Name: Island Hopping in Hiroshima | 4-day trip
Uploaded: 2025-07-17T09:02:48.000Z
Duration: 17 min 2 s
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Hiroshima isn't just the Peace Memorial Park, it's actually a huge area covering a number of different islands and towns with their own distinct character.

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On this trip I'll be visiting a select few areas to get just a taste of that character.

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That means visiting Takehara to get hands-on with the local culture and cuisine, visiting Okunoshima to say hi to the rabbits on an island with a dark history, taking a bike ride around scenic Etajima, and exploring the sake breweries of Saijo.

So join me as I island hop around Hiroshima.

I've chosen to fly in from Tokyo as it takes just under 90 minutes to get to Hiroshima Airport, the largest airport in the Chugoku region.

It's also connected to various airports in Japan and abroad, and is conveniently located for my further travels.

The airport is connected to Hiroshima's different areas by bus, or you can get a rental car.

Takehara is a beautiful spot, sometimes called Little Kyoto, and due to its history with salt and sake production, it became a rich town full of ornate houses that are still here today.

Lunch is at Ippuku, which should be somewhere close by.

We have a bunch of exciting things planned for today, including bamboo crafts nearby and exploring the old town and my fancy accommodation.

This is kawara soba, which is tea-infused soba noodles served on a roof tile.

But here, they even make it into a demon face.

Am I going to be able to eat all of this?

The name Takehara means bamboo plane, but despite its name, bamboo crafts are relatively new to the area, with just 40 years of history behind them.

Today, I'm getting a taste of that craft at Machinami Take Kobo.

The town's nickname of Little Kyoto comes from the area's role as an estate of Kyoto's Kamogawa Shrine, but it really made a name for itself a bit later on, in the Edo period, through its salt production.

It was through salt that many of its residents gained enough wealth for more ornate homes, many of which still stand to this day.

This temple, as you can see, has the best view of Takehara City.

It's amazing to think how much the city might have changed in the centuries that it's been here.  Tonight, I've chosen to experience a modern version of those salt merchants' life of luxury by staying at the Nipponia, which has renovated a number of buildings in the area into accommodations full of character.

Oh my god, I'm so glad I chose this place.

This is my dinner for the evening, which is local food accompanied by a flight of local sake.

Mmm, you can really taste the rice in the sake.

Mmm, that sauce goes really well with that fish.

Today, I'm heading to a nearby town to take the ferry to Okunoshima, fondly known as Rabbit Island.

After saying hello to the rabbits, I'll explore the island's historical sites and grab lunch.

Then, I'm heading over to Hiroshima City, which I'll use as my base for the rest of my stay.

After a short train ride, I'm taking the ferry to the island.

It's a bit misty today, but let's see if we can spot any rabbits.

They were waiting for me as soon as I got off the ferry.

But so was a peek into the island's past.

Behind all this fluffy cuteness is a dark history, because the island was in fact used as a base for manufacturing chemical weapons during World War II and was erased from maps to keep it secret.

It wasn't until 1988 that the Poison Gas Museum opened, with the aim of informing the public about the existence of poison gas in the world.

Informing people of the very real tragedies it can cause, so that history may not repeat itself.

I'm at the only restaurant on the island for a local specialty of fried oysters.

It got a bit hot walking up there, but it was worth it for this spot of tranquility.

As well as the poison gas sites, the island also has former army batteries, or fortresses, to explore too.

Today I'm back on the ferry again, but this time to Etajima, where I'll explore the island by bike, stopping for lunch and soaking in the views before returning back to Hiroshima for the night.

Known for its mild climate and natural island scenery, Etajima is a part of one of Japan's first ever national parks, making it a wonderful place to explore.

You can do a lot of outdoor activities on Etajima, like canoeing and hiking, but I've chosen to explore by bike to make the most of its sea and hillside views.

Yesterday was a little gloomy, so I'm so glad we've got such beautiful weather for cycling today.

The island was once the home of Japan's naval academy, and there are a number of artefacts relating to this history dotted across the island.

But Etajima is actually larger than you might expect, covering around 100 square kilometres, so to find them all you would need a bit of a longer cycling route than the one I'm doing today.

Etajima is the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and take it all in, so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Etajima is often called Japan's Mediterranean thanks to its mild climate, calm blue seas and scenic coastal views.

So next up is lunch at a restaurant with some very Mediterranean ingredients.

Here at Olive & Lime, they grow and handpick their very own olives and limes, so I have a massive salad here with homemade olive oil, a risotto and an Olive & Lime drink.

I'm pretty tired from this hot day of cycling, so I'll see you guys tomorrow.

We're heading to the small town of Saijo to explore the historic sake district, with its breweries and creative sake cuisine in both hot pot and chocolates.

This is one of Francia's specialties, Bishunabe, which is a hot pot which was created by sake brewers and has sake in the stew itself.

It's said to have a relatively simple flavour so as not to interfere with the tasting of sake, so I've ordered a sake cocktail to test that theory.

That does have a quite a simple flavour, it's just like the salt and pepper and sake.

Thanks to its climate and natural resources, Saijo was the perfect spot for making sake.

This, combined with its prime location along a popular trade route, meant that the town was able to grow in popularity, becoming one of Japan's leading sake production sites.

Today, there are seven breweries all within walking distance of the station, filling the streets with the sweet smell of sake.

Kamotsuru Brewery, the first to open in the 1800s, now welcomes visitors to explore not only its own history, but also the broader history of sake brewing in Saijo.

And of course, you can sample their sake and buy some to take home too.

This is the Daiginjo Tokusei Gold, which is called that because it has a piece of gold leaf in it, which is actually shaped like a cherry blossom.

Just like the Bishunabe, there are lots of other ways to enjoy Saijo's sake culture other than just drinking it.

At Mikekakao, you can buy desserts and chocolates made with sake from the local area's seven breweries.

Their specialty is their sake-filled chocolate truffles.

Yeah, the sake is actually not too strong.

I'm finishing where I started at Hiroshima Airport to rest in the lounge before my next destination.

I'm glad I chose the airport because relaxing a bit is just what I needed.

In these few days, I've learned more about Hiroshima than I realized was possible, and I hope it inspires you to explore the prefecture further, just like it has for me.

If you want to learn a bit more about the details of this trip, head to the article on screen to save the information for later, and happy travels!