Best Things to Do in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan

Beyond Hiroshima city, the prefecture offers some of western Japan’s most compelling experiences. The Shimanami Kaido is a 70 km cycling route over bridges and islands connecting Onomichi (Hiroshima side) to Imabari (Shikoku), passing through Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima, and Oshima islands. Each island has its own character: lemon orchards, citrus farms, and small shrines. It is considered one of the world’s great cycling routes. Onomichi itself is a hillside port town famous for its 25-temple walking circuit through narrow alleys (the Onomichi Slope), its cats (a resident colony lives among the temples), and as the backdrop for numerous Japanese films by director Nobuhiko Obayashi. Tomonoura, a 30-minute bus from Fukuyama (another prefecture city), is a preserved Edo-period port town on the Seto Inland Sea that inspired the setting for Hayao Miyazaki’s film Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.

Best time to visit

March-April (cherry blossom) and October-November (autumn foliage and cycling weather) are ideal. The Shimanami Kaido is rideable year-round but is best in the cooler months (March-June, September-November). Summer (July-August) is hot and humid but the sea is calm and beautiful. The citrus fruit (lemon, mandarin) harvest in November-December makes the island landscapes particularly colorful.

Getting around

Onomichi is on the JR San’yo Main Line (expressway bus or train from Hiroshima city takes about 70 minutes). The Shimanami Kaido cycling route uses rental bicycles available from Onomichi Station Cycling Terminal; same-day drop-off at Imabari is available. Buses cross the bridges for non-cyclists. Fukuyama (bullet train stop, 30 minutes from Hiroshima) is the gateway for Tomonoura.