With kids · Hiroshima · Japan
Hiroshima with kids
Family-tested sights, a calm base and the practical details that make travelling with children easier.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 大江万里, Public domain
Quick answer
Hiroshima is manageable with children: the city is flat, trams are easy, and Miyajima's deer, ropeway and seafront appeal to all ages. The Peace Museum has graphic content, so parents should judge whether it suits younger children. Top picks: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Children's Peace Monument and Hiroshima Orizuru Tower. Families usually base themselves in Hiroshima Station area.
Key facts
- Family picks
- 6
- Best area for families
- Hiroshima Station area
- Rainy-day options
- 0
Best things to do with kids
Park · Peace Park and Hondori
1.Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Laid out by architect Kenzo Tange on the river island close to the bomb's hypocentre, the park lines up the Cenotaph for the A-bomb victims, the Flame of Peace and the Atomic Bomb Dome along one axis. Around it stand dozens of memorials, including the Peace Bell, which visitors may ring, and the Memorial Mound.
Stand behind the cenotaph to see the flame and the Atomic Bomb Dome framed in one line, then walk the riverbank.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- History
- Free
- Outdoors
Landmark · Peace Park and Hondori
2.Children's Peace Monument
This monument honours Sadako Sasaki, who developed leukaemia after the bombing and folded paper cranes hoping to recover, and the thousands of children who died. Schoolchildren from around the world send strings of colourful paper cranes, displayed in glass booths beside it.
Fold a paper crane beforehand and leave it at the booths, as many visitors do.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- History
- Free
- Kids
Viewpoint · Peace Park and Hondori
3.Hiroshima Orizuru Tower
A modern office tower beside the Atomic Bomb Dome with an open-air rooftop observation deck looking straight down on the dome and across the Peace Park. Visitors can fold paper cranes and drop them into a glass-walled atrium.
Walk down the 'Slope of Hope' spiral walkway instead of taking the lift, for views over the city.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Photo spot
Experience · Hiroshima Station area
4.Carp game at Mazda Stadium
The Hiroshima Toyo Carp are the city's beloved baseball team, and a home game at Mazda Stadium, a short walk from Hiroshima Station, is a loud, red-clad, very local night out with coordinated cheering and stadium food.
Buy tickets ahead for weekend games, and join the seventh-inning balloon release.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Carp games often sell out; buy tickets online or at convenience-store machines well before the day.
- After dark
- Kids
- Food
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Religious site · Miyajima
5.Itsukushima Shrine
The vermilion halls and corridors of this UNESCO-listed shrine stand on piers over the tidal flats of Miyajima, so at high tide they appear to float. Its great torii gate, about 16 m tall, stands in the sea; at low tide you can walk out to its base across the sand.
Check the tide table: come at high tide for the floating view and at low tide to walk to the torii, ideally on the same day.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
- Couples
Nature · Miyajima
6.Mount Misen
Miyajima's sacred 535 m peak is reached by a two-stage ropeway and a 20–30-minute walk, or on foot in about 1.5–2 hours on the Momijidani, Daisho-in or Omoto trails. The summit looks over the island-dotted Seto Inland Sea, and small temple halls on the way keep a flame said to have burned for 1,200 years.
Take the ropeway up and walk down the Daisho-in trail, which finishes at the temple of the same name.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Outdoors
- Active
- Nature
Where families should stay
$$ · Best for first-timers, families and budget
Hiroshima Station area
The area around Hiroshima Station has the widest choice of business hotels and international chains, plus the redeveloped station building with shops and an okonomiyaki floor. Trams run from the station to the Peace Park in about 15–20 minutes, and JR trains leave for Miyajimaguchi, Kure and Onomichi.
- Good
- Shinkansen and JR on the doorstep; Airport buses stop here; Good-value hotels
- Watch out
- About 2 km from the Peace Park; Less atmosphere than downtown
- Nearby
- Hiroshima Station, Shukkei-en, Hiroshima Castle
Family travel tips
- Prepare children for the Peace Museum; some galleries show disturbing images, and older children usually get the most from it.
- Fold paper cranes together before visiting the Children's Peace Monument.
- On Miyajima, keep snacks and paper maps out of reach of the deer, which will grab them.
- Strollers are fine in the city and on Miyajima's waterfront, but not on Mount Misen's trails.
- Children aged 6–11 pay half fare on trams, trains and ferries; under-6s usually ride free with an adult.
Day trips for families
- Iwakuni and Kintai Bridge (About 1 hour by train and bus) — The Kintai Bridge is a five-arched wooden bridge over the Nishiki River, first built in 1673.
- Kure and the Yamato Museum (About 35–50 minutes by train) — Kure was the Imperial Japanese Navy's main shipbuilding base.
- Okunoshima (About 2 hours by train and ferry) — Known as 'rabbit island' for its hundreds of free-roaming rabbits, Okunoshima also has a sobering Poison Gas Museum, as the island secretly made chemical weapons before 1945.
When to go with children
The best months overall are March–May and October–November. Weather by month.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Hiroshima good for kids?
Hiroshima is manageable with children: the city is flat, trams are easy, and Miyajima's deer, ropeway and seafront appeal to all ages. The Peace Museum has graphic content, so parents should judge whether it suits younger children.
+What can kids do in Hiroshima?
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Children's Peace Monument, Hiroshima Orizuru Tower, Carp game at Mazda Stadium and Itsukushima Shrine.
+Where should families stay in Hiroshima?
Hiroshima Station area: Shinkansen hub with big hotels, the Ekie mall and direct trams downtown.