Per request, I'm going to see what I can do with this. I was in Hiroshima for a bit over five years, teaching at a private language school. For format's sake, I'm going to copy Christina-in-Brooklyn's NYC list as far as possible. I don't have a desk job where I can sit and do this at work, so it may take me a few days to get it all together. I left the "City of Peace" a year and a half ago, so anybody who's been there more recently, please correct me on anything I screw up!

GETTING THERE AND AWAY

Hiroshima has two airports, the main one in Hyogo, about 40 miles to the east and a small one in Nishi-ku, which services smaller planes.

The only reasonable way to get from the airport to town is to take the airport bus, which leaves from in front of the domestic terminal every half hour or so. The bus costs Y1310 and tickets can be bought on the bus or from a vending machine in the lobby. A rountrip ticket is cheaper, but it has to be used within seven days. The buses go either to the main train station (Hiroshima Eki) or the Bus Center in Kamiyacho.

A taxi from the airport may be the most expensive in the world (I'd be interested if anybody knows for sure). It is about Y15,000. Well, at least you don't have to tip!

As few international flights come into Hiroshima (as of 4/2005, only from Seoul, Hong Kong and a few cities in China), most people come via train. The Shinkansen from Fukuoka costs about Y9,000 and takes between 1:01 (Nozomi) and 1:40 (Kodama) depending on the type of train. You can get to the train station via a free bus and a Y200 subway ride. The other nearish major airport is Kansai (Osaka). The problem with Osaka is that first you have to take the airport train ( Y2,500) to get to Osaka Station, from where you need to get a local JR train to Shin-Osaka to get the Shinkansen which takes 1:30 to 2:00 and costs about Y10,000. It's a bit more difficult and a lot more expensive to get to Hiroshima from Tokyo.

The most enjoyable (or at least interesting) way to get to Hiroshima from abroad is via overnight ferry from Busan, South Korea. The ferries run thrice weekly in each direction and cost about Y10,000.

LODGING

There isn't a lot of cheap lodging in Hiroshima. By far the cheapest is the IYH Hostel. The problem is that it is a bit out of the center of town and not the easiest place in the world to find.

As I never stayed in the city outside of my own apartment, I don't know a whole lot about where to stay. Here is a link to search for hotels, etc in any city in Japan. Hostel bookers also recommends this place in the center of town. There's also the Weekly Inn, which is pretty centrally located (near the station) and costs about Y4,000 per night but the website's entirely in Japanese.

It is pretty safe to sleep out in warmer weather, and if you're an early riser, you can probably get away with it as long as you don't set up a tent. The smaller parks work better for this -- Hirano-koen (Ujina street car to Miyukibashi and walk up along the river for five minutes) is where I'd go. It's got a bathroom and a convenience store right nearby. One place not to sleep is Heiwa-koen (Peace Park) as people have been robbed, beaten up, etc trying to sleep rough there.

EATING AND DRINKING

Since I had an apartment, I did most of my own cooking, so this section is going to be quite incomplete. Hopefully JohnK or some other people can add to. Eating can be quite pricey in Japan, even if you cook your own food, but there is a huge range of places to eat in Hiroshima. Okay, it's not Tokyo or New York, but there is still quite a variety.

The cheapest places to eat are generally the supermarkets, which all have a selection of tempura, other fried things, salads, etc, that are ready to eat and there is usually a place you can sit to do it. Fuji Grand even has a TV, so if the weather's nasty or you just want to chill, you can sit there with your food and spend the whole day. Convenience stores are also pretty reasonable and located approximately even other block throughout the city. Another good thing about supermarkets is that they often give away cooked samples on Sundays

If you want to eat a proper meal, your best bet is to do it at lunch as most restaurants have a lunch special for ¥1000 or less. Another good deal is the rooftop beer gardens that some department stores have in the summer. For about ¥2500 you get all you can eat and drink from 6 to 10 PM in a fun environment with a good view. Fukuya, near the station, has a particulary nice one.

Rather than list the few restaurants that I frequented, I'll just put in a link here to Get Hiroshima's restaurant section. It allows you to browse or search by cuisine type. If your aim in eating out is to meet other people who speak English, I'd recommend Kemby's in Kamiyacho near the park or The Shack or Molly Malone's, both of which are located on Chuo Dori. All three of these are bars that also serve good (for Japan) western food -- the first two are American, the third is Irish.

