Port of Hiroshima cruise port guide

Port of Hiroshima — Hiroshima, Japan.

Hiroshima requires a different kind of attention than other Japanese port cities. On 6 August 1945 at 8:15am, the first atomic bomb used in warfare detonated 600 metres above the city's Shima Hospital, killing 70,000–80,000 people instantly and 140,000 by the end of 1945. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum, built on the hypocenter of the blast, is one of the most important memorial sites in the world — and an essential, profound, several-hour experience. Hiroshima today is a rebuilt, vibrant city of 1.2 million people on a seven-branch river delta; it has rebuilt itself entirely. Miyajima Island, about an hour away by tram or train and ferry, adds the floating torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine — one of Japan's three most celebrated views — and friendly deer wandering the shrine precincts.

Getting ashore

Where do cruise ships dock in Hiroshima?

Cruise ships dock at the Hiroshima Port terminal (Ujina district) on the Seto Inland Sea, about 5km south of the Peace Memorial Park. The terminal has a bus rank and taxi stand.

How do I get from the cruise port to town?

The most convenient connection to the city is the Hiroshima Electric Railway (tram) — trams from the Hiroshima Port (Ujina) terminus run north into the city centre; for the Peace Memorial Park, ride to or change for Genbaku-dome-mae stop (about 25–35 minutes; check the line number before boarding), IC card or 240 JPY fare. Taxis to the Peace Park cost around 1,500–2,000 JPY. Luggage storage is available at the main Hiroshima Station.

Getting around

Hiroshima's tram network (Hiroden) is the most practical option — it covers the city comprehensively, bilingual displays, 240 JPY per journey or IC card (Suica/ICOCA). The IC card is the single most useful item for Japan travel: load it at any station, tap on and off every tram, bus, ferry and JR train in the country without buying tickets. For Miyajima, ferries leave from Hiroshima Port (near the cruise terminal, about 25 minutes), from Motoyasu Pier by the A-Bomb Dome (Aqua Net's direct boat, about 45 minutes, ~2,400 JPY one way, book ahead), or take the JR train or tram to Miyajimaguchi for the 10-minute JR ferry (covered by the JR Pass, or 180 JPY). A 100 JPY Miyajima visitor tax is added on every route. The Miyajima ropeway to Mount Misen adds another layer (about 2,000 JPY round trip) for panoramic views of the Inland Sea.

Don't miss

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (3 hrs) — The essential experience in Hiroshima — a comprehensive, extraordinarily moving account of the atomic bombing, covering the city's history, the decision to drop the bomb, the immediate aftermath, the lives of individual victims, the long-term effects of radiation and the global campaign for nuclear disarmament. The personal testimonies and the reconstructed daily objects of victims are the most affecting elements. The museum reopened in 2019 following a major renovation; plan a minimum of 3 hours. 200 JPY entry.
• Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb Dome (1.5 hrs) — The park is built on the hypocenter of the blast and surrounds the A-Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dome) — the skeleton of the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which survived the blast and has been preserved exactly as it stood on 6 August 1945 as a permanent memorial. The dome, the cenotaph, the Children's Peace Monument (thousands of paper cranes in memory of Sadako Sasaki) and the Peace Bell are connected by a 10-minute walk through the park. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Miyajima Island and the floating torii (3–4 hrs) — Miyajima (officially Itsukushima) is a small island in Hiroshima Bay, the site of the Itsukushima Shrine (UNESCO World Heritage, 593 AD) and its iconic torii gate that stands in the sea — appearing to float at high tide. The island is populated by free-roaming deer who have lost their fear of humans. Take the ferry from Hiroshima Port near the cruise terminal, the direct boat from the Peace Park, or the short JR ferry from Miyajimaguchi; the entire island is walkable in half a day. The ropeway to Mount Misen offers panoramic views.
• Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (1 hr) — Not an attraction, but a culinary event — Hiroshima's okonomiyaki is so different from the Osaka version that they are effectively separate dishes. The Hiroshima style is built in layers on a griddle rather than mixed in a bowl: crepe batter, cabbage, bean sprouts, a dense pack of yakisoba noodles, pork belly and a fried egg, finished with sweet brown sauce (Worcestershire-style), Kewpie mayonnaise and dried bonito flakes. Okonomimura (the dedicated okonomiyaki building with 25 stalls on floors 2–4) is the place to eat it.
• Shukkeien Garden (1 hr) — A 17th-century Japanese landscape garden about 15 minutes' walk from Hiroshima Station — designed to reduce a famous Chinese scenic landscape into miniature within a single garden, with a central pond, bridge, tea house and seasonal plantings. It was heavily damaged by the 1945 bomb (1,800 evacuees sheltering in the garden died from the blast and radiation); the garden has been painstakingly restored and is peaceful and beautiful.

