Hiroshima is the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū. It is known by most as the first city subjected to the nuclear bombing by the US during World War II. With a good 65% of the city being destroyed during the event of World War II, modern day Hiroshima is extremely modernized partly due to the massive rebuild and reconstructions work after the war.
You will most likely be traveling in/out of Hiroshima by train, as a guideline, it will take approximately 5 hours to travel to Hiroshima Station from Tokyo Station by Shinkansen. The Hiroshima station is located literally in the center of tourist attractions.
The "Peace Memorial Park" is one of the major attraction in Hiroshima. The park was built to commemorate the dropping of the atomic bomb in 1945. It is located near the detonation site, housing the park and a Peace Memorial Museum (Admissions: Adult-50￥ Children-30￥)as well as many other related monuments. The museum display (graphical display) the affects of the atomic bomb, while this is a great educational trip, I do fore-warn you that the museum is not meant for people with a weak stomach.
Within the memorial park stood the A-Bomb Dome, which is the remains of a building that survived the blast, making it the city's only remaining bomb damaged structure.
There is a shopping arcade call "Hondori" in Hiroshima, this is their local "sheltered shopping alley". I won't spend time here if you are to visit other major cities as Major Cities like Osaka and Kyoto each have one of these shopping arcade, and they offer more and unique merchandise.
My recommendation is to take a side trip to Miyajima while you are at Hiroshima, as there isn't really much to see in Hiroshima anyways. You probably won't need to spend more than a day in Hiroshima, but it will definitely last a full day.
Miyajima (Miya - Palace, Castle, Jima - Island.) It literally translate to the "Palace Island", Shrine and Temples cane be written in Kanji as 神宮 - "God's Palace", so this is the Island of Shrine". There are several ways to travel in/out of Miyajima:
By train and ferry
From JR Hiroshima Station, take the JR Sanyo Line to Miyajimaguchi Station. The trip takes about 25 minutes and costs 400 Yen. Alternatively, you can take the tram line number 2 bound for Miyajimaguchi. The tram is slower, but costs only 270 Yen and stops on the way in Hiroshima's city center.
From Miyajimaguchi Station, it is just a few steps to the ferry pier. Frequently departing ferries take 10 minutes and cost 170 Yen for the crossing to Miyajima. There are two companies operating the ferries, JR and Matsudai. The Japan Rail Pass is valid on JR ferries.
By direct boat
Boats also connect Miyajima directly with Hiroshima Peace Park (55 minutes, 1900 Yen one way, 3-9 round trips per day) and Hiroshima Port (30 minutes, 1460 Yen one way, 6-8 round trips per day).
Miyajima's name came from the Itsukushima Shrine, which was constructed partially over water, featuring the famous floating Torii Gate. The Shrine itself is not a very big place, but it will take you almost 2 hours to visit the shrine and surrounding attractions. Right by the shrine (in front of the JR Pier) is a small town that is filled with souvenir shops that sell unique gifts and souvenir that is only available in Miyajima, featuring the floating Torii. Wild deer roams around Miyajima, they are regarded as a messenger from the Gods, it is considered as a highly respected animal in Miyajima.
If time permits, there is also the Misen Mountain that is approximately 20 minutes away from the Ferry Pier. Home to wild deer and Monkeys the Misen Mountain is a great relaxation walk. Climbing it to the ropeway gives you a breath taking view of the wooded island and the Seto Naikai.
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