WALKING AND BIKING

The central part of Hiroshima is quite compact and pleasant to walk in. The city is built (or rather, rebuilt) on the delta of the Otogawa, so there are miles of well-manicured paths along the six rivers that run through the city. A good way to gain some perspective on the destructive power of the atomic bomb dropped on August 6, 1945 is to pick up a free map of the city at the International Center and compare it to this and walk from Ground Zero at the Aioi Bridge along the river to see how far the damage extended. Other good places for a stroll in the central part of the city include the Peace Park, Nagarakawa (the red light district -- this should be walked in both the day and night, preferable first at night, then gain a new perspective seeing in the light of day, and the Hondori shopping arcade. Hondori is a great place for people watching, especially in the summer as it becomes, in effect, an air-conditioned street.

Hiking

Not far from the city center, there is some really good hiking. The most popular place is the Island of Miyajima. Take the Hiroden (Streetcar) to the end of the line ( Y230) at Miyajimaguchi and then take a ferry ( Y170) across to the island. There are free maps at the ferry terminal on the island. The main destination is the summit of Misan, from which you can get great views of the Seto Inland Sea and the city. Be sure to follow the trail to the top of the Ropeway, where several troupes of macaques can often been seen hanging out. If you're feeling a bit tired, you can take the ropeway up ( Y2,000--a bit pricey, something to do when somebody else is paying!), though from its top, you still have a kilometer to to go reach the summit. I've done this hike countless times, and I'd recommend walking up the Momojidani Course (this will bring you to a T-junction after a while, left goes to the monkeys[300m], right to the summit [700m])and down via the Daishoin Course, stopping at the amaing Daishoin Temple on the way down.

A short train ride to the east is another good but little known hike. Take a local train towards Saijo (the Sanyo line) and get off at the fourth stop (Akinakano Y230). In the parking lot at the station is a police station where you can get a hiking map of the area. (Ask a cop for one "Chizu-ga arimasu ka?") Coming out of the station you'll see a carved wooden sign that reads "Rengejiyama (in kanji) 500m". Follow the arrow on the sign. You'll come to a modern temple that looks more like a house than a place of worship. Go around it to the left and follow the trail up. En route, you'll pass 88 statues of the Buddha in various situations. From the top of the mountain, you can continue east for several more miles to the summit of Takayama.

Biking

The best place to rent a bike is at a little bike shop in the Takasu neighborhood. Take the Miyajima bound Hiroden to Takasu. Get off the train and cross the tracks. Walk past the post office and go about a block. The guy who owns the place is really nice and will rent beat up gearless bikes with baskets in front for as little as Y500 a week. He doesn't speak English, but a simple "Renta-jitensha kudasai" should get the message across. When biking just follow the local customs, which in most of the city means riding on the sidewalk. Be wary of oncoming bikes as there is no logic as to which way they will go to avoid collision. Also, if you leave your bike near a train station, pay the Y100 and park in the official parking area -- the police regularly sweep the areas near the stations and impound bikes at a far away, hard to get to, lot.

Entertainment

Nightlife

There aren't many bars or clubs in Hiroshima that welcome foreigners. With Hiroshima's large Yakuza presence, some of the non-welcoming places can actually be a bit dodgy if not dangerous. Here are a few foreigner friendly places that I know of -- Kemby's (opposite Peace Park, between Heiwa O-Dori and Aioi Dori), Mac Bar, Jammin' and El Barco (all in the Nagarekawa district -- see GetHiroshima for directions on how to get to them. There's also Molly Malone's on Chuo Dori.

Sports

The Hiroshima Carp play in the Municipal Stadium from April to October. Baseball has been called Japan's third religion after Shintoism and Buddhism, check out a Carp game and see why -- the cheapest seats go for Y1500, and you can bring your own food and drink in. (They stop selling beer after the 7th inning, so come prepared.)

Hiroshima also has a pro soccer team (the Japanese call it "sakkaa"), SanFrecce. They play at a stadium in Nishi-ku. They recently made it back to Division 1 after a few years in Division 2. Here's their homepage. It's all in Japanese, but you can probably figure out the schedule if you really want by going through it. If you can manage to fight your way onto the field, their goalkeeping coach is fluent in English (he was a student of mine for a while).

Sightseeing

Hiroshima has some pretty amazing places to visit. Here are a few must-sees. For directions to these places, you're better off going to the Internation Center (see the "Other Information" posting), than having me give you some half-remembered directions.

Ituskamisha Shrine and Daishoin Temple on Miyajima (more info in the "hiking" part of this thread.

