How I Spent 4 Days in Hiroshima Japan!, Hiroshima, Japan

After five full days of exploring Osaka and Kyoto, my Japan backpacking trip was about to take a very different turn. I boarded the legendary Shinkansen bullet train - the one you always hear about when people talk about Japan’s transport system. Considering they’re more expensive than flights in most cases, I was expecting to be blown away by the experience. But apart from the smooth ride, it felt almost like any other train. It wasn’t until I looked out of the window that I felt a jolt of amazement - the scenery zipped past so fast it almost felt like watching a time-lapse.

When I finally stepped off the bullet train, got out of the station and set foot in Hiroshima, I carried a very specific image in my mind - one painted by history books and documentaries. I expected a quiet, heavy place, frozen in time, carrying the weight of its past. What greeted me instead was a city that had completely reinvented itself. Modern streets, sleek trams, a lively town center, and a transport network that made getting around effortless - Hiroshima felt futuristic, full of energy and promise. It wasn’t just a city that had rebuilt itself; it had blossomed into one of the most vibrant places I had visited so far. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).