World Heritage and History of Hiroshima

Itsukushima Shrine is a famous shrine located on the island of Miyajima within the city limits of Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture. Itsukushima Shrine was initially built in the year 593, but it was not until the year 1168 that the military leader Taira no Kiyomori rebuilt the shrine into its present magnificent state. The gods enshrined at the shrine are known as the Munakata Sanjojin. (Three Goddesses of Munakata) They are believed to have power over maritime safety, fishing, traffic safety, and business prosperity. In 1996, Itsukushima Shrine was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the Atomic Bomb Dome.

(Admission Fee)
Adult – ¥300
High School student – ¥200
Elementary/Junior High School
student – ¥100
(Admission & Treasure House
set)
Adult – ¥500
High School student – ¥300
Elementary/Junior High School
student – ¥150
※ If you are a student, please
present your passport or
school ID at reception when
purchasing your ticket.

Located just off Miyajimaguchi Pier, etto is a new tourist facility that opened in 2020. Etto derives its name from a Hiroshima dialect word meaning “many,” and as the name suggests, it offers a wide variety of souvenirs and food related to Hiroshima. The facility is divided into two areas: the “Itsukushi Marché” on the first floor, consisting mainly of souvenir stores and eateries, and the “Ogottsuo Dining” restaurant area on the second floor, where you can enjoy Hiroshima’s culinary specialties.

Hiroshima Castle was built in the year 1599 by Hiroshima’s most powerful warrior and leader at the time, Mori Terumoto. The castle featured a five-story Castle Tower, a Honmaru Palace, and a moat that flows like a river. Unfortunately, both the Castle Tower and the Honmaru Palace were destroyed by the atomic bombing in 1945, and only the Castle Tower has been reconstructed. The castle tower now houses the Hiroshima Castle Museum, which exhibits materials related to Hiroshima’s history, the Mori family, local folklore, and natural history.

(Entry fee)
18+ – ¥370
Senior citizen – ¥180
High School student – ¥180
Junior High School student
or under – Free
※ For students and senior
citizens, please present
identification to verify your age
such as your passport, or
school ID, at reception when
purchasing your ticket.

On August 6, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. To this day, the Atomic Bomb Dome conveys the horror of the bomb’s destructive power and the extent of the damage it caused. The Atomic Bomb Dome avoided total destruction, although it was only about 160 meters from the blast’s hypocenter. However, all the people inside the building died instantly, and the beautiful Western-style exterior and interior were utterly destroyed, with only the building’s steel frame remaining intact. In 1996, the Atomic Bomb Dome was registered as a World Heritage Site to be an architectural reminder of the horrors of nuclear weapons.

HIROSHIMA ORIZURU TOWER is a tourist attraction located next to the Atomic Bomb Dome. The north walls of the building are decorated with illustrations of ‘Orizuru’ paper cranes, which symbolize peace. The building also occasionally plays host to seasonal events. The first floor has a café and souvenir shop, and the 12th floor is “ORIZURU SQUARE,” where visitors can try their hand at making paper cranes. On the rooftop, there is an observation deck called “HIROSHIMA HILLS,” where you can enjoy a panoramic view of Hiroshima City and spend time relaxing.
The most attractive part of HIROSHIMA ORIZURU TOWER is the spectacular view of Hiroshima from the rooftop observation deck, from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the the Wolrd Heritage A-bomb Dome Site, Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima Castle, and other parts of the city. The observation deck is covered, so you can enjoy the view even in the rain. Also, at the “ORIZURU SQUARE” on the 12th floor, you can enjoy making ‘Orizuru’ paper cranes. You can then throw your ‘Orizuru’ into the “ORIZURU WALL.”- a distinct glass display filled with paper cranes and the hopes and wishes that accompany them from all around the world!

Hiroshima’s Okonomimura, “Okonomi Village” in English, is a multi-storied building filled to the brim with vendors selling the exact same product: okonomiyaki and teppanyaki with alcoholic beverages and soft drinks. Pretty much every store inside has a history behind it, and while some establishments’ okonomiyaki may taste better than others’, you won’t find a terrible okonomiyaki here. Lots of locals swing by during lunch breaks or on the way home from work, and some undoubtedly have found a store that they swear by. 

The modern seven-story building is the cultural headquarters of Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, a dish the locals like to

The “Tabete Minsai-yaki” okonomiyaki from Kaeruttei. Owner, Reiko Hirata, says they use Marubayashi noodles. Marubayashi is a Hiroshima-based noodle company that has been making noodles since 1948. (Joy Photo / Michael Farrell)

call “Hiroshima’s soul food.” It is the direct descendant of the 1950s era street-food bazaars that once filled Nishi Shintechi Square—the modern Alice Garden plaza, right next to Okonomimura. Back then, up to 50 food stands filled the square selling mostly okonomiyaki on griddles pulled out of the rubble. 

