48 Hours in Hiroshima ⛩️ 8 Things to do in Japan's Legendary City

it's been over 5 years since I was last in hoshima a city that's often regarded as a symbol kind of for the darker side of humanity and also as a Beacon of Hope for its impressive and incredible rebirth I really do love it here and I'm delighted to be back for 48 hours to explore the city the stunning island of Mima and Japan's Inland sea and of course stuff myself with as many okonomiyaki pancakes as I can get my hands on Hiroshima here we come coming up on our journey through Hiroshima we explore of the most visually striking temples that Japan has to offer stay on the sacred picturesque island of MIMA in a truly astonishing hotel room and I find myself frantically working behind the counter of the city's busiest okonomiyaki pancake restaurant but before we set off into the Inland Sea of Japan there's one place above all others that demands to be visited while traveling through Hiroshima the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is profoundly disturbing but supposed to be it's essential viewing they want people to come here and appreciate the true destructive power of nuclear weapons and regardless of how you feel of their use in World War II when you go in there and have a look around see what it did to this city you'll feel that the use of nuclear weapons is truly Unthinkable and you know rosim is not about pointing fingers it's about serving as a warning you'll come away hoping that they're never used ever again and perhaps the most poignant reminder of hiroshima's past is the gaku Dome literally the atomic bomb Dome built in 19 15 the building was once an exhibition Hall and when the bomb went off almost directly overhead the structures vertical columns survived the force of the blast leaving it one of the only buildings intact in the aftermath while it can seem daunting to be face to face with the sheer destruction of Humanity's most powerful weapon it's important to realize that Hiroshima now with its bustling and ever growing landscape is not just a symbol of the past but also a symbol for moving forward into the future and perhaps the best way to appreciate this is by visiting the uru tower that overlooks the Dome offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the city past present and future all presented at once this really is the Blade Runner of observation decks it is quite jarring you're looking down on the gaku DOR from up here from this like futuristic skyscraper we truly are living in the future you know I always see the gaku D in like 1940s news reels and historic archive footage and to now be towering over it up here I feel like I'm living in the future I feel very old indeed but the bomb was actually intended to be dropped over there on that t Junction over the bridge um but it missed and it went off over there about 600 m above but what you notice when you arrive in hoso is the infrastructure right the roads are really wide the buildings are really modern because they had to start essentially from scratch there's not so many historic buildings which makes the g backu d all the more important to remember what happened here you can see hirosima castle in the distance as well but yeah yeah it has a really futuristic Skylight a lot of the buildings including the new stadium over there it's an incredible City it needs to be seen to be believed and when you think about what happened here and where the city is now it is nothing short of inspiring to see how far things have come and how the people of hoshima started over and uh did a fantastic job rebuilding the city and prospering the connection between hiroshima's past and future was a concept that the owner of orizuru tower matad desan felt important to preserve especially given his family's history within Hiroshima as his grandfather the son of the original president of the Mazda car company lost his life in the bombing alongside all of his staff it's a big responsibility renovating a tower overlooking such an important kind of historical landmark you know how did you feel renovating this place back in 2016 79 years ago there were nothing at all there were nothing at all absolutely yeah right now it's beautiful this view should be shown to whole world it's a not place um to look back on the past M feel the future peace it's piece of hirim I but alas It's Time to Say Goodbye to at the Sam for now he's a busy and serious entrepreneur after all and he departs in a manner befitting of a man of his powerful status thank you so much M thank you too have a good time thank you very much goodbye goodbye goodbye go he has to go now down the slide hirosima one of hiroshima's richest men disappearing off down the slide nothing irregular about that on a scale of one to Amazing Escape from an inter that's the sound winds can't be beat and there he goes hiroshima's fastest ascending entrepreneur I on the other hand decide to see what else odudu tower has to offer admittedly taking the lift myself odudu itself means folded origami crane a symbol of peace synonymous with Hiroshima after Sadako Sasaki the victim of the bombing completed folding a th000 paper cranes as a symbolic wish for peace and Recovery a symbol that is quite literally ingrained into the structure of the tower itself as visitors are encouraged to make their own origami cranes and then drop them into an open wall that spans the entirety of the tower slowly being filled with cranes by visitors from all across the world that's insan so there's 950,000 cranes down below for people that have actually dropped them over the last like 5 6 7 years and when it gets to about 1.2 million it should be full and then they're going to start all over again they're going to take them out and start all over again so the idea