Hiroshima, long known worldwide as a symbol of peace and resilience, was once synonymous only with tragedy. Today, however, the prefecture is drawing more visitors than ever before.
Japan has seen a surge of inbound travelers. Hiroshima has benefited greatly from this rush. In 2024, there was a record of 4.21 million international travelers. Total visitor numbers, domestic and foreign combined, returned to pre-pandemic levels, reaching 64.7 million. Iconic sites like Peace Park, Miyajima, and Hiroshima’s hidden gems beyond are finally reaching the spotlight.
Part of this boom comes from the ongoing weak yen, which makes Japan an attractive destination for overseas travelers. But infrastructure has played an equally important role.
Hiroshima Airport has resumed and expanded international service, adding new and more frequent flights to regional hubs. For instance, the Hiroshima–Shanghai route was boosted from four flights a week to daily service in July 2025. The airport is also undergoing a major renovation set for completion in 2027, which will expand the international departure area and commercial facilities.
For many, Hiroshima means just two places: the Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine. Both are iconic, UNESCO-listed, and profoundly moving.
But if you venture past the Peace Park and Miyajima, a different Hiroshima comes into view: one shaped by quiet neighborhoods, sake breweries, and flavors that rarely make the guidebooks.
So let’s wander a little further together, into five corners of Hiroshima where the prefecture’s true character shines.
Hiroshima City beyond the dome: Cars, carp, and cold noodles with a kick
Hiroshima isn’t just temples and port towns — it’s also the birthplace of Mazda. Founded here in 1920, the company still has its global headquarters and factories lining the city’s waterfront.
Visitors can book a guided tour of the Mazda Museum, which begins with a bus ride through the plant grounds. Highlights include exhibits on Mazda’s rotary engine, a glimpse at the assembly line, and the iconic 787B racecar that won Le Mans in 1991. Tours are free but must be reserved in advance, with English slots available on weekdays.
Another way to experience local pride is at Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium, home of the Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team. While Japan is notorious for its passion for baseball, Carp fans are especially known for their energy. Female fans even have their own nickname, Carp Joshi.
Even casual fans find the atmosphere infectious, making it one of Japan’s most welcoming ballparks. Expect songs, coordinated cheers, and the release of thousands of red balloons into the night sky.
And while Hiroshima is world-famous for okonomiyaki and oysters, don’t overlook Hiroshima-style tsukemen. These chilled noodles are dipped into a fiery soy-based broth loaded with sesame and chili oil, with spiciness levels you can adjust to taste. Refreshing, healthy, and addictive, it’s a local favorite that deserves more love.
Onomichi: Hills, literature, and a bowl (or two) of ramen
Onomichi is a port town where the Seto Inland Sea narrows into a channel that feels like a river cutting through the city. Wedged between the water and surrounding hills, its houses, temples, and stone-paved alleys form a view locals call a “miniature garden.” The setting has long inspired writers and filmmakers, who come here for its nostalgic charm.
First recorded in 1168, Onomichi thrived for centuries as a shipping hub, particularly for rice. Traces of this past linger in festivals such as the summer Sumiyoshi celebration, held to pray for safe sea travel.
The city is best explored on foot: one route links two dozen historic temples, while another meanders past stone monuments carved with the words of Japanese poets. Senkōji Park, perched above the city, offers panoramic views of the channel dotted with islands.
Onomichi is also alive in modern culture. Its shrines and sloping streets appear in anime such as Kamichu!, and cyclists now flock here as the starting point of the Shimanami Kaidō trail. But perhaps the town’s most enduring draw is its food. Onomichi ramen is a local classic, best enjoyed after a day wandering its hills. One can’t go wrong with its delicious soy sauce broth laced with juicy chicken and pork fat.
Tomonoura: A port town frozen in time
On the coast of Fukuyama lies Tomonoura, a harbor town where sailors once waited for favorable tides before crossing the Seto Inland Sea. Known for its Edo-period streets and the stone Jōyatō Lighthouse, the town preserves port facilities from two centuries ago, down to the steps where merchants unloaded their goods.
Wandering its narrow lanes, you’ll find temples, shrines, and guesthouses that once hosted foreign envoys. The most famous, Taichōrō, offers sweeping views of the islands of Sensuijima and Bentenjima, vistas so striking that a Korean ambassador once declared them “the most beautiful in Japan.”