Mitake Temple
The A-Bomb Dome
Hiroshima Museum of Modern Art on Hijiyama
Shukkein Gardens in Hakushima
The Peace Pagoda in Ushita

Annual events

The biggest event in town is the Flower Festival during Golden Week (the first few days in May). A couple million people come to Hiroshima for the parades and tons of free shows. There is also a wide variety of food availible from around Japan and the rest of the word -- the only place outside of Laos I've found Lao coffee.

The most moving event is the A-Bomb memorial on August 6th. There's a memorial service in the morning, but the best part comes at night when tens of thousands of paper lanterns are sent down the river in memory of those who died that day. You can buy a lantern for about Y500 and write your own message. Walk downstream a bit (direction depends on the tide) and watch the guys in boats fishing them out of the river and putting out fires.

Supposedly one of the world's great fireworks displays takes place on Miyajima every August (around the 12th). My own experience is that it's one of the world's most unpleasantly crowded events. Over a million people each year think it's worth it though. There is also a huge display around June 20th in Ujina.

Every October in Saijo, Higashihiroshima (about 40 minutes east on the local JR train) is the Sake Festival. Hirsohima is famous throughout Japan, and this is a great opportunity to try out the different varieties. There is a main area that for a cheapish price (I can't remember how much), you can drink all you want of the cheaper grades of the local rice wine. Be careful though, at 18-20% alcohol, the stuff works fast.

Shopping

One of my least favorite activities, shopping is something I'm not that knowledgeable about. Hopefully someone can add to this (JohnK, any help?). If you're into shopping as more of a spectator sport and enjoy looking at prices and saying "They must be f***ing kidding!", Japan is a great place. For the ultimate in price shock, check out the fruit at any department store supermarket. There are a few exceptions, though.

Clothes

Probably the best place to pick up clothes outside of flea markets, which sporadicallly pop up (dates and times are usually availible in the library in the Peace Park), is UniQlo, in the Sun Mall. It's off Hondori, on the west end, towards Peace Park. A couple of the cheaper supermarket/department stores have clothes for manageable prices. The best two of these are FujiGrand (at the east end of Heiwa O-Dori) and Daiei, just south of Hondori. In both of these places you can find t-shirts with ridiculously mangled English, something that makes good gifts or souvenirs for as little as Y500.

Electronics

One thing that can be a good buy in Japan is electroics. There's a huge elctronics "superstore" on Aioi Dori, at Kamiyacho called DeoDeo. It's nine stories of digital cameras, appliances, computers, etc. A lot of the stuff isn't available outside of Japan yet. There is always someone on staff who speaks English, and they will hunt her down for you. In trend-conscious Japan, last year's model of anything is always sold at a massive discount, so look for sales.

Other Stuff

Perhaps the most exciting places to shop in Hiroshima are the ubiquitous 100-Yen shops. Everything in them costs Y105 (tax included). They sell a wide variety of stuff, ranging from complete junk to some amazing finds. They're always worth a visit.

OTHER INFORMATION

For information about events, restaurants, local happenings, etc, check out Gethiroshima

There are a few places to pick up maps, brochures and other information.

The library in the Peace Park, opposite the museum, has free internet access, newspapers from around the country and world, a good collection of English books (you can't check them out without having an Alien Registration Card), and you can also pick up an English listing of events in the area.

The International Center, on the sixth floor of the Crystal Building (on Heiwa O-Dori/Peace Blvd), one bock east of the intersection with the Ujina streetcar), across from David English House, has the best free maps and tons of brochures on places to go and things to do. You can also hang out and watch CNN there if you want to catch up on world events.

Useful tips

You can buy bus cards in denominations of 1000, 3000 and 5000 yen from any convenience store. These cards make taking local buses and street cards a breeze and you get 10% more than the face value in transport money. Just say "sen-en basu kaado, kudasai" (or sanzen-en [3000] or go-sen-en [5000]). To use the cards, stick them in the reader getting on the bus/streetcar and again getting off. The amount you have left will be displayed. If you don't have enough for your trip, you can pay the balance in coins.

Pay phones

Phones take coins and phone cards. In the five years I was there I never used up a Y1000 card before losing it. For local calls, you can just pay in coin ( Y10 for 3 minutes). For international calls, there is a phonecard vending machine at the International Center.

Money

Traveler's checks can be changed at many of the banks on Aioi Dori. The rate is better for checks than cash. There are also ATMs throughout the city -- the problems with them are a) they are in Japanese [it is the kind of place that you can ask someone for help and be able to trust them] and b) most are only open from about 8AM until 7PM, Monday to Friday.