of everyone if everybody works together we can sort of fill it time for my contribution all right byebye whoa whoo whoo wow that's so cool and with all my hopes for well peace gracefully floating down the side of the building I decide to head downstairs to see some of hiroshima's Local Foods and souvenirs and it's here that I catch a glimpse of perhaps Japan's most enthusiastic oyster salesman you re oer m I do that was really good very good oyers are so naturally flavorful kind of like salty flavor passion when you come to hirosima everyone goes on about the oysters an awful lot and you can see why when you try it for yourselves like see where that passion comes from but odudu isn't simply home to a tower of origami or an entrepreneur who commutes exclusively by slide downstairs you'll find hiroshima's most beloved local chain of okonomiyaki pancake restaurants me Jam serving up my favorite style of savory pancakes characterized by their crispy sober noodle filling a more complicated cooking procedure requires only the most apt and trained hands to get the perfect ratio of all the ingredients cooked just right which is exactly why Matan thought it would be hilarious to pull some strings and get me behind the counter to attempt to make one for myself say hello to mean's brand new star employee I have to say it actually fits rather well I like it haven't worked behind a restaurant counter in about 15 years so let's hope I don't trash it and burn the place down given it only opened yesterday afternoon this really is a baptism of fire the busiest okom pancake restaurant in like Japan the world's worst chef with Japan's most complicated dish what could possibly go wrong so difficult so complex and thus Begins the first and final time Chef is allows a stranger to cook in mean's kitchen the thin batter has to be cooked just right before adding a combination of cabbage crispy squid tempura and thinly sliced pork but probably the most important step of all is flipping the pancake making sure all the ingredients don't go flying over the oh crap oh boy oh but fortunately the only one who'll be eating this disaster is myself and to ensure I don't top it all off with some food poisoning Chef isair is on hand to help me through the final step stages of making this nightmare [Music] edible good teacher [Music] e good the rich Tangy Wisher sauce the mayonnaise fish flakes noodles such a great combination of flavors right but for me it's the crispiness of the noodles that win the day the good thing about Hiroshima okonomiyaki is it can be messy though right it's not about perfection it's about putting all these ingredients together and having a big flavorful Savory pancake that will stuff you up for the next few hours I can't believe I cook this can't believe I actually did it orbe it being told what to do every step of the way I mean I cook for myself I don't know if I have the confidence to cook for anyone else can you imagine that the excitement of coming here and then I turn up I'm like I'm going to make your rock and DOI pancake and they're like okay I think it's time to go now but either way that was an exceptional okaki pancake and uh yeah really cool restaurant good vibe good [Music] vibe nestled away in the center of the city is hoshima Castle originally built in the late 16th century and the seat of power for all of Hiroshima and the nine domains the chugoku region and while the castle itself was Faithfully rebuilt after being destroyed by the atomic bomb wander through the grounds and you'll be amazed to discover C just how much of the surrounding nature survived the destruction in 1945 so this is incredible this eucalyptus tree despite being just 740 M from the hyper center of the blast actually survived the bombing on that day August 6th 1945 the castle and the surrounding area was completely destroyed but this tree along with a few others around the park managed to survive and uh despite being in the Heart of the City it's a great place to come for a moment of peace and uh admire the trees that survived just the absolute worth kind of Destruction while Hiroshima Castle might not be able to compete with the sheer spectacle of Himi or the Mountaintop views of matama Castle the grounds surrounding the building are genuinely stunning with a Labyrinth of Pathways stone walls and ponds that offer a relaxing escape from the urban sprawl it's a beautiful place to get lost in the Heart of the City it's time to leave downtown Hiroshima behind and head out into the Inland sea as we hop on a 40-minute ferry ride to the island of Mima home to the Giant floating Tory gate of its kushima Shrine a sacred island in the eyes of Shintoism mima's legendary nature and forests have been left mostly untouched and the site of its kushima is regarded as one of the three most beautiful sites in all of Japan A fitting backdrop for one of the three most hungry animals in all of Japan the many hundreds of deer that call Mima ho although many people usually associate Mima as a quick day trip getaway and head back before the last fery leaves the docks it's becoming something of a popular overnight destination in its own right and I've been invited to stay at Mat of the sand spectacular newly opened Ida Hotel overlooking it kushima a hotel that meticulously incorporates Japanese design Aesthetics into each and every room my God now this is how you do a hotel room they've gone for a chashitsu tum Vibe right so you sort of walk in and youve walk into a room within a room you've really got to pay attention to the little details though they've got this T Tree Flooring down there it's been painstakingly carved we've got this woven bamboo ceiling that I suspect most guests I even realize is here and It All Leads up to the window overlooking the bustling