Planning your day

Hiroshima asks you to honour the Peace Memorial Museum first and completely — arrive early (the museum opens at 7:30am, and entry in the first hour needs an advance online reservation) and allow 3 hours. The museum and the walk through the Peace Park (A-Bomb Dome, cenotaph, Children's Monument) fill the morning with weight and significance. Okonomiyaki lunch at Okonomimura — find a stall, watch them make it, eat it. Miyajima in the afternoon: the ferry from near the terminal is 25 minutes, the shrine and the torii gate take 90 minutes, and the island's main shopping street and fresh oyster stalls at the ferry landing round out the day. Leave Miyajima by 4pm for a 6pm all-aboard. This is a full, extraordinary day — do not rush the Peace Museum for the sake of more shopping time on Miyajima.

Food & drink

Hiroshima has two essential foods: the layered Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki (built on a griddle with noodles — completely different from Osaka's mixed version), and fresh Hiroshima oysters (the city produces two-thirds of Japan's domestic oyster supply from the Seto Inland Sea). Miyajima adds momiji manju (the maple-leaf cakes) and Miyajima-grilled oysters from the stalls along the main shopping street. The okonomiyaki building (Okonomimura) near the Peace Park is the concentrated best version of the city's signature dish.

Where to eat

• Okonomimura — A dedicated building with around two dozen okonomiyaki stalls on three floors — each run by a different proprietor, each with a slightly different recipe and loyal following. Open from 11am. The best way to eat the Hiroshima version is to sit at the teppan counter, watch the cook build the layers in front of you and eat it straight off the griddle. Every stall has its regulars, so pick any with a free counter seat.
• Kaki-ya (oyster house) — near Peace Park or Miyajima — Multiple oyster-dedicated restaurants near the Peace Park and along Miyajima's main street serve fresh, grilled and fried Hiroshima oysters — the standing grill stalls on Miyajima (oysters grilled with soy and butter, sold by the piece) are one of the great simple Japan experiences. Oyster season is October–April; out of season, frozen kaki furai is the fallback.
• Hassei — One of Hiroshima's most praised traditional okonomiyaki restaurants — reliable preparation, generous servings, and an atmosphere that is the opposite of the tourist-oriented Okonomimura. A short walk from the Peace Park (near Chuden-mae tram stop); lunch is 11:30am–2pm and it is closed on Mondays.
• Anagomeshi Ueno — The long-established best address for Miyajima anago meshi — the wooden lunchbox set with anago over white rice with a bento accompaniment. The original shop (est. 1901) is at Miyajimaguchi on the mainland side, a couple of minutes from the JR ferry, so eat before you cross or pick up a box for the ferry. Expect a queue around lunchtime; boxes can be reserved ahead.

