Hiroshima

Spring (March-May) for cherry blossoms around Peace Park and the castle, or autumn (late Sept-Nov) for mild weather and fall colors. Summer is hot and humid (up to 35°C in August) - tough with kids; winter is cold but quiet with better hotel rates.

• Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome (UNESCO World Heritage)
• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum - a moving experience, allow real time
• Miyajima island and Itsukushima Shrine's floating torii gate
• Daishoin Temple and the Mt. Misen ropeway on Miyajima
• Hiroshima Castle (the "Black Castle")
• Shukkei-en, a classic Japanese landscape garden
• Okonomimura food alley for Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki
• Orizuru Tower - a rooftop viewpoint over Peace Park

Families: near Hiroshima Station (south exit/Peace Boulevard) for easy tram and Shinkansen access. Couples: stay overnight on Miyajima itself after the day-trippers leave, to see the floating gate lit up in quiet. Budget: Kanayama-cho or the Hondori shopping arcade, walkable to Peace Park with economical business hotels.

Miyajima's deer are bolder than Nara's - keep bags, maps, and strollers away from them, they'll try to eat almost anything. The Peace Museum gets packed with school groups around midday - go right at opening or after 4pm. Miyajima fills up after noon with day-trippers, so an early start or an overnight stay gives a much calmer visit. Check tide times before you go - the floating torii gate "floats" at high tide and can be walked out to at low tide, both are worth seeing so plan around it. Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki layers in noodles unlike Osaka's version - ask for "modan-yaki" for extra noodles. A small visitor tax (about 100 yen) is added to the Miyajima ferry ticket.

2 days

Suggested plan:

1. Day 1: Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome in the morning, then the Peace Memorial Museum, okonomiyaki lunch at Okonomimura, and Hiroshima Castle and Shukkei-en Garden in the afternoon.
2. Day 2: A full day on Miyajima - ferry from Miyajimaguchi, Itsukushima Shrine and the floating torii, Daishoin Temple, the Mt. Misen ropeway, then back to Hiroshima in the evening.