Hiroshima: Kura Sushi — Guide miki

Title: What's a Private Walking Tour of Hiroshima Peace Park Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group visiting from North America. They mentioned that it was their wedding milestone.

The Atomic Bomb Museum was closed for the day, but since I had heard they were staying in Hiroshima for several days, I had let them know they would have a chance to visit the museum on other days. They had visited the museum the previous day and were pleased, though they said it was so crowded that they could hardly move.

After meeting, we passed by Okonomiyaki Village, and they said, "We came here last night, it was delicious." They had also had Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki in Tokyo and enjoyed it. According to the guests, if the okonomiyaki in Tokyo rated a 4 in taste, the local Hiroshima okonomiyaki was a 5.

Since I had heard they were interested in landmarks, history, and food, I shared information from the Hotel to Peace Park and at each place we visited.

After telling them a little about the history of a 100-yen shop, we stopped by a bakery. There, after sharing some history about the shop, one of the guests, who loves Danish pastries, bought a snack and was delighted with how delicious it was. The other was also satisfied with the taste. I introduced several shops selling Hiroshima souvenirs along the main shopping street, and while passing by an amusement facility and a kamameshi restaurant, we went to a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant that had recently opened on the main shopping street. Since no one was very hungry, we stopped by just for a plate or two as an experience, but our timing was good and we were seated without waiting. They were very curious about the conveyor-belt sushi. I told them that ordering via the tablet would bring fresher sushi, but they said choosing the sushi coming around and opening the plastic covers themselves was fun, so they did not order via the tablet. The tablet supported English, but the circulating sushi did not, so each time they would ask, "What is this?" and then happily open the cover. This restaurant also has a system of putting finished plates into a slot, which they found interesting and photographed and videoed. At that moment, sushi passed by at tremendous speed on the upper lane, and they were delighted again. Even to me, it seemed considerably faster than other sushi restaurants, and it was overwhelming. Afterward, we continued through the shopping arcade, looked at a calligraphy brush shop and an okonomiyaki restaurant, and since they like cats, they looked at cat goods in front of a variety store. Even in the middle of an explanation, when there was a real cat, they would say, "Oh, a cat! Sorry, I love cats."

After that, we toured Peace Park, and since the museum was closed, I guided them through sections I do not usually cover on tours. I talked about the streetcars at Aioi Bridge and about the Astram Line. When I told them that a streetcar that survived the atomic bombing is still running, they were very surprised. Then I guided them through the standard spots such as the Children's Peace Monument, the Rest House, the Flame of Peace, the Pond of Peace, and the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims. At the Rest House, they found stamps, and I learned they actually collect them and had brought a notebook for stamps. There are several other places to get stamps, so I told them about the other spots. They said they wanted to offer paper cranes at the Children's Peace Monument, so instead of the tower we had originally planned, we folded paper cranes together inside the Rest House and went to offer them. Incidentally, the guests contacted me after the tour to say they had also visited the tower together. Hearing they liked Pokémon, I told them there is a Pokémon Center and a place to get stamps inside a department store, so we got the stamp. Before I knew it, we had gone well past the tour's end time, but I accompanied them to the Pokémon Center, and the tour ended.

It was a little cold, and unexpectedly a little rain fell in front of the Children's Peace Monument, but the guests were so cheerful that I had a very enjoyable time as well.

That is all.

Click here for more details: Hiroshima Peace Park Customized Tour with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by miki

Dear guests,
Hello! My name is Miki. I was born and brought up in Hiroshima. I enjoy traveling around Inland Sea areas and I enjoy chatting with guests from overseas!

In Hiroshima, you can see many beautiful rivers and old bridges. Lately, I often take photos of Hiroshima city including bridges and rivers. There are not many tall buildings here, but I know some places you can visit and see the view for free. By the atomic bomb dome, there is a building called Orizuru(paper crane) Tower. You need to pay to go up to the top floor but you can see the view of Hiroshima city and the Miyajima Island(Itsukushima).

Many tourists from overseas as well as Japan want to visit Miyajima Island. You can see a beautiful shrine from Heian Period which is around 12th century and a huge Torii gate in front of the shrine and it is in the water. There are several ways to visit the island from Hiroshima city. If you are going to stay near JR Hiroshima Station, we will visit the island by JR train and JR ferry. If you are staying in the city area, we can go there by streetcar and ferry, or there is a high-speed boat from Peace Memorial Park pier directly to the island and vise versa.

Hoping to see you in the near future!

Miki
Your tour guide in Hiroshima