Okonomiyaki is the city’s reconstruction food. It grew out of the ashes of the atomic bomb as people scrounged to reassemble their lives and put food on the table. After the bomb, as lives started coming back together, people started innovating on a popular pre-war snack known as issen yoshoku—literally “one hundredth of a yen Western food.” Issen yoshoku was a flour-based batter cooked with dried shrimp, onions and various condiments. On top of this, locals began layering whatever they had on hand. In fact, the name “okonomiyaki” translates to “fried whatever-you-like.” With wheat flour plentiful from U.S. aid, wheat soba noodles became a popular addition. Cabbage, a source of vitamin C and an easy vegetable to grow, also became an essential ingredient. Eventually strips of pork were added along with eggs and a thick, brown sauce.

A solace and a rock in hard times, okonomiyaki was massively popular, becoming synonymous with reconstruction and Hiroshima’s enduring spirit. “[Nishi-Shintenchi Square] was lively until late at night, with people coming after work, taxi drivers, and newspaper workers,” Kyoko Okita told the Chugoku Shimbun in 2023. Okita, 82 when she spoke to the paper, helped out at the original Rei-chan okonomiyaki stall, now located in Hiroshima Station.

It was during this time that the writer, Minoru Kida, saw the vibrant scene of glowing food stall tents clustered together in Nishi-Shintenchi Square and exclaimed, “It’s just like an okonomi village,” and the name was born.

However, in 1965 Nishi-Shintenchi Square was closed to street vendors to crack down on unauthorized shops and late-night noise. The shops needed a place to go. Many of them moved into the first Okonomimura building, built the same year. It quickly became a hit and even attracted school groups and visitors from other cities when they came to tour Hiroshima.

Due to safety concerns, the original building was closed in 1990. The current building, Shintenchi Plaza, opened in 1992

Close up of “The Hiroshima Special” from Sarashina. Sarashina’s okonomiyaki is unique for using fish powder and dried seaweed to season their okonomiyaki. (Joy Photos / Michael Farrell)

in the same spot. And just as the original street food bazaar included a variety of restaurants, not all the shops in Okonomimura are okonomiyaki shops. The 1st floor includes an oyster bar, an izakaya and a beef bowl shop. The upper floors typically house izakayas. However, as the core has always been okonomiyaki, the 2nd through 4th floors are filled with 25 different okonomiyaki shops, some of which, like Sarashina (founded in 1951), can trace their origins to the original street food stands in Nishi-Shintenchi Square. 

Currently, the 6th and 7th floors of Shintenchi Plaza do not have active businesses. 

In 2025, Okonomimura celebrates its 60th anniversary — carrying forward a legacy of survival, ingenuity, community, love and joy from the survivors of the unimaginable. 

If your travel plans don’t take you into downtown Hiroshima, and you still want to try Hiroshima style okonomiyaki, there are many options around Hiroshima Station, like Rei-chan, a Shintenchi original shop, located on the 1st floor of the station’s Ekie Dining area. And then there is Okonomi Story Ekimae Hiroba, a modern recreation of the old okonomiyaki street food stands. It can be found on the 6th floor of the Hiroshima Full Focus Building across from Hiroshima Station.

Additional reporting by Kevin Peng

From the moment passengers step off the train, tourism is instantly possible as the Mihara Castle Ruins are visible from the platform. Mihara Station forms part of the center of Mihara City, and as such, numerous stores and restaurants of interest are concentrated around here. Drop by one of the okonomiyaki joints in the middle of sightseeing for an exclusive Miharayaki, renowned for adding fresh chicken offal as a topping.

Suishin is a sake manufacturer based in Mihara with a history dating back to 1860. While the technology involved in making sake has evolved, the base recipe and high quality have not changed one bit. Since Suishin is so famous in Hiroshima Prefecture, sometimes they set up a temporary stand in other cities like Hiroshima or Fukuyama and hold sake tasting events.

Known as “Aki’s Little Kyoto,” the Takehara Preserved Historic District is a tourist spot where you can see the old streets of Takehara City, which has prospered since ancient times. Lined with old houses and warehouses that are over several hundred years old the area has been selected as a national important traditional building preservation district. Once you step into the district, you will feel as if you have taken a step back in time to traditional Japan.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Museum (also known as the Iron Whale Museum) is the only museum in Japan that displays an actual full-size submarine above water. The museum has documents on the Maritime Self-Defense Force’s history, which still has its main base in Kure. The museum also has information on the functions of the underwater minesweeping taskforce, whose mission is to find and dispose of mines and other hazardous materials. There is also information on the history and technologies used in submarines and daily activities on board the vessels.

Free admission