Hiroshima

No city in the world carries the weight of a single moment the way Hiroshima does. At 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945, a uranium bomb nicknamed "Little Boy" detonated 580 metres above the city centre, killing approximately 80,000 people instantly and reducing everything within a two-kilometre radius to ash and rubble. Yet to visit Hiroshima today is to witness one of humanity's most extraordinary acts of renewal — a city that chose not bitterness but peace, not ruin but reinvention, and that now stands as a vibrant, forward-looking metropolis with a message the entire world needs to hear.

The Peace Memorial Park, set on a verdant island at the confluence of the Ota River's branches, is Hiroshima's emotional centre and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The skeletal dome of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall — now known simply as the A-Bomb Dome — stands exactly as it did in the aftermath, a haunting reminder preserved in perpetuity. Nearby, the Peace Memorial Museum tells the story with unflinching honesty: charred clothing, stopped watches, handwritten letters. The Cenotaph frames the Flame of Peace, which will burn until the last nuclear weapon on earth is destroyed. Just north, the Children's Peace Monument honours Sadako Sasaki, the young girl who believed folding a thousand paper cranes would cure her radiation-induced leukaemia. Visitors still drape garlands of colourful origami cranes at the statue's base, an ever-growing testament to hope.

Beyond the memorials, Hiroshima is a city that knows how to live well. Its signature dish is okonomiyaki — a savoury layered pancake of batter, cabbage, noodles, pork, and egg, cooked on a sizzling griddle and finished with a sweet-tangy sauce. The best place to try it is Okonomimura, a multi-storey food hall near the city centre where dozens of tiny stalls compete for your loyalty. Hiroshima is also renowned for its oysters, harvested from the clean, cold waters of the Inland Sea and served grilled, fried, or raw at harbourside izakayas. Pair them with a glass of local junmai sake from one of the prefecture's artisanal breweries, and you have a meal that rivals anything in Osaka or Tokyo.

A short ferry ride from Hiroshima's port takes you to Miyajima, officially known as Itsukushima, one of Japan's three most celebrated scenic views. The vermilion Otorii gate appears to float on the surface of the sea at high tide — an image so iconic it has become synonymous with Japan itself. Behind it, the Itsukushima Shrine, another UNESCO site, extends on stilts over the tidal flats, its architecture a masterwork of Heian-period elegance. Deer wander freely through the island's streets, and the maple-forested slopes of Mount Misen offer hiking trails with views across the entire Inland Sea. If you visit during cherry blossom season, the sight of pink petals drifting across the water toward the red gate is nothing short of transcendent.

Hiroshima is served by Celebrity Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and Windstar Cruises on their Japan and Asia-Pacific itineraries. Ships typically dock at Hiroshima Port or nearby Kure, from which the city centre is easily reached by shuttle, tram, or taxi. Spring (March through May) brings cherry blossoms and mild temperatures, while autumn (October through November) sets the maples of Miyajima ablaze in crimson and gold. Hiroshima asks something of every visitor — to remember, to reflect, and then to walk back into the sunlight of a city that chose to begin again.