Kyoto Day Trips: Hiroshima and Miyajima

Two world heritage sites in one day may not seem like such a big deal when visiting Japan. However, quality is more important the quantity and this is without a doubt the most powerful trip you can make while in the country. The artifacts and personal stories at the Peace Memorial Museum are quite moving, which is a massive understatement. Essentially, you’ll be fighting the urge to vomit and cry all at the same time. The idea of how ridiculous it would be to lose it will help you keep it together, at least until you see a grown man with tears in his eyes exit the exhibit. Then, your only salvation will be quickly (and quietly) streaming YouTube videos of cute puppies falling down stairs.

About an hour away from the tragic memorials of Hiroshima, stands one of the most unique and beautiful shrines in Japan. Miyajima shrine is famous for its massive tori gate, which stands stoically in the harbor. At low tide, the ground beneath the gate is completely dry and many people can be seen walking under its giant arch. However, the gate is most beautiful at high tide when its reflection can be seen bouncing off the water below it. Being able to experience both of these great heritage sites in one day is an unforgettable experience and an absolute must if you have the chance.

Hiroshima

You’ll want to start your day in Hiroshima. From the train station, take the sightseeing tour bus to Peace Memorial Park and hop off. You’ll see the museum in front of you, start there and then work your way through the park. The entrance fee to the museum is quite cheap, only $200 JPY per person. Actually, this price is reasonable when you realize that you’re paying money to make yourself cry and feel like a terrible human being. That said, don’t skip the museum. It doesn’t take long to walk through and it’ll give you a better understanding of the other memorials in the park, allowing you to appreciate them more.

As I’ve already said, the museum is a little bit of an emotional strain. Its display cases of burned clothing, body parts and personal stories have a more profound effect than the actual Dome. The most moving story archived in the museum is of Sadako Sasaki. She was two years old when the bomb went off and (unlike her sister) appeared to have fortunately survived the blast. She went on to have a perfectly normal life, excelling at sports and sports.

Suddenly, Sadako developed leukemia as a teenager. There’s an old Japanese belief that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, your wish will come true. Sadako did this and her tiny, perfect paper cranes are on display at the museum. Very few people look at them with dry eyes. Sadako died, but her paper cranes survived and started a movement. Even today, thousands of paper cranes pour in from all over the world and are hung at the Children’s Peace Memorial, which stands across from the museum.

After exiting the museum, the Children’s Peace Memorial will be the next thing you see. The first thing you notice about it will be the colorful long dresses hanging behind the memorial. Upon closer inspection, you’ll see that these are actually countless numbers of paper cranes. Some of them (most of them probably) are made in Japan, but they come from everywhere, including from schools in the United States. (Imagine how cool that class would be: Let’s learn how to make origami and then send it to honor children located, literally, around the world.) We were fortunate enough to see groups of school children adding even more strands of cranes to the memorial. Seeing their innocent faces memorializing the dead was enough to make us lose it again and we had to walk/run away.

From the Children’s Peace Memorial, the next part of your visit is the actual Dome, which was located directly under the small sun created by the bomb. These are the original remains and you don’t have to look closely to see the warped iron and scorched brick from the blast. It’s still hard to imagine that this damage happened in a matter of seconds, not decades. Thanks to your time at the museum, you’ll understand just how powerful the blast was, you’ll know that no one was spared and how some people were incinerated from the inside out.

After learning why you’ll never support anything remotely nuclear, it’ll be time for lunch and you’re in the perfect place for it. The Dome is right beside one of Hiroshima’s more popular downtown shopping streets. Just walk down until you see Hondori Shopping Street and turn there. You’ll find the local fare of katsu, ramen and sushi, but you’ll also see some cute little cafes. There’s even a Starbucks hidden away down in the subway entrance, which was great for us. Hiding out in a dark corner with some chocolate and coffee was the perfect way to hit the reset button on the day.

