Top Hiroshima Day Trips

This was truly a food and drinking tour focusing on local spots and local cuisine. Yoko was a wonderful guide and has lived in the area most of her life. She joyfully shared some personal stories and by the end we felt like we had known her a long time. This was special. We got to a Saki tasting at the end too!

Out guide, Hika, is a second generation survivor of the A Bomb. This tour ended up being a private tour and Hika made sure we saw all of the important landmarks and monuments. He was able to connect the events with his own experiences and family history as well. This tour was a good blend of walking tour of monuments with some unstructured time in the museum. We also went to a rooftop observation deck and learned how to make an origami crane, a symbol of peace. We were able to drop our cranes into a community art exhibit you can see on the outside of the building. The theme was Peace and passing on the important story of Hiroshima to others so it is not repeated. Hika then accompanied us for a delicious lunch where he told us more about his lived experience. Don’t miss this!

Hiroshima Tour – A Must Do 🇯🇵 This tour was both amazing and deeply moving. Our guide, Mari, had been in communication with us even before we arrived in Japan. She followed up yesterday and again this morning, and was waiting in the lobby 15 minutes early—an early sign of her professionalism. We began with a bus ride to Shukkeien Garden, where Mari showed us three of the trees at that location that survived the atomic bomb, as well as a nearby bridge that also endured the blast. From there, we walked to Hiroshima Castle, with Mari pointing out and explaining landmarks along the way, bringing the city’s history to life. We then continued toward the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. Before entering, she made sure we fully understood the significance of the Atomic Bomb Dome—what it was before the war, how it was used during the war, and why it remains today. One detail that stood out was the “T-shaped” intersection formed by nearby bridges, which served as the visual target point for the pilots. The museum itself was unreal—and heartbreaking. Mari guided us through the key exhibits, though every part felt significant. She also took us to the former Fuel Hall building, where 37 people were working at the time of the explosion—only one survived because he had gone to the basement moments before. We ended the tour at a local restaurant specializing in okonomiyaki, a Hiroshima specialty. If you visit Hiroshima, this tour is a must. Ask for Mari—she made this experience unforgettable.