Hiroshima

Where to shoot

• A-Bomb Dome — the preserved ruin of a domed hall left as it stood after the 1945 blast, mirrored in the adjacent river.
• Itsukushima Shrine — on Miyajima island, its great torii gate appears to float on the sea at high tide and catches the light at sunset.
• Peace Memorial Park — a riverside park of monuments and an eternal flame, especially poignant in cherry-blossom season.
• Mount Misen — a forested peak on Miyajima reached by ropeway and trail, offering views across the Seto Inland Sea.
• Peace Memorial Museum and park
• Atomic Bomb Dome from across the river
• Itsukushima Shrine and the tidal waterfront
• Daisho-in and Mount Misen

When to go

Spring for cherry blossoms and mild weather, or visit around August 6 for the moving Peace Memorial Ceremony; autumn is also pleasant and uncrowded.

What to eat

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki layered with noodles, and fresh oysters from the surrounding Seto Inland Sea.

Where to stay

Base near Hiroshima Station or the Peace Park for transit and ferries; an overnight on Miyajima gives you the torii at dawn and dusk.