Discount tickets

Around the city, you will see small shops that sell bus and train tickets to select destinations at a 2-5% discount. You can also get buscards there for 2% off. This can mean a lot of money if you're taking an Y18,000 trip to Tokyo and will add up on smaller trips as well. There is one on the same street as the International Center, next door to the Daiei Supermarket.

Really great post, HR. Arigato.

To add to the fun...

Hiroshima on the Cheap

Cheaper than capsules:
Spend the night at an internet cafe. Most are 24hrs, and most will have the all-nighter package -- anywhere between two to three thousand yen for 24hrs where you get a comfy recliner, net access and a food menu. Some provide free drinks, and at The Popeye Media Cafe on Hon-dori there are even showers.

Or you could try a spa. A lot of special spa places are 24hrs as well. For a modest entry fee (anywhere between 2000 - 4000) you can use the baths and spas in the facility. There are also soft benches for you to sleep on. Drinks, food, massages and the like are extra, and quite steep, but if you stay away from the extras it's a nice relaxing place to spend the evening. (Or so I've been told by my Japanese friends -- I've never been to one myself.)

If you are travelling with a big bag you can stash your stuff in a public locker, they can usually be found around department stores and railway stations. They range in size (and price) but the big ones will accommodate a suitcase and costs around 500 yen.

Cheap food:
All convenience stores sell cheap prepackaged food boxes called Bento, but they are usually cheap and nasty (perfectly edible and won't make you sick, but it's not something you want to live on for a long time). Supermarkets sell much the same, and they often have a kitchen where they make it fresh for the day and is much better. Also, the basement of the Sogo Department store has a number of food shops that sell Bentos of various prices; it's a little more expensive than the convenience stores or supermarkets, but the extra quality is well worth it. (For comparison, the cheapest bento at a conbini or supermarket is about 300-400 yen, the cheapest I've seen at Sogo is about 500 yen.)

Also, there are lots of cheap chain restaurants where you can get a decent curry for as little as 300 yen (Matsuya and Yoshinoya are two examples). They feature coin-op machines at the entrance with the menu where you choose and pay for your meal in the machine which then prints out a receipt which you can hand to a waiter. Food magically appears in a few minutes, and you usually get complementary Japanese tea and free rice refills.

Cheap beer:
Pick up a six pack from a convenience store and get drunk at a park! Drinking in public is OK, as long as you're not harassing other people. The FamilyMart on Chuo-dori, opposite the Big Echo karaoke place even has tables and chairs. Drinking at bars in Japan is notoriously expensive. Some restaurants and bars give you a small bowl of food with your drinks, if you see it make sure they take it back. They charge for that, and it's usually some inflated charge (think 500 yen for three pickles) to offset you not buying dinner.

Or you could try one of the many Karaoke booths. Cheaper after midnight. And for 3000 you can usually get a couple hours worth of bawdy singing and all-you-can-drink alcohol (nomihodai).

A lot of restaurants have what's called tabenomihodai, which is all you can eat and drink for a certain period of time, usually 2 hours. Check out the free Hot Pepper magazine, there are usually coupons for restaurants. Unfortunately most won't speak English fluently, but you might be able to find someone who can speak enough to make a reservation. Reservations are essential, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, but you might get lucky after 10pm.

quote:

Originally posted by JohnK:

Cheap beer:
Pick up a six pack from a convenience store and get drunk at a park! Drinking in public is OK, as long as you're not harassing other people. The FamilyMart on Chuo-dori, opposite the Big Echo karaoke place even has tables and chairs. Drinking at bars in Japan is notoriously expensive. Some restaurants and bars give you a small bowl of food with your drinks, if you see it make sure they take it back. They charge for that, and it's usually some inflated charge (think 500 yen for three pickles) to offset you not buying dinner.

A word of warning though. The cheapest stuff is not beer at all, but a malt-flavored beverage called "happushu". It costs about 2/3 the price of beer, but the difference is more than made up by the hangover is gives and the flavor it lacks. But if you're 20 and still able to drink anything without fear of the next day, go for it.

JohnK is right about public drinking thing though. It's liberating to be able to drink openly. One of the best places is Ujina Port. There's a convenience store at ground level, and upstairs there's a wooden balcony where my friends and I spent many evenings getting wasted after a day of disc golf on Ninoshima. It's a got great sunsets over the Seto Inland Sea and you can watch all of the boats coming in.

