This is a private guided tour report by Japan Guide Agency (JGA Inc.), a network of 1,000+ government-licensed, English-speaking local guides across all 47 prefectures of Japan. Not affiliated with the Japan Guide Association.
Tour Itinerary
- 08:30 Meet at the Ujina Port waiting room, greetings and confirmation of the schedule
- 09:00 Travel to Peace Memorial Park by shuttle bus
- 09:30 Arrive along the Honkawa River on the west side of Peace Memorial Park
- 09:40〜10:20 First, we went to the hypocenter as requested. Visited each monument in the park. Around this time the rain began to fall harder, and since some guests did not have umbrellas, we entered the Atomic Bomb Museum a bit early.
- 10:30〜11:30 Toured the Atomic Bomb Museum
- 11:40 Since it was exactly lunchtime, I asked where they would like to go.
- As they had mentioned from the beginning, they requested bamboo shoot cuisine. When I consulted Mr. Hamano, the person in charge at SOGO, I found out that it could be eaten at a Japanese restaurant in SOGO, so we headed to SOGO.
- 11:50〜12:50 They enjoyed bamboo shoot cuisine.
- 12:50〜14:30 They purchased Japanese-made cosmetic tools, and in the basement they enjoyed sweets such as momiji manju.
- 15:00 Escorted the guests to Ujina Port and completed the assignment.
What Is a Rainy-Day Private Tour of Hiroshima Like? A Licensed Guide's Report
It rained all day. Some of the guests did not have umbrellas, so umbrellas were purchased for them, but with the poor footing, the visit to the outdoor park was cut short early. At the Atomic Bomb Museum, the guests went through the full exhibit. Since it was relatively early, there were fewer visitors and I think they were able to move through smoothly. From the Atomic Bomb Museum we went to the rest house and took a short break. We were able to have a nice conversation. After that we went to the SOGO department store. At the SOGO department store, we met with the person in charge of the guests and talked about the bamboo shoot cuisine and the plans after the meal. The guests enjoyed the bamboo shoot cuisine they had wished for. It was very delicious. They were very pleased to be able to eat bamboo shoots. After lunch, they purchased Japanese-made nail clippers, tweezers, and brushes. Then we went down to the basement level and they enjoyed tasting momiji manju. After that, around the time they had gelato, it was just the right timing, so I escorted everyone to the shuttle bus stop. They were very pleased, saying that it was wonderful to be able to enjoy a full course of bamboo shoot dishes and that they had done some good shopping. Since cruise guests report on famous places in various regions before visiting Hiroshima, I felt that many of the guests were more interested in shopping.
Click here for more details: Hiroshima Local Food Tasting & City Tour, Licensed Guide
Hello everyone.
I’m excited to have an opportunity to introduce myself to you.
This is my third year as a tour guide.
I enjoy chatting with customers while guiding them.
I mainly guide tours in the western Hiroshima Prefecture area, including Miyajima, Peace Memorial Park, Shukkei-en Garden, Kure, Etajima, and Takehara.
I also love visiting temples and shrines.
And I love sake and fresh seafood such as oysters and sashimi.
As a motorcycle rider, I know some hidden gems in this area.
I look forward to providing enjoyable tours, so please feel free to join me.
Jun 20, 2026
Todd_C
Viator review: Hiroshima 6hr Private Guided Tour & Shopping with Concierge
Harry was very…
Harry was very informative. We did the…
Jun 20, 2026
Todd_C
Viator review: Hiroshima 6hr Private Guided Tour & Shopping with Concierge
Harry was very…
Harry was very informative. We did the peace museum and then went to lunch for local
cuisine. Then went shopping. The tour was very adjustable to our tastes. Would highly
recommend.
Apr 26, 2026
Glenn_L
Viator review: Hiroshima 6hr Private Guided Tour & Food Tasting with Concierge
Moving tour of Hiroshima
Our guide, Harry, met us…
Apr 26, 2026
Glenn_L
Viator review: Hiroshima 6hr Private Guided Tour & Food Tasting with Concierge
Moving tour of Hiroshima
Our guide, Harry, met us at our ship and accompanied us to our first stop, the Peace Park. The park and museum experience is a very emotional experience. It became too emotional for several of us and we had to cut this part of the tour short. However, I expressed the view that every international leader should be required to take this tour and someone else passing by added, “often”. Although I couldn’t finish this part of the tour I am not sorry for having taken the tour; perhaps I’ll try again in future. Afterwards we headed to SOGO., a giant department store. I didn’t notice/understand the shopping concierge component of the tour until we started. We decided that we wanted a nice sit-down lunch and the SOGO customer care agent found the precise restaurant to meet our collective tastes. We dined in one of the store’s restaurants in a private room that the concierge was able to get us without prior notice even though it was during the lunch rush. Our guide,Harry, coordinated with the agent throughout, making sure she understood what we were looking for. After lunch the concierge met us again for a shopping tour. There were a few items that we had forgotten to pack and she guided us to the correct floor, the correct department, and coordinated with the sales staff to get the items we needed. Afterwards we headed to the basement level for a tasting tour of their two stories for food court. We were still too full from the lunch we had, but we did a few tastings before we had to beg off. The concierge was disappointed that we didn’t want to try more tastings. Throughout our guide, Harry, was attentive and very adaptable he was very pleasant and easy to work with. I would recommend this tour to everyone visiting Hiroshima and I would recommend Harry as a guide.
Apr 2, 2026
Roldan_T
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Harry was an great and informative guide.
Harry was…
Apr 2, 2026
Roldan_T
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Harry was an great and informative guide.
Harry was a great guide . He scheduled us go first to the Hiroshima memorial peace museum before the crowds arrived. We went straight in and it wasn’t crowded. By the time we finished, the line to to get in stretched around the building. We ate close-by and shopped at a mall. Although we planned to to take a ferry to a shrine, we instead headed to Hiroshima Costco where I bought electronics and my wife bought skincare products. This was the advantage of a private tour, there was flexibility in our itinerary as we saw fit. The van took us four and 2 wheelchairs. Overall a great experience.
May 10, 2025
jonathan_R
Really great tour. …
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Really great tour. Hisashi or…
May 10, 2025
jonathan_R
Really great tour. …
Viator review: Hiroshima / Miyajima Full-day Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
Really great tour. Hisashi or guide was extremely accommodating and did a great job. He
was very knowledgeable and took great care of us. Okonomiyaki lunch was great –
recommend.