16 October 2026
Travel day. Check-out from the hotel is at 10:00. We packed most of our stuff in the evening, so only the essentials for two days in Hiroshima come with us. I also tried to pack in a way that makes the way back to Norway easier. My hand luggage now becomes a checked-in bag, and my AFAG Samsonite backpack becomes my hand luggage.
The trash has to go out on the way. No keys, because everything worked with a code on all doors. We take the back door since it is closer to the station.
Next stop is FamilyMart. We have to send our luggage to the Hilton at Narita. It is obvious that the guy does not do this all the time. Everything is manual, and it takes about 30 minutes until Tim has filled out the papers and I have put them on the luggage. The clerk did not know how to do it the easy way.
Drinks and snacks for the trip to Hiroshima. But first to Shin-Osaka Station, where the Shinkansen leaves. Train to Osaka and then one more stop. We have become good at using public transport.
Shin-Osaka is crowded, with long queues at the ticket machines. But we need breakfast to work properly. Tully’s is a small café. A coffee with milk, a toast and a donut. While eating, I book the train to Hiroshima. The app is so much better than the homepage.
The 11:32 Shinkansen. 62 € per person in the normal cars. Two window seats without any known neighbours. Known, because you only see who has booked at the time you book. Someone could still turn up. Just about 1 hour 20 minutes at 300 km/h. I also found a way to connect the tickets to our Suica cards. That way there is no standing in line for the ticket. Just tap and go at the entrance. It works perfectly, and I have already linked our cards to the tickets for the trip to Tokyo, which I booked in Norway.
A smooth ride with two or three stops before we arrive at Hiroshima Station. Bus to the Smile Hotel, but we are too early to check in. That starts after 15:00. Our luggage is marked and put in an area at the reception. I would not do that in Europe, but in Japan it is no problem. Everything just stands there in the open.
Walking along Peace Boulevard towards the Peace Memorial Park. It is the one big thing to see in the city, which is known as the first one to get an American nuclear bomb. When you see pictures of it, there was nothing left but rubble. Except the Atomic Dome. Thanks to the magic of the internet we learn two things. The building survived because the bomb detonated above it at 600 metres. And buildings can withstand pressure from above better than from the sides. Good to know.
The second fact is that the city was chosen because of its military importance, because it had not been bombed earlier (Tokyo had already been burned to ashes, with 100,000 people killed in the fires) and because of its topography, surrounded by mountains. An untouched city is a good place to test what a new bomb can do. And they got their answer.
And the poor guy who was in Hiroshima, got burned and travelled home to Nagasaki, just to be bombed again. Some people just have bad luck with their travel plans.
After this part of history, more walking towards Hiroshima Castle. Small compared to the others we have seen. And not the original one… There was a big bang and it had to be rebuilt. At least I get my goshuin at the shrine, and since it starts to rain a little, we take a break under the tent by a food truck from a German bakery. Interesting. But the rain does not last long. The castle tower is closed because it might be dangerous, but the eki stamps are outside, so we can fill more of our books.
Time to check in at the hotel. The tourist loop bus stops here, close to the hotel. Hiroshima has a fixed price for buses of 240 yen (1.35 €). Cheap. A small trip along all the things we have already seen. There is not that much in the city otherwise.
The hotel room is small. Not much space, and luckily we only have small bags, which can be stored conveniently under the bed. But there is a very nice bathroom with a real rainforest shower. Heavenly.
Relaxing on the bed for a while. Then at 17:00 it is dinner time. Tim’s nose for restaurants found one of the best okonomiyaki places in a good price range, just two blocks away. We get a table at once and order. They have options for people who do not like fish, and you can order without that bloody bonito flake thing. Tim goes all in with all the funny stuff. Plus udon noodles. It tastes great and is not expensive. You are also very full afterwards.
The evening is young, and 13 hours until the next meal at around 9:00 calls for filling up at 7-Eleven. We also need some more cash. There is too much cash payment in Japan. It is terrible. Thanks to the Wise card that I got on the second day on Tim’s recommendation, I transfer 5,000 yen to his yen account and he takes out the money. My physical card is still in production and will arrive in Norway this week, so I only have my phone and watch to pay with. But the Wise card has saved us many times.
Drinks and chips in the bag, and the evening on the bed writing blogs, watching videos and reading. Just relaxing. And the shower was amazing, and I took my time. No climbing in and out and no funny buttons. A normal shower. 😂
