Use Streetcars and JR Trains for Different Routes from Hiroshima Station
Car-free sightseeing in Hiroshima is easier to organize if you separate days spent exploring central Hiroshima by streetcar from days traveling farther into the prefecture by JR train and ferry.
Rather than packing all 10 places into a single day, choose a theme from gardens and art, peace education, islands, sake breweries, maritime history, hillside towns, and historic streetscapes, then work backward from your return train or ferry to plan your itinerary.
Connect Attractions in the Same Direction on Streetcar Days
Shukkeien Garden is next to the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum (Hiroshima Kenritsu Bijutsukan), while the Atomic Bomb Dome (Genbaku Dōmu) and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Hiroshima Heiwa Kinen Kōen) are within walking distance of each other. Treating each pair as a set helps reduce the number of times you board and leave the streetcar.
The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (Hiroshima-shi Gendai Bijutsukan) stands on elevated ground in Hijiyama, so instead of counting it as just another city attraction, allow separate time for the slopes and viewing the exhibitions.
Make One Area the Focus on JR Days
Miyajima, Saijo, Kure, Onomichi, and Takehara are all within Hiroshima Prefecture, but they lie in different directions and have different travel conditions. Choosing 1 area at a time for a day trip from Hiroshima Station reduces waits for connections and uncertainty about the return journey.
On Miyajima, a ferry follows the train journey; in Onomichi, hills and the ropeway shape the visit; and in Takehara, sections with limited service affect the schedule. Check return options before planning the outbound journey.
Compare Transportation and Themes for 10 Attractions
Organizing the starting point and focus of each attraction makes it easier to choose a combination that suits your interests and stamina.
| Attraction | Main transportation | Focus of visit |
|---|---|---|
| Shukkeien Garden | Streetcar and walking | Feudal lord's garden and the four seasons |
| Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum | Streetcar and walking | Regional art and crafts |
| Atomic Bomb Dome | Streetcar | Atomic-bombed remains |
| Peace Memorial Park and Museum | Streetcar and walking | Reality and remembrance of the atomic bombing |
| Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art | Streetcar and walking | Contemporary art and architecture |
| Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine | JR train and ferry | Shrine buildings over the sea and faith |
| Saijo Sake Brewery Street (Saijō Sakagura-dōri) | JR train and walking | Sake brewing and streetscape |
| Yamato Museum | JR train and walking | Kure's maritime history and technology |
| Senkoji Park and Senkoji Temple | JR train, bus, and other options | Hillside town and the Onomichi Channel |
| Takehara Townscape Conservation Area (Takehara Machinami Hozon Chiku) | JR train and walking | Merchant houses and historic scenery |
2 Gardens and Art Attractions to Visit by Streetcar
On a day in central Hiroshima, combining Shukkeien Garden with the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum lets you compare Edo-period garden culture with modern and contemporary art within a compact area.
The garden is affected by the weather, while the museum depends on its exhibitions and closure days, so switch the order of the outdoor and indoor attractions according to the day's conditions.
1. Shukkeien Garden | Read the Design of a Feudal Lord's Garden While Circling the Pond
Shukkeien Garden was created as a garden for the villa of Hiroshima domain lord Asano Nagaakira and designed by Ueda Sōko, a chief retainer and tea master.
Construction began in Genna 6 (1620), and it was developed as a feudal lord's garden in the early Edo period.
Do not stop after viewing the central pond. Walk around the bridges, islands, artificial hills, and teahouses, observing how the layers of water and trees change with your viewpoint to understand the concept of a garden that condenses an entire landscape.
The garden was restored after suffering extensive damage in the atomic bombing, so consider the history through which it has been passed down as well as its seasonal scenery.
2. Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum | Compare Regional Art and Crafts
At the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, you can view a diverse range of works centered on art associated with Hiroshima, crafts from Japan and Asia, and modern art.