Street which is somehow yet still relaxing cuz you've got the kada roof tiles and the Misty Mountains of MIMA in the distance you could sit here all day with your tea and take it all in as spacious as it is somehow this is actually the smallest room you can book at Ida with the upper floors taking luxury to the next level okay wow my God this is nothing short of spectacular how can you have a room with a view like that we have it all to ourselves in this sweeping Room Ocean View this is insane this is ridiculous Venice inspired kind of ceiling apparently the materials they use for the ceiling are actually imported from Venice they've got this Danish sofa we got tiles over here from shiman prefecture neighboring nearby wallpaper from Belgium like it's a really good Fusion of Japanese and sort of European aesthetic and it combines to create just the most amazing room but it is the view that defines it and I'm not going to stop saying that because wow wow I can't believe you can have a view like this all to yourself so I've actually stayed on Mima once before 10 years ago and uh my friend and I we went camping on the far side of the island it was fun but we woke up the next morning opened the tent and all our luggage had been destroyed it was everywhere all over the field and we were like who could have done this why would this have happened and we turned the corner around the tent and there's just a big deer munching on the bags be careful if you come to me a gima and go camp but what a waking up in a tent on Mima not knowing if my baggage is going to be intact to being in the most luxurious room there is on the entire Island it's quite the contrast each has their own merits I suppose there's an ancient saying about MIMA in order to understand its beauty you need to have a full stomach okay I made that bit up but I would be asham not to visit some of the various food stores that line the small streets along the coastline so when you Mima you need to get some street food and hiroshima's most famous dish after okonomiyaki is actually oysters and uh well I couldn't resist getting the old Graton oyster of course if there's cheese on it it's going in my mouth can't believe I said that out loud anyway tanas gratt makes everything better doesn't it the oyster was so fresh the cheese beautifully creamy and if you're not into oysters they've got beef Coro kind of potato and chopped up beef battered with some good old wora sauce on there what a mess beef cor it's the perfect form factor for street food nice and convenient deliciously warm and filling especially on a rainy day like this it's warned me up Prett interesting drinks here harrybo gummy lemon rum cider Haro gummy Lum cider hi look at that gummy bears in the rum it's quite a weird smell it just smells of harrybo gummy bears and lots and lots of rum like a ton of rum oh wow that shouldn't work but it does I don't know how you're supposed to eat the gummy bears though that presents a bit of predicament the new tradition in Hiroshima this is going to become like the thing isn't it gummy bear [Music] rum oh the gummy bears are frozen exercise caution my God my teeth after enjoying the local traditional drinks of Rummy gummy whatever the heck that was I set off in search of more delicious treats but not before engaging with some of the local Islanders hello hey dude you tried the oysters they're really good probably a Riot's Japan fan anyway time for something deep fried but also sweet the people of Mima love Canada and so they've got temper Momiji uh battered Maple Leaf which if it's battered of course I was going to get it the Q is astonishing to this place this rustic beautiful building overlooking the stream What a fine backdrop for this nourishing tree cheers w wow it's just pure battered sugar and I'm saying that like it's a bad thing my God I'm going to be leaving this island 3 Kg heavier but it's not all beautiful scenery historical and poignant spots and delicious food Mima is also home to the largest rice paddle on the planet no I'm not making this up this needs to be seen to be truly appreciated so this is Godzilla's rice paddle the largest rice paddle on Earth 7.7 M long 2.5 tons in weight and it took the people of Mima almost three whole years to build this bad boy what I didn't know is that Mima is home to the rice paddle they Meed it here about 200 300 years ago and they carve this out of a zel covry honestly I have no idea how they physically constructed in but it is incredible and in a weird way I kind of want to pick it up and eat a bowl of rice split although I suspect it would take a small army to physically lift this thing incredible I'm glad they did it I'm glad they made it only well spent but if the world's largest wooden rice spoon isn't enough to move you to your very core then perhaps you'd prefer to take a quick walk upstairs to the viewing deck a secluded spot that's as yet mostly unknown offering one of the best views of the island got this view all to myself of the Hoku Temple Shrine the beach front the mountains when you get to take a few minutes to step back and appreciate it it really is like a postcard don't miss it come up here and uh yeah whole place to [Music] yourself just a small walk from Japan's most impressive rice serving tool is the dauin temple considered one of the most important temples in the country as it was where famous monk Kashi first brought esoteric Buddhism to Japan covered in ornate buildings statues and Buddhist art with a smell of incense sticks blowing on the Wind dauan Temple really is a sight to behold even before your journey up its over 2,000 steps to the very top you're greeted with the almost gibles scene of a sea of jizel statues meant to protect Travelers 500 cheeky little jizel statues with their cute Red