Great Summer Walks in Hiroshima

May 24, 2022

Great Summer Walks in Hiroshima

With summer fast approaching, what better way to appreciate the season than to head out for a nice walk, soak up the scenery and fill your lungs with fresh air? Hiroshima prefecture has an abundance of fantastic walking routes beyond the city, where the Seto Inland Sea and the Chugoku mountain ranges provide lush backdrops. From energetic hikes to leisurely strolls, here’s a quick selection.

Sandankyo Gorge

This walk is slightly more challenging to access than others, as the gorge is situated a few miles northwest of the city. You can reach it by bus from Hiroshima station, which takes about an hour. What awaits is worth it. The Sandankyo Gorge is an 8-mile trail along a ravine that takes in waterfalls, rapid swirls, rock pools, and plenty of lush vegetation. Although it’s one of the most picturesque parts of the region, it’s a bit of a hidden gem and rarely gets too busy.

The trail path alternates between flat and hilly stretches and takes 2-3 hours to complete. If you don’t want to walk the whole route, you can pay a small amount to join a boat tour. The course ends in Akiota Town, where you can get a bus back.

Mount Misen

Mt. Misen is one of many mountains in the Hiroshima region that provide fine ambling opportunities. Located on Miyajima Island, Misen can be reached from Hiroshima by train and a short 10-minute ferry journey to the island. The mountain offers three hiking routes that range from the reasonably short Momijidani trail suitable for beginners to the Daisho trail, with a summit of 1,755 feet (approx. 535 m) that offers the best views of the surrounding Seto sea. You can complete in all routes under 2.5 hours.

On the way, you can expect to see several temple buildings, the Itsukushima shrine, stone Buddhist images, and plenty of wildlife. You will also pass the Reikado (Hall of the Spiritual Flame), which contains a flame believed to have been burning for 1,000 years. There is also a ropeway to take you to the summit and back should you run out of steam.

Peace Memorial Park

If you fancy something a bit more gentle and educational, why not take a gentle wander through this 120,000 sq. meter park, made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996? The park is a well-known tourist attraction for those that want to learn about the 1945 atomic bombing of the city and pay respects to the victims. It includes the “atomic bomb dome” memorial, a cenotaph for A-bomb victims, a Children’s Peace Monument, and a small museum that features many recovered artifacts and first-hand accounts of the bombing.

Taishakukyo Gorge

This pretty gorge in the northeast of Hiroshima prefecture is a national park between Shobara City and the Jinseki district. The total length of the gorge is 18 km, but there are various shorter rambling trails to suit all types of walkers. One highlight is Onbashi Bridge, a vast natural limestone bridge that stretches 90 meters across mountain streams. Walks also take you past Lake Shinryu-ko, the cascading Somen Falls, and out to the historic castle town of Tojo.

Website: Taishakukyo Gorge

Narampanawe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons