Hiroshima

Two nights in Hiroshima for the Peace Park, Shukkeien and the castle

Sleep in Hiroshima for two nights; a day trip from Osaka misses too much. Give the Peace Memorial Park and its museum a full morning, then see Shukkeien garden and Hiroshima Castle, and finish with okonomiyaki near the Hondōri arcade. Make Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine the second day, checking the tide tables first.

• Miyajima: the island of Itsukushima Shrine and its torii gate is the obvious second day. Check the tide tables before you go, because the gate stands in the sea at high tide while at low tide you can walk out to it. Mount Misen (530 m) takes about an hour to climb from the shrine; the ropeway saves most of the effort but still leaves a 30-minute walk to the summit. A night in a ryokan on the island lets you see it after the day crowds leave.
• Iwakuni: the arched wooden Kintai-kyō bridge, first built in 1673, is about 45 minutes away by local train, then a 15-minute bus ride from the station.
• Onomichi and the islands: further east, Onomichi is the start of the Shimanami Kaidō, a 70 km cycling route over bridges and islands to Imabari on Shikoku. Treat it as a separate day, or an overnight.

Hiroshima also breaks the long ride between Tokyo, about 3 hours 45 minutes away by Nozomi, and Kyushu. Most visitors book hotels near the station for the trains or around the Peace Park for walking.

Dodging July's rains and August heat in Hiroshima

July is the month to dodge. The rainy season peaks late here, and July is the wettest month of the year with about 280 mm, followed by a drier but hotter August with average highs of 33°C. Spring is the comfortable alternative. April highs reach about 20°C, cherry blossom arrives, and walking between the memorials is pleasant.

The anniversary of the bombing, 6 August, is the most significant day in the city's year. A ceremony in the Peace Memorial Park starts at 8:15, the moment the bomb fell, with air-raid sirens, a minute of silence and a peace appeal from the mayor; many survivors attend. At 20:00 lanterns are set floating on the river beside the Dome. Being there that day is deeply moving. Expect crowds and a solemn mood.

Other dates are lighter. The Flower Festival on the first weekend of May is the biggest party, with music stages along Heiwa-ōdōri; it began in 1975 to celebrate the Carp baseball team's first championship. In early October the brewing suburb of Saijo holds its sake festival, where one entry ticket buys unlimited tastings.

Autumn turns the maples on Miyajima red, and October highs of about 24°C make it the best season for hiking Mount Misen. It is also oyster season, which runs from October to March, so cold months reward anyone travelling to eat.

Layered Hiroshima okonomiyaki and the stalls of Okonomi-mura

Order Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, built in layers on the hotplate: batter, a heap of cabbage, bean sprouts, pork and fried noodles, finished with egg and Otafuku sauce. Okonomi-mura, behind PARCO near the Hatchōbori tram stop, packs 27 counters onto three floors. Bay oysters are the other speciality, in season from October to March.

Okonomi-mura, behind the PARCO building near the Hatchōbori tram stop, packs 27 counters onto three floors, and a few stay open until 2 or 3 in the morning. Sit at the hotplate and eat straight off it. Micchan is the best known of the long-established names, with several branches in the centre; Tokunaga flies the flag for the rival Kansai style.

Oysters from the bay are the other speciality. They are in season from October to March, served grilled, fried or raw. Miyajima is the place to buy momiji manjū warm from the shop: maple-leaf cakes filled with red bean paste or matcha. For a night out, Nagarekawa has the highest density of bars. Quieter wine bars line Hakushima-dōri. Sake lovers should take the train to Saijo, where breweries offer tours even outside festival time.

Behave in the Peace Park as you would at a cemetery, and ask before photographing people who are praying.