Onomichi Saturday Night Market in Hiroshima

The Onomichi Saturday night market in Hiroshima takes place in June and July in Onomichi’s Shotengai retro shopping arcade. This market feels more like a mini-festival than a regular market, buzzing with visitors buying local goodies, playing traditional Japanese games and more. The event is free and well worth a visit if you are looking for a particularly colorful night out during your stay.

Hiroshima Okonomiyaki

You can’t visit Hiroshima without tasting the best in local Hiroshima Okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake that contains a variety of ingredients. The Hiroshima okonomiyaki is cooked on an iron hotplate, contains egg, chopped vegetables and meat/seafood, dished up with noodles and lots of veggies. The difference between a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki and a Kansai or Osaka, is that in Hiroshima, they layer the ingredients instead of mixing. Find out more about Hiroshima’s Soul Food at Koshida Honten here.

Peace Boulevard

Many kinds of events are held on Peace Boulevard throughout the year, a street that has earnt its way into the Top 100 streets in Japan. The best time of year to experience Peace Boulevard at night is during the winter, when you will find ‘Hiroshima Dreamination’, the largest winter event in Hiroshima, attracting over half a million visitors from mid-November until New Year’s Day. The boulevard is transformed into an illuminated fairyland, with over 1.4 million lights. Quite a sight to behold, and ideal if you are travelling as a family or couple looking for a romantic night out.

Catch the Sunrise (or Sunset) in Miyoshi

North of Hiroshima you will find the Miyoshi basin which is surrounded by beautiful mountains. In winter, the vapor from the surrounding rivers rises up and forms a fog, known locally as the Kiri-no-Umi, which settles in the Miyoshi basin and rewards those willing to get up early a breathtaking view. This spectacle is particularly amazing during the first days of winter, when the changing colors of the fog are especially lovely. The best spot to capture this beautiful view is Mt. Takatani Kiri-no-Umi Observation Point, on the peak of Mt. Takatani, also a very popular night viewing spot. Make sure you wrap up warm, check the weather and task a flask of some hot tea with you!