Hiroshima 1-day itinerary

Begin at the A-Bomb Dome — the skeletal ruins of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, the only structure left standing near the bomb's hypocenter on 6 August 1945. The exposed steel frame and crumbling walls are left exactly as they were after the blast, preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk south through Peace Memorial Park past the Children's Peace Monument draped with thousands of colourful paper cranes, the Flame of Peace (which will burn until all nuclear weapons are eliminated), and the cenotaph that frames the Dome at the end of a long axis of remembrance.

Spend the afternoon at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, extensively renovated and reopened with powerful personal accounts, survivor testimonies, and artefacts from the bombing. The museum does not flinch from the horror — melted watches stopped at 8:15am, scorched clothing, and handwritten accounts from hibakusha (survivors) — but it focuses equally on the message of peace and nuclear abolition. Audio guides are available in multiple languages. Allow at least 2 hours; many visitors spend longer. The experience is harrowing but essential.

Hiroshima's signature dish is Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki — layers of thin crepe, cabbage, bean sprouts, pork, noodles, and egg stacked and cooked on a flat griddle, finished with sweet-savoury sauce. Head to Okonomimura — a multi-storey building near the Hondori shopping arcade with over 20 okonomiyaki stalls, each with counter seating where you watch the chef build your meal on the hot plate in front of you. Afterwards, walk along the Motoyasu River past the illuminated A-Bomb Dome — the ruins are hauntingly beautiful at night, reflected in the dark water.