Hats and their lifelike Expressions I love it love a good Jor statue maybe they can help lift that rice paddle later on come on guys we uh we sure we want to go to this Temple let's go with it this Temple's worth it those lost I'm almost ashamed to admit this is my first time at da in Temple at least this part of it it is really quite breathtaking it's been here for over 1,200 years and it's said to have like this eternal flame burning a flame they've kept going at the summit of the mountain which un fortunately we're not going to visit today already done enough climbing but honestly I'm not going to lie it's quite an ostentatious Temple there's lots of kind of little Buddhas and gizor statues and shrines and there so many things dotted around it it's almost a bit overwhelming but it is magical with the Mist coming through the forest and the rain from the trees check it out da and Temple what a beautiful place and as you walk around the grounds of the main Temple you'll also find the heno kutsu cave home to thousands of lanterns hanging from the ceiling and 88 Buddha statues meant to represent the 88 temples of the shikaku pilgrimage it's said that you can even get the blessings of all the temples here essentially a sort of pilgrimage speedrun but of course no trip to MIMA is complete without visiting it kushima Shrine itself it's kushima Shrine one of the three Scenic SES in all of Japan I will admit it does look better at high tide than the season but they've just finished renovating it took 3 years years originally when they started in 2019 it was only going to take one year and then Co hit and they were like maybe we could take a little bit longer maybe nobody will mind and uh it speaks for itself striking red Shrine there's a deer walking straight here rning gosh unbelievable unbelievable but let's go and take a look up close and see what these Renovations actually look like I don't think I've ever touched it before who feel that nice red paint finish so I mean this shrine's been here since 1875 or in some way shape or form for over a thousand years so they had to renovate it had damage from termites seawater and even tourists who were like sticking coins into it treating it like a big piggy bank it is absolutely incredible I used to think Mima equals it kushima but that's simply not the case today I've seen like there's so much more to this island going off in the mountains checking out the shrines eating lots of street food but uh yeah it never stops being incredible definitely worth visiting definitely worth seeing it's kushima for yourself and now it's dinner [Music] time across my many visits to MIMA I've pretty much seen its Kashima Shrine from every single angle but today I'm blessed to see it from not only a brand new angle but perhaps the greatest angle of all all right we might have found the best view of its kushima there is unfortunately it's very well concealed hidden on the rooftop of the Hotel this is ridiculous like you know I was walking down there earlier completely oblivious to this like hidden bath on the roof my God honestly this can't be beat this is it I wish I could stay in here all evening it's absurd to be able to sit here in the hot spring looking over the Misty Mountains and seeing it kushima like that it doesn't feel fair I don't deserve this hands down the best view of its Kashima Shrine and some dramatic music to match I guess that's the 5:00 p.m. music in Japan they play music when it's 500 p.m. I that or they just want to kick me out it's time to round off our day by enjoying a rich kaiseki dinner course at the hotel being greeted by some of the finest and freshest ingredients from around Hiroshima Seafood caught from the bay and succulent Hiroshima beef beautiful roast beef now earlier today we saw the largest rice paddle on the planet and now I give you the tiniest micro tomato in the world I mean I love tomatoes but that's a bit that's quite small I don't what's the purpose of this lovely roast beef though micro Tomatoes aside which are good it's great though usually when I come to me a Jima I'm running for the last Ferry right like running down the Waterfront like wait stop no today we're staying on the island it's a bit less stressful as a result and I can actually enjoy myself it's a shame I think that many people just sort of turn up myself included speed run to it kushima Shrine take a photo and then head off again I would love to come back and spend like a whole week here especially if there's roast beef and micro help me in [Music] [Music] you know I thought I'd seen and done everything in m g I thought I'd completed it but you know I hadn't seen the biggest rice spon in the entire world or the micro tomato you know or the Shrine of the temple I uh I'm really glad I came back and saw the island from another perspective and honestly I think I could I probably stay here a whole week being in this bathtub certainly helps a good bath a good stuff well guys thanks for joining us on our epic journey across Hiroshima but what do we miss let us know in the comments below and to find out where we visited and where we stayed on our journey you can find all the links in the description box along with this video including the hotel we stayed in in downtown Hiroshima and the impressive cocktail bar on the rooftop deck of the orizuru tower there's no better place to see the city at night though may be avoid mat the Sand's favorite slide after a few drinks and hopefully it won't be another 5 years before I'm back to stuff myself with Hiroshima style okonomiyaki pancakes

Channel: Abroad in Japan

Views: 676,814

Keywords: japan, hiroshima travel, hiroshima hotel, abroad in japan, japan travel, trash taste

Id: EC2rOFE5TCs

Length: 25min 6sec (1506 seconds)

Published: Tue May 28 2024