Hyunjung’s 3D2N travel itinerary to Hiroshima and Yamaguchi
As many of us can’t travel these days, I wanted to introduce my enjoyable travel memories in Hiroshima (広島県 Hiroshima-ken) and Yamaguchi Prefecture (山口県 Yamaguchi-ken) a few years ago. Many people might know about Hiroshima well, but not so much about Yamaguchi. However, these two prefectures are just next to each other as part of the Chugoku Region (中国地方 Chūgoku Chihō) in the western part of Honshu. Therefore, I would like to share my itinerary of a 3D2N trip that covers the essential must-visit destinations in these two prefectures.
First of all, to get to Hiroshima from Tokyo, you can choose between going by plane or by shinkansen (新幹線). For those who are on a tight schedule, I recommend boarding a plane from Haneda Airport (羽田空港 Haneda Kūkō) which costs ¥8,290 and takes 90 minutes. But if you are not in a rush and are already in the city centre, you can opt for the shinkansen which costs ¥18,380 and takes about 4 hours one-way. Many passengers take the bullet train due to its frequency and flexibility with time. Plus, if you are a non-Japanese visitor, you can use the JR Nationwide Pass (7-day, ¥33,610) for a more cost-efficient shinkansen ride.
Day 1: Baseball match and okonomiyaki
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
(Video credit: Hyunjung)
As soon as I got off the plane, I headed to the Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (MAZDA Zoom-Zoom スタジアム広島) to cheer for Hiroshima Toyo Carp (広島東洋カープ), a Japanese pro baseball team. Indeed, baseball is the most popular sport in Japan and Hiroshima’s club is a high-profile and iconic club—the team has won the Central League championship nine times, and has also won the Nippon Series thrice. Besides, this stadium is livelier than others because it was designed such that the distance between players and spectators is close, which is rare in Japan. Therefore, I was carried away by the bustling atmosphere while enjoying a beer during the game. Such is the charm of watching a live baseball match in the stadium!
Mazda Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima (MAZDA Zoom-Zoom スタジアム広島)
Address: 2-3-1, Minamikaniya-cho, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 732-0803
Nearest station: Hiroshima Station (広島駅)
Access: 8-minute walk from station
Tel: +81 82-568‐2777
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
After the game, I visited Okonomimura (お好み村) to have the famous Hiroshima dish okonomiyaki (お好み焼き). There are 25 restaurants in this huge building and my friend recommended Hakkai (八戒) which is located on the 4th floor. As expected, the okonomiyaki was delicious due to the variety of ingredients and big portions. I had one question while I was eating—what is the difference between Hiroshima and Osaka’s okonomiyaki? Both of these savoury pancakes taste the same to me!
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
So I asked the cook who was preparing the food right in front of me, who agreed that it is hard to figure out just by the taste because the biggest difference lies in the way and style that they are prepared—for example, Hiroshima okonomiyaki contains a lot more cabbage, and the sauce is sweeter than the Osakan counterpart. Even though it was a little hard to understand them at first because of their local dialect, I was able to communicate comfortably with the locals thanks to their warm hospitality and friendliness.
Okonomimura (お好み村)
Address: 5-13 Shintenchi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0034
Nearest tram stop: Hatchobori Station (八丁堀駅)
Nearest bus stop: Shintenchi Bus Stop (新天地バス停)
Access: 3-minute walk from tram stop/bus stop
Opening hours: 11am–9pm
Tel: +81 82-241-2210
Day 2: History, culture, and ramen
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
(Video credit: Hyunjung)
Second day was also a day spent in Hiroshima. I wanted to go to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (広島平和記念資料館 Hiroshima Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan) and Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム Genbaku dōmu). I’ve seen and heard a lot about it on TV and in articles, but it was much more overwhelming and shocking to see them for myself. I saw the only remaining building and the city disappearing in an instant in video. I recommend Japan lovers to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (広島平和記念公園 Hiroshima Heiwa Kinen Kōen) and to appreciate how the locals overcame hardship and built Hiroshima into the famous city it is known today.
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
Afterwards, I visited Miyajima (宮島), one of Japan’s major islands that is popular amongst tourists. I got to the island by ferry and there were many deer coexisting with people on the island. The deer approached visitors fearlessly as if they wanted something to eat. Overall, I was a bit distracted by my fear of deer, but the orange-coloured beauty of Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社 Itsukushima-jinja)’s torii gate was impressive and the various food trails leading to the shrine were fantastic.
Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社)
Address: 1-1 Miyajima-cho, Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima 739-0588
Nearest station: Miyajimaguchi Station (宮島口駅)
Opening hours: 6am–6pm
Admission: ¥300 (Adult), ¥200 (High school students), ¥100 (Elementary / junior high school students)
*For more information on opening hours, click here.
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
For the next part of my trip, I arrived back to Hiroshima Station (広島駅 Hiroshima-eki) to go to Yamaguchi. However, as it was a bit late, we decided to have dinner near the station before departing. We chose to eat Onomichi Ramen (尾道ラーメン) at this restaurant called Sanko (三公). This ramen is served around Onomichi City (尾道市 Onomichi-shi) in Hiroshima Prefecture and the main characteristic is that it consists of soy sauce-based broth and includes lots of pork and spring onions. I suggest you try it when you go to Hiroshima as you will be deeply moved by the rich and wonderful scent of soy sauce, which was clearly different from other ramen that I’ve had before.
With a full stomach, I headed to Yamaguchi. To get there, one transfer is needed. I used JR Sanyo Shinkansen (JR山陽新幹線) to pass through the Shin-Yamaguchi Station (新山口駅 Shin-yamaguchi-eki) and then arrived at Yamaguchi Station (山口駅 Yamaguchi-eki) via the JR Yamaguchi Line (JR山口線). The trip took a total of 45 minutes and cost ¥5,550.
Sanko (三公)
Address: 6-78 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima 730-0011
Nearest station: Hiroshima Station (広島駅)
Access: 15-minute walk from station
Opening hours: 11am–10pm
Tel: +81 82-502-3314
Day 3: Yamaguchi, the land of bridges
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
My first stop in Yamaguchi was Tsunoshima Bridge (角島大橋 Tsunoshima ōbashi). This bridge is 1,780m in length, making it the second longest bridge in Japan and is also a popular driving course among tourists. It is a bridge to connect Shimonoseki (下関), a city of Yamaguchi, to Tsunoshima (角島). I felt it was very similar to Kouri Bridge in Okinawa. Its beauty cannot be expressed only by photographs so I highly recommend you to take the car and admire the scenery with your own eyes.
Tsunoshima Bridge (角島大橋)
Address: Kanda, Hohoku-cho, Shimonoseki-shi, Yamaguchi
Nearest station: Kottoi Station (特牛駅)
Tel: +81 83-786-0234 (Hohoku-cho Tourist Association)
(Image credit: Hyunjung)
Then I headed to another bridge: Kintaikyo Bridge (錦帯橋 Kintai-kyō), which is one of the three major bridges in Japan. The elegant, wooden bridge with five high arches allows you to cross over the Nishiki River (錦川 Nishiki-gawa). Across the bridge, I ate Kawara Soba (瓦そば) which is Yamaguchi’s most famous dish. Kawara means roof tile, which is what the soba is cooked on. When hearing the word soba, most people might think of greyish coloured noodles. However, kawara soba noodles are coloured green, because matcha (抹茶) is kneaded into it. Therefore, you can enjoy the scent of tea and also lots of toppings that are different from your usual soba toppings
Kintaikyo Bridge (錦帯橋)
Address: 1-14-51 Imazumachi, Iwakuni-shi, Yamaguchi 740-8585
Nearest station: Shin-Iwakuni Station (新岩国駅)
Price: ¥300 (Adult), ¥150 (Child)
Access: 15-minute bus ride from the station
Tel: +81 827-29-5116
To sum up my journey, as Hiroshima has so many famous places, I was able to understand why many tourists visit that prefecture. Compared to Hiroshima, Yamaguchi is a quiet countryside that is also full of many historically-famous sites and attractive attractions in each city. I hope you managed to get a few ideas for your next trip in this part of Japan, especially for Yamaguchi, which is away from the typical tourist attractions.
Header image credit: Hyunjung
Writer’s profile: Hyunjung is a Korean studying in Japan since 2011. He loves playing sports and travelling abroad. He especially likes to explore hidden gems and unique places in Japan.
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