Must try

• Hiroshima okonomiyaki — Japan's most contested savory pancake debate — Hiroshima's layered version begins with a thin crepe of batter, followed by a mountain of cabbage, bean sprouts, thinly sliced pork belly, a layer of yakisoba noodles, a fried egg on top, all pressed flat on a hot teppan and finished with a generous application of Otafuku sauce (a sweet-savoury Worcestershire-style sauce developed in Hiroshima specifically for this dish), Japanese mayonnaise and aonori (dried seaweed flakes). The noodles make it a complete meal.
• Kaki (oysters) — Hiroshima oysters are large, plump and full-flavoured — the cold, nutrient-rich water of the Seto Inland Sea produces a deeply saline oyster. Eaten raw (nama kaki) with ponzu, grilled with butter and soy (kaki teriyaki), fried (kaki furai — breaded and deep-fried, served with tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon), or in a rice bowl (kaki don). Available October–April; peak season is January–February.
• Momiji manju — Hiroshima's beloved souvenir sweet — a soft, maple-leaf-shaped sponge cake filled with sweetened red bean paste (traditional), white bean, matcha or chocolate, sold freshly baked in every shop on Miyajima and throughout Hiroshima. Best eaten warm, straight from the oven. The red bean version is the original and still the best.
• Anago meshi (conger eel rice) — A Miyajima Island speciality — conger eel (anago, a relative of unagi but more delicate) grilled with a sweet soy tare over rice, served in a wooden lunchbox. Anago is milder than the freshwater eel of unagi don; the Miyajima version is considered the finest in Japan. Ueno, beside the ferry terminal at Miyajimaguchi, is the long-established best address.

Know before you go

• 🗣️ Language — Japanese. English at the Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Park is very good — bilingual staff, comprehensive English-language exhibits, multilingual audio guides. At Miyajima Shrine, staff speak limited English but navigation is straightforward. On the trams and in general Hiroshima streets, English is less common; Google Translate is useful. Learning 'sumimasen' (excuse me/sorry) and 'arigatou gozaimasu' (thank you) covers most interactions.
• 📋 Documents — Japan is visa-free for US, EU, UK, Australian, Canadian and most Western nationalities for up to 90 days. Passport required; keep your ship card. Japan requires a Visit Japan Web registration for immigration (available at border control if not done in advance — but online registration is faster). No specific entry requirements for Hiroshima beyond the standard Japan rules.
• 🛍️ Shopping & hours — Shops open 10am–8pm; department stores 10am–9pm. Best Hiroshima buys: Momiji manju (maple leaf-shaped cakes filled with red bean, matcha or chocolate — the defining Hiroshima souvenir, sold at every shop on Miyajima), lacquerware spoons (Miyajima is famous for oversized wooden rice paddles, the shamoji), Saijo sake (Hiroshima is a major sake-producing region; the Saijo sake district has 8 breweries, 30 minutes east by train), and locally produced oysters (canned or fresh — Hiroshima is Japan's largest oyster producer).
• 🌤️ Weather — Hiroshima has a warm temperate climate — hot and humid July–September (32–35°C / 90–95°F), mild spring and autumn, cool December–February (5–10°C / 41–50°F). The cherry blossom season (late March–early April) is exceptionally beautiful in the Peace Park. Autumn colours (late October–November) on Miyajima's Mount Misen are among the finest in western Japan.
• 📶 Connectivity — Excellent 4G/LTE throughout the city and on Miyajima Island. IC cards (Suica, loaded at any JR station machine with a credit card) work on the trams, JR ferry and in most convenience stores and vending machines — essential for frictionless transit. Pocket Wi-Fi rentals are available at the port terminal for those without a Japan SIM.
• ♿ Accessibility — The Peace Memorial Museum is fully accessible with lifts. The Peace Park is flat and paved. Hiroshima's trams have low-floor accessible cars on most routes. Miyajima's shrine precincts are largely accessible at high tide; at low tide the path to the torii gate involves walking on uneven beach gravel. The Miyajima ropeway has accessible gondola boarding. Miyajima's main street is flat and paved.
• ⏱️ Getting back — The port terminal is 25–35 minutes by tram from the Peace Park. Miyajima ferry + tram back to the port takes 45–60 minutes total. For a Miyajima visit, leave the island by 3:30pm for a 5:30pm all-aboard. The trams run frequently (every 6–12 minutes) and are reliable. Rush hour congestion (5–7pm) affects taxis and buses more than trams.

Sources: hiroshima-navi.com; japan-guide.com/hiroshima; visitjapan.jp