第四章 · STOP 04 · 広島
Hiroshima · New Year
2 nights · NYE
2 nights · NYE
Two nights to close out the year — Miyajima's floating torii, a very specific kind of okonomiyaki, and a quiet, local hatsumōde at midnight.
New Year's Eve in Japan is gentler than most places: families gather, shrines light up, and just after midnight people queue peacefully for the year's first prayer. Hiroshima is a lovely, manageable city to do this in — and Miyajima is a perfect day trip in between.
Central Hiroshima near the baseball stadium — short tram rides to the Peace Park and the Miyajima ferry.
A ferry to the sacred island, the vermilion gate at high tide, and Itsukushima Shrine walkways stretched out over the water.
Miyajima has its own resident deer, calmer than Nara's. Plus a ropeway up Mt Misen for a forest walk and sea views.
Layered with noodles, cabbage, and a perfectly fried egg at Okonomi-mura — four floors of tiny stalls, one dish.
December is oyster season on the Seto Inland Sea — grilled, fried, or in miso hotpot, straight from the source.
A neighborhood shrine visit just after midnight for the year's first prayer — amazake, bell ringing, and a huge shared sense of calm.
A quiet, reflective morning walk along the river, the Children's Peace Monument, and the beautifully rebuilt city around it.
Train in from Osaka, walk the Peace Memorial Park, okonomiyaki dinner.
Ferry across, the torii gate, Mt Misen ropeway, oysters for lunch. Back to Hiroshima for a calm dinner and midnight hatsumōde.
A quiet morning and the Shinkansen back east — the trip winds down.
