instead, taking you up to an observation deck. Our final hour was spent wandering around the nearby streets, but before we took the ferry back, we returned to the Otori one last time, waiting for the sun to finally fall, and the waves to slowly catch up. There is something mesmerising about this view, and this is easily one of my top Japan memories of all time. If I could do Miyajima again, my only advice would be to consider spending an evening here in one of the island's ryokans, once the final ferry departs, only a fraction of Miyajima's visitors remain, which I think would be a very special circumstance. After the short 10 minute ferry crossing, we still had two quick destinations in mind. The first was sampling Hiroshima's version of the dish okonomiyaki. Typically a fried mixture of eggs, shredded cabbage, a combination of vegetables, meat or seafood, then all topped off with a sweet sauce and bonito flakes. But Hiroshima is specifically known for its own version, where instead of mixing everything together like normal, the batter is first cooked into a thin omelette, then layered with its ingredients on top, along with yakisoba noodles. It's a meal that has to be tried, and this restaurant right next to the slow ferry exit was both convenient and well worth the stop. To finish the evening, we took the train back to central Hiroshima and wandered around its central shopping district, before finally returning to our hotel. Our shinkansen would be leaving tomorrow at 11.30, which would leave enough time for the final two attractions on our wishlist, or so we hoped. We arrived at the Hiroshima Castle, literally as it was opening, trying to make the most of our time before checkout. Originally constructed in the late 16th century, it was largely destroyed by the atomic bomb, with this replica being built a decade later. For context, it is smaller than say the Osaka Castle, and its inside paid exhibitions didn't feel as thorough or as well produced in comparison. That being said, it is still an easy recommendation, at least either to walk around its beautiful grounds, or for its panorama views of the city below. Despite its smaller size though, I must admit we were definitely moving faster through things than we normally might, aware that we'd soon be meeting our friends 90km away. And so with that, we were very much quick pacing it to our final stop in Hiroshima, one that I'd have loved to have soaked up way more than time allowed. And so, 24 hours after pulling into Hiroshima station, we were now choosing yet another bento box for our bullet train departure. And to end this video, I wanted to share some suggestions on how Hiroshima might fit into a Japanese itinerary, along with some practical tips for anyone replicating any part of this trip. First, to answer the initial question of this video. Yes, you can do Hiroshima in one day, but it will be tight and some parts will be rushed. So two days is definitely preferable, or even one night, but staying until the late afternoon on the second day before moving on. Geographically, do be aware that Hiroshima is a further way out from the typical stops of Osaka and Kyoto, so we'll add an extra $150 for a return from there. So if you're already short on days or can't justify the extra spend, I'm always an advocate for spending more days in less locations to properly take things in, and then it's a great reason to visit again in the future. But if time and money do permit, Hiroshima city and by extension Miyajima are definitely worth a visit. So I wanted to recommend a few other destinations around Western Japan if you are traveling this way. A lesser talked about town is Karashiki. With old school vibes and its picturesque river, it's conveniently in the middle of Kyoto and Hiroshima. I'll eventually be making a video on Karashiki for our second channel Carry On Monkey, where I've already got a similar video to this one about our time in Osaka, including more on the castle for comparison. Going further west you'll next reach Fukuoka, which again is a great city for a few days, and known as Japan's ramen capital with hundreds of food stalls. This would then put you just a two hours flight away from the tropical Okinawa prefecture, which again we've covered on this channel and is linked at the end. For getting around Hiroshima specifically, the buses and streetcars were really well connected, simple to use and all take the Suica card, the same as in Tokyo. The fast boat from central Hiroshima runs two to four times an hour and is well worth it for ease, especially if you're already at the Peace Park. A single ticket is 2,200 yen with a slightly reduced return cost, but their last boat leaves Miyajima at 5.30, so it was too early for our timings. As mentioned, we were travelling in the off-peak winter, so we just walked up and bought a ticket no problem, but their site does allow for reservations which I'll link below. The cheaper and only slightly longer journey is taking a train from Hiroshima station to Miyajima-Guchi station, and then it's a short walk to the ferry, costing 620 yen for both parts, which is 70% less than the fast boat. One thing that confused us though with the slow ferry that I should mention, there are two different ferry operators here. They both are the same price, offering the same service, there's just two of them with two schedules going to the same place, so either is fine. They won't take you somewhere else, and their last return is after 10pm. Again, details linked below. And if you're concerned about taking any transport around Japan, watch this video next to see why you shouldn't be. We are making our exciting return to Japan around the time this video goes live, and would you believe it, it's sponsored by an actual Japanese prefecture, and the itinerary looks amazing, so keep an eye out for that coming in February. Make sure you're subscribed, let me know any thoughts for this trip below, and thanks for watching, Suitcase Monkey.