After seeing the natural scenery of Shukkeien Garden, observe the colors, forms, and materials of paintings and crafts to make your own connections between the outdoor landscape and artistic expression.
Exhibitions change with each period, so do not assume that a particular work is always on display. Check the exhibitions and admission conditions for the day of your visit in advance.
2 Places to Trace Memory at the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park
The Atomic Bomb Dome and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park are places to consider daily life before the bombing, the devastation of the atomic bomb, and the subsequent reconstruction through buildings, memorials, materials, and traces of the former city.
Do not treat them merely as quick photo stops. Read the explanations and walk quietly out of respect for those who come to pray and learn.
3. Atomic Bomb Dome | Consider the Damage Through Its Preserved Exterior
The Atomic Bomb Dome is the remains of the former Industrial Promotion Hall damaged by the atomic bomb. Today, visitors view its exterior from outside the fence.
Observe how the walls, windows, and steel framework remain across the entire building rather than looking at only one part. Comparing it with the present cityscape makes it possible to grasp concretely that the events of 1945 occurred in the heart of the city.
Do not enter the ruins or lean on the fence. View the building from a position that does not obstruct passersby or those visiting to pay their respects.
4. Peace Memorial Park and Museum | Learn About the City Before the Atomic Bombing and People's Memories
Before the atomic bombing, the Nakajima district, with homes and shops, occupied the area that is now Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
Connecting the park's memorial monuments, atomic-bombed remains, and Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (Hiroshima Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan) helps you consider lost ways of life and the extent of the damage from a human perspective.
The museum presents personal belongings, photographs, testimonies, and other materials. Allow enough time and do not rush people who pause before the exhibits.
Crowd-control measures, admission procedures, and opening conditions may change. Check visitor information before your trip, and if the museum is unavailable, use the park's displays and explanations of atomic-bombed remains as an alternative way to learn.
Experience Contemporary Art and Architecture in Hijiyama
The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art is in Hijiyama Park. The experience includes not only the exhibitions but also the climb to the elevated site, the architecture, and the surrounding nature.
Conditions differ from the flat routes through central Hiroshima, so choose a manageable route based on the weather and the amount of walking involved.
5. Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art | See Expressions Connecting Hiroshima and the World
The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art opened as a public museum specializing in contemporary art. It presents works from its collection, including pieces connected with Hiroshima, as well as special exhibitions.
Rather than assigning a single meaning to each work, compare different means of expression such as materials, space, video, and sound to consider how art has reflected society from the postwar period to the present.
Displays may change due to exhibition rotations or conservation needs, so check your intended exhibition, photography rules, and museum guidelines in advance.
Check Hijiyama's Slopes and Your Return Route First
The route from the nearest streetcar stop to the museum includes slopes. Allow extra walking time in rain, heat, snow, or similar conditions, and follow the signs in the park.
If you will visit another facility afterward, check before entering whether to return by the uphill route or use another exit or bus. This helps prevent confusion after sunset or in bad weather.
3 Places to Visit in Miyajima, Saijo, and Kure by JR Train
From Hiroshima Station, JR trains take you to an island shaped by the sea and faith, a sake-brewing town, and a city of modern maritime history.
Do not link all 3 areas on the same day. Make the 1 area that interests you most the focus and allow time for walking locally and catching your return service.
6. Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine | Take a Ferry to a Sacred Seascape
Transferring from a JR train to a ferry at Miyajimaguchi brings you closer to the scenery of Itsukushima Shrine, whose great torii gate and shrine buildings stand over the sea.
The appearance of the water and shrine buildings changes with the tide. Rather than deciding that high or low tide is superior, observe the relationship between the terrain and architecture at the time of your visit.
The shrine is a place of worship, and wild animals also live on the island. Follow the route for worshippers, do not feed the animals, and check the return ferry times early.
7. Saijo Sake Brewery Street | Walk Among the Water and Buildings That Supported Sake Brewing
Around JR Saijo Station, Sake Brewery Street presents the townscape that developed around sake brewing through white walls, namako walls, red-brick chimneys, and other features.