We reemerged topside about an hour and a half later ready to go. Wait around and head back to Hiroshima station around two in the afternoon to head to Miyajima.  If you have some time to kill, check out some the stores on the shopping street before catching the bus back to the station. After a little exploring, you’ll see that there’s more to Hiroshima than just its history. It has turned itself into a nice, clean city with an eclectic vibe.

Miyajima 

To get to Miyajima, catch the local train at Hiroshima station and get off at Miyajima. It’s a about a 45 minute ride to get there and the trains run every ten to fifteen minutes.  From Miyajima station, walk down to the ferry. You’ll be able to see it from the station exit. It’s just a five minute walk away. The ferries, also, run every ten to fifteen minutes and will take you straight to Miyajima. Once on the ferry, you’re basically there. It’s just a short, fifteen minute ride to the island.

Miyajima is much more than a Tori Gate. There is a proper temple complex, pagoda and even a gondola if you’re interested. The island is, also, crawling with deer. Thankfully, they are a little better behaved than the deer at Nara and just as cute. Hang out, watch the tide roll in and explore until five thirty. At this time, you’ll need to catch the ferry again and head back to Hiroshima station for dinner.

Okonomiyaki 

As we learned, Hiroshima station is home to some great eateries and makes for an awesome place to try the local specialties. Restaurants are located on the second floor of ASSE, one of the malls attached to the station. Take this chance to try okonomiyaki. It’s a local dish that is directly associated with the Hiroshima area and it’s pretty good. Basically, the dish is made with everything you could want: fried egg, bacon, noodles, lettuce, bean sprouts, etc.

The best part is that all of the things listed above come standard, but then, you can add more! You can request your okonomiyaki to be made with shrimp, oysters, cheese or whatever else the cooks have hiding behind the counter. Hiroshima is also famous for its oysters, so I tried the local dish with the local fish. Honestly, not a fan and I picked most of the oysters out. Minus the slimy oysters, the okonomiyaki by itself was delicious. I would definitely order it again just maybe with shrimp next time. It’s hard to go wrong when eating in Japan. After a hearty meal, it’ll be time to start your journey back to Osaka and/or Kyoto.

Getting Around

Everything is covered by the JR Pass. Literally, everything is covered, including the sightseeing bus in Hiroshima and the ferry in Miyajima. It’s great! If you have the pass, this will be one of your cheapest days in Japan. In fact, I probably wouldn’t attempt it without some sort of discount train pass. In addition to the JR Pass, there’s at least one more area specific pass (the Kansai Hiroshima Area Pass) that you can get, but it won’t work on the ferry or bus. It, also, will not cover your journey from Kyoto. Essentially, passengers using this pass have to begin and end their trip in Osaka, which is where the pass takes effect.

To get to Hiroshima on time, you will need to take a Hikari train from Kyoto at eight in the morning or from Osaka at 8:30. This is a high speed train that will take you straight to Hiroshima station. You’ll arrive in the city around ten o’clock so prepare for a late lunch.

Getting to Hiroshima from Kyoto is easy. Getting back is slightly more difficult. There is no direct train that goes from Hiroshima to Kyoto. You will have to take a train to Osaka and then transfer. This is not a big deal. It’s very easy to get a local train from Osaka to Kyoto and the ride only lasts about half an hour. The local trains run every ten to fifteen minutes.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: getting from Hiroshima to Osaka. You will have to take a Kodama or Sakura train. There is no Hikari train available for this part of the trip. Make sure you get a Sakura train. It’s slower than a Hikari, but still bearable. A Kodama train is doable, but it is insufferably slow, as we learned the hard way. It’s one thing to stop at every station. It’s another thing entirely to stop at every station and then wait around five minutes for no reason. Thank goodness for the internet. If possible catch your return train home around 7:50 or 8:00 at night.

You can reserve these tickets in advance and I suggest that you do. To reserve seats, just show up at any JR station help desk with your rail pass and they’ll help you find the seats. Again, make sure you’re on a Sakura train for the second part of the trip.