Tomonoura’s scenery has captivated both artists and filmmakers. Blind composer Miyagi Michio drew inspiration here for his masterpiece Haru no Umi, while Miyazaki Hayao stayed for two months and used the port as the model for Ponyo. Hollywood also arrived when The Wolverine filmed scenes among its cobblestone streets.
But Tomonoura isn’t only for looking; it’s also for tasting. The local herbal liqueur homeishu has been brewed here for centuries, while sea bream, caught in local nets, appears in everything from rice bowls to ramen.
Ōkunoshima: Rabbits and shadows of the past
Few places in Japan balance cuteness and tragedy quite like Ōkunoshima. Better known as “Rabbit Island,” this small outcrop in the Seto Inland Sea is home to hundreds, perhaps even thousands of fluffy rabbits that roam freely.
Yes, the island is basically the bunny equivalent of Japan’s famous “cat islands,” such as Aoshima. With no predators and pets barred from entry, the population thrives. Visitors can buy rabbit food at the ferry terminal in Tadanoumi and quickly find themselves surrounded by eager, hopping companions.
Yet behind the island’s irresistible charm lies a darker story. In 1929, just four years after Japan signed the Geneva Protocol banning chemical weapons, the government built a secret poison gas factory here. By the end of World War II, Ōkunoshima was producing mustard and tear gas, its existence erased from maps. Today, the Poison Gas Museum and scattered ruins serve as a testament to this history and a tribute to those who suffered its effects.
Most visitors balance the two faces of Ōkunoshima: feeding rabbits on the beaches, cycling its 4km circumference, or staying overnight at Kyukamura resort, while also confronting the lessons of a hidden past.
Saijō: The soft water capital of sake
East of Hiroshima City lies Saijō, a town where the streets are lined with white-walled breweries and tall red chimneys. Known as one of Japan’s great sake-brewing centers, Saijō produces a style distinct from Hyōgo’s dry “men’s sake.”
Here, brewers perfected the soft water brewing method in the late 19th century, using mineral-rich springs from the surrounding Chūgoku Mountains. The result is a mellow, umami-rich sake often described as “women’s sake”: delicate, aromatic, and surprisingly modern in flavor.
Saijō’s brewing district, Sakagura-dōri, is just a short train ride from Hiroshima Station. Nine breweries are clustered within walking distance, each contrasting black namako walls with white plaster. Some open their doors on weekends for tours and tastings, making it easy to hop between brewers and sample different expressions. Kamotsuru, one of the most famous, pioneered the ginjō-zukuri method that helped establish Hiroshima sake on the national stage.
Every October, Saijō hosts the Sake Festival, drawing thousands to taste brews from across Japan. Pairing a glass of local sake with Hiroshima oysters is a must, a combination that highlights why this quiet mountain town remains a powerhouse of flavor.
A prefecture of peace, resilience, and discovery
Hiroshima’s record-setting year shows how far the prefecture has come, not only as a symbol of peace, but as a living, breathing destination shaped by its people, food, and traditions. While most visitors will make a pilgrimage to the Peace Memorial Park and Miyajima, those who wander further find a richer picture: hillside towns like Onomichi, the tide-waiting harbor of Tomonoura, an island of rabbits and remembrance, sake alleys in Saijō, and the everyday joys of city life.
As Hiroshima welcomes more international travelers than ever, the challenge and the opportunity to spread love beyond the famous two stops grow stronger than ever. Take a chance, and you’ll discover a prefecture that surprises at every turn.
Want help exploring Hiroshima’s hidden gems? Our Unseen Japan Tours team can take you there. Whether you use our services or not, one thing’s for sure: a bit of wandering around Hiroshima will prove a delight.
Discover the “unseen” side of Japan
Japan is on everyone’s travel bucket list. Sadly, many end up going to the same places as everyone else. That can turn what could have been a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience into an exhausting battle with crowds.
We started Unseen Japan Tours for the same reason we started Unseen Japan: To give people a unique glimpse into Japan they can’t get anywhere else. Let us create a custom itinerary of hard-to-find spots centered on your interests. We can also serve as your guides and interpreters, taking you to places that non-Japanese-speaking tourists usually can’t access.
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Sources & tourist resources (English tourism resources cited when possible)
Hiroshima City Extras
- Mazda Museum official site
- Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (Carp official site)
- Visit Hiroshima – Hiroshima-style Tsukemen
Onomichi
Tomonoura
Okunoshima
Saijō