Tour, sales, and tasting arrangements differ by brewery. Do not assume a brewery is open; check information at the station or tourist information center and guidance from each brewery.
If you taste sake, limit the amount and drink water. Minors, pregnant people, and anyone feeling unwell should not drink alcohol, and everyone should be considerate of others on trains and public roads.
8. Yamato Museum | Learn About Kure's Shipbuilding and Modern History
At the Yamato Museum, centered on a model of the battleship Yamato at a full-size-to-model scale of 10:1, visitors can examine materials about Kure's naval arsenal, shipbuilding technology, the tragedy of war, and the importance of peace.
Do not stop at the enormous model. Follow the exhibition sequence to consider how Kure changed as a naval port and shipbuilding center and how its technologies connected prewar and postwar industries.
Renovations, exhibition updates, or temporary closures may change the conditions of use, so confirm the route from JR Kure Station and the opening information for the day in advance.
2 Towns to Explore on Foot in Onomichi and Takehara by JR Train
In Onomichi and Takehara, walking from the station reveals the structure of each town through hills, alleys, merchant houses, temples, and other features not visible from a train window.
Both visits center on outdoor walking, so check your footwear, the weather, and sunset time, and do not force the 2 areas into the same day.
9. Senkoji Park and Senkoji Temple | Read the Onomichi Channel from Above
At Senkoji Park and Senkoji Temple, walking among the mountainside temple, Path of Literature (Bungaku no Komichi), and viewpoints gives you views of Onomichi's homes and temples layered across the slopes and the Onomichi Channel below.
You can combine transportation methods, such as taking a local bus and ropeway uphill and walking downhill. Check operating conditions and your footing, and give way to others on steep stone steps and narrow alleys.
On streets adjoining residential areas, do not enter private property or disrupt residents' routes with loud voices or lengthy photo sessions. This is fundamental to enjoying the hillside town respectfully.
10. Takehara Townscape Conservation Area | See Merchant-House History in White Walls and Lattices
The Takehara Townscape Conservation Area retains merchant houses with white-walled storehouses and lattices, allowing visitors to experience, alley by alley, traces of a town that prospered through salt production and sake brewing.
Look beyond the front designs to the roofs, windows, alley widths, and changes in elevation toward the temples to imagine how commerce and daily life were arranged within a compact area.
You can walk from JR Takehara Station, but check train connections and frequency, construction and traffic notices in the conservation area, and the opening status of facilities open to visitors using information for the day.
Choose Your Destination Based on Travel Conditions
Compare the time you need to return to Hiroshima Station, the number of transfers, and the amount of outdoor walking, then choose an area suited to your condition and the weather that day.
| Travel theme | Main combination | Check before departure |
|---|---|---|
| Gardens and art | Shukkeien Garden and Prefectural Art Museum | Exhibitions and weather |
| Peace education | Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park | Admission procedures and crowds |
| Island day | Miyajima and Itsukushima Shrine | Trains, ferries, and tide |
| Town culture | Choose 1 from Saijo, Kure, Onomichi, and Takehara | Return route, walking distance, and operating conditions |
Summary | Explore Hiroshima Without a Car by Streetcar and JR Train
A car-free Hiroshima trip is easier to plan when divided into a city day for visiting the garden, art museums, Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park, and Hijiyama by streetcar, and an outlying day for traveling to Miyajima, Saijo, Kure, Onomichi, or Takehara by JR train or ferry.
Rather than visiting all 10 places just to increase the count, choose 1 or 2 themes from garden culture, peace education, contemporary art, faith, sake brewing, maritime history, hillside towns, and merchant-house streetscapes.
Before departure, confirm round-trip streetcar, JR train, and ferry times, facility opening conditions, the weather, slopes, and walking distances, then build a relaxed itinerary by working backward from the time you need to return to Hiroshima Station.
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