Just wanted to thank you for the amazing post! This is perfect. I'm flying to Seoul on Christmas and have seventeen days to get back to Tokyo. Taking the ferry Pusan to Hiroshima. Then using the seishun juhachi kippu. Your post has helped me plan a lot. Cheers.

quote:

Originally posted by Danny in Asia:
Just wanted to thank you for the amazing post! This is perfect. I'm flying to Seoul on Christmas and have seventeen days to get back to Tokyo. Taking the ferry Pusan to Hiroshima. Then using the seishun juhachi kippu. Your post has helped me plan a lot. Cheers.

Ahh, a shame I won't be in town over Christmas (I'll be in Indonesia -- Krakatoa, Jakarta, Yogjakarta, whee!), otherwise we could meet up for a beer!

quote:

Originally posted by Danny in Asia:
Taking the ferry Pusan to Hiroshima. Then using the seishun juhachi kippu.

When you get off the ferry, don't let yourself get suckered into taking a cab. The streetcar stop is just 300m away at the domestic ferry terminal.

More on Eating and Drinking
Check out my previous post for more on cheap eats, but they can be a bit hard to find if you don't know the area. So...:

Matsuya: Get yourself to Kamiyacho-nishi tram stop, on one side of that street is Sogo, the other is a big DeoDeo electronics store which is on the corner of a side street. Walk down that side street, and Matsuya is on your right hand side, right next to Subway. Cheapest meal is a 250yen curry, and it's pretty good for the price.

Yoshinoya: On Chuo-dori (dori means street), on the Ground floor of the same building "The Shack" is on. If you walk east along Hon-dori, you will eventually hit the Parco department store. Walk around Parco, and that's Chuo-dori. Turn right, don't cross the road, and less than a minute down the road is Yoshinoya.

A restaurant whose name I can't remember: Walk down Hon-dori until you get to Andersens, turn down that side street walking north (away from Andersens). The restaurant has a green sign and is on the left, opposite it is a cafe called "Italian Tomato Cafe Jr". There are two doors, one that leads into the dining area and one that leads to the food. Go into the latter, pick up a tray, and pick up whatever dishes that takes your fancy. Once you pay at the end, go to the microwaves in the middle of the restaurant and heat up your food. Average meal costs about 400 yen, and I stuffed myself stupid on 650 yen the last time I was there.

Not strictly in the cheap category, but at some stage you must try Okonomiyaki. It's made of a thin crepe topped with cabbage, fried noodles, bacon, egg, and spring onions. It's big, filling, delicious, and usually costs less than 1000yen. Okonomiyaki restaurants are all over the place, and charge about the same.

Haci Richard is right about the nightlife in Hiroshima, it's a real Yakuza town, and they are not always so welcoming of foreigners -- especially if you are a Marine from the base at Iwakuni, about 40min away. Don't let that put you off though; aside from stories from the Marines that I've met here I've not heard of anyone else running into trouble with the Yakuza. Don't screw with them, they won't bother with you.

The main drinking area is Nagarekawa, on the east side of Chuo-dori, where there are literally thousands of bars crammed into about 15 blocks. Some Japanese people will tell you that it's a bad area and you shouldn't walk around alone, and it is definitely seedier than the rest of town, but I have not found it to be dangerous at all. In fact, I like that area because it is seedier, and you get to see a completely different side of the Japanese.

Some of my favourite haunts (all of which you will find on the GetHiroshima map, so make sure you pick one up) are Alcoholiday, Jammin', Koba (not actually in Nagarekawa, but worth going 'cause the owner, Bom, is the bomb), Lotus and Mac (bit of a meat market, but has the biggest CD collections I have ever seen, and they take requests).

One last thing about the nightlife -- Nagarekawa was recently designated by the Japanese government as being a dodgy part of town, and has instructed the police to crack down on the illegal stuff like prostitution and strip clubs in the area using a law drafted in the 50s called the "Public Morals Law". Unfortunately for the Police, they're too intimidated by the Yakuza to bust them on their own turf, so they use a small section of the law that classifies dancing as part of erotic entertainment (and forbids the sale of alcohol and dancing after 1am) to bust all the dance clubs instead. (Think Footloose. Really.) Typically the coppers will come in, separate Japanese citizens from foreigners, let the Japanese go and keep the foreigners around for a couple hours, ostensibly checking their identification. This has only happened a few times, but they tend to bust the foreigner friendly places, limiting options for everyone. Moral of the story is always keep your passport handy. That said, I go to a lot of those places most weekends, and I've not experienced the Police hospitality. Hopefully they'll get bored of ruining Hiroshima's nightlife and go back to doing something useful soon.