Hiroshima and Onomichi

I like Hiroshima and Onomichi; they’re the first places that come to mind when I occasionally want to unwind. How should I put it? Watching the streetcars running through the streets of Hiroshima gives me a kind of Showa-era feeling—slow and easygoing, with the tram even stopping for red lights along with you. Hop on a streetcar and mindlessly wander around the city; then, once you get off and duck into a back alley, you can find some small cafés with a wonderful atmosphere. I absolutely love this のんびり vibe.

Hiroshima

From Hiroshima Station, taking the streetcar to Hatchobori gives you lots of department stores and shopping streets to browse, so it’s a great area to explore. I also recommend trying Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

Another thing worth seeing in Hiroshima is Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Museum; the buildings are beautifully designed. The damage caused by the atomic bomb was horrific, but I often think that history can actually be viewed from many angles. For example, what would have happened if the United States had not dropped the atomic bomb?

Back then, the fiercest fighting between Japan and the United States in World War II was the Battle of Iwo Jima. Although the Japanese forces were at a disadvantage, they were determined never to surrender and committed enormous resources to fight to the last man. The U.S. military, in its effort to seize Iwo Jima, suffered massive casualties just during the landing alone. In the end, while they did capture Iwo Jima and Okinawa, American losses were also extremely severe. A lot of U.S. soldiers didn’t want to keep fighting either.

If MacArthur had never come to Japan and forced the Japanese Constitution on Japan, would Japan still be the same as it is now? These are all questions that come after the fact, but thinking about them while riding the streetcar is really interesting. I’m also thankful that I was born in such a relatively peaceful era and country.

Itsukushima Shrine

Of course, a must-do Hiroshima itinerary also includes visiting Itsukushima Shrine! This was my second visit, and walking around here is very relaxing. However, the shopping street area is almost entirely full of tourists, and the prices in the shops are tourist prices too. The oysters are delicious—big and plump.

As you walk along, you’ll see a leisurely herd of deer, just like in Nara. The deer here can’t be fed. Also, the deer here are much fiercer than the ones in Nara. We personally witnessed deer trying to snatch food from passersby—so outrageous they even charged in and rammed people with their antlers! Some of the Nara deer can imitate humans and even bow, but the deer here play by no rules.

Onomichi

Onomichi is about 40 minutes from Hiroshima by Shinkansen, but note that Onomichi is a small station, so the Shinkansen service there isn’t as frequent as it is at major stations. If you don’t check the timetable in advance, you might waste time waiting for a train. Onomichi is an even more laid-back small town farther away from the city, with lots of old-fashioned streets and shopping arcades, as well as the famous Cat Alley. It’s perfect for spending a day wandering around aimlessly.

If you come to Onomichi, be sure to try Onomichi ramen. Its distinctive feature is that the broth contains a lot of minced pork, and some shops even put in a chunk of braised pork like this. The flavor isn’t very strong, and the familiar minced pork has a very Taiwanese feel. Personally, I don’t think you need to be too picky—just open Google Maps and pick whichever place has a seat, and it probably won’t disappoint.

Cat Alley

Cat Alley is also near Onomichi Station, within walking distance. It’s more like an artistic little alley, where you can see lots of cat paintings. Apparently, it became famous because the writer Haruharu Sonoyama placed his painted lucky stone cats along this small lane. You can also find many cats living here, though their appearances are very irregular. For example, when we went last time, we didn’t see a single cat.

Hiroshima Carp

By the way, this topic is something only baseball fans or people who know Japan well would get. In Hiroshima, there’s a famous baseball team called the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (広島カープ), which was founded with investment from the City of Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Prefectural Government, and others. So sometimes when you ride the streetcar, you’ll even see carriages covered in the baseball team’s logo, and even the manhole covers are carp-themed.

The “Carp” here is a direct transliteration of the English word “carp,” and in Japanese, the word for carp happens to sound the same as “love” (こい) and “thick” (濃い). So if you’re a Hiroshima Toyo Carp fan, you might be called a “濃いファン” (“koi fan”), and for some reason there’s also the term “カープ女子,” meaning female Carp fans. Anyway, it’s a fun combination of wordplay and local culture.