I had little reason to visit Hiroshima other than to gain more context on the aftermath of the nuclear explosion during World War II.
With higher-than-average accommodation costs, it seemed like a perfect two night pit stop between Fukuoka and Osaka.
Noticeably more expensive hotels than any other city in Japan aside from Tokyo, I imagine due to the density of tourists passing through.
With this in mind, I took this as an opportunity to tick off an item from my Japan checklist - staying in a capsule hotel. I spent two nights at the Capsule Hotel Cube - it's a remarkably well-run and spotless operation, but it's hard to imagine that you'll have the best sleep of your life in such a concept.
A couple of nights in such a set up is absolutely fine if it is during the summer months and you intend on spending 90% of the day outside; otherwise, it's hard to justify spending any of your time in the country in such a contraption.
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New legislation
Recent changes introduced by the Turkish government has made short-term rentals for under 100 days more restricted. Keep an eye on Reddit threads for up-to-date assessments of how the new legislation is impacting short-term rentals in practice.
Whilst there is no WeWork in the city, there's a number of independent outlets dotted around the centre. I booked a day pass at ヒロマラボ which I've written about in greater detail below.
Accommodation aside, prices in Hiroshima are generally in line with the rest of the country, with access to key tourist attractions in the city priced very low.
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The yen is currently at a 34-year low
While this is undoubtedly a negative for the Japanese, it makes for an exceptionally good time to visit Japan from abroad. Although this trend is unlikely to reverse significantly in the short term, it's still worth checking before visiting.
Read moreApart from Naha, Hiroshima was by far the least vibrant city I encountered during my journey across the country. Beyond the city centre, there was little of note to experience. Most visitors come primarily to reflect on the historical events that took place there. However, beyond that, it was difficult to justify an extended stay, especially when compared to more dynamic cities such as Osaka.
Japan observes Japan Standard Time (JST), which is 9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). However, the time difference reduces to 8 hours during the summer months as Japan does not observe daylight saving time.This large gap in time zones has advantages and disadvantages, but planning a trip during the summer would reduce the likelihood of having to work past midnight to maintain alignment with European schedules.
I've written a guide on how to structure your day to get the most out of the time difference.
Without doubt, being able to speak Spanish with a degree of fluency is a huge asset when visiting South America. I had always put off visiting the continent due to my Spanish skills not extending beyond requesting a "cerveza grande".
But even with my incredibly primitive linguistic capabilities, it was not in any way to the detriment of the trip. English is spoken sparsely, but armed with a few phrases, some polite enthusiasm and a translator, it shouldn't deter you from visiting.
After spending 10 weeks speaking (limited) Spanish across the rest of the continent, I struggled arriving in Brazil.
While I was far from conversational in Spanish, I quickly realised when I stepped out of the airport my vocabulary didn't extend a single word beyond 'Obrigado!'.
In general, English is generally spoken incredibly sparsely. The most flowing interaction I had ended up being with an Uber driver where we periodically shouted out the names of Brazilian footballers playing in the English Premier League.
You can scrape by for a couple of weeks, but if you're planning on staying longer, I'd 100% recommend learning some basics to get the most out of the experience.
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Viewing the western skyline of the city from the ヒロマラボ coworking space, it's difficult to comprehend the scale of destruction that took place and the remarkable success of Hiroshima's recovery.
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A unique Japanese quirk seems to be the communal lending of umbrellas. It's not uncommon to see racks of these dotted around outdoor spaces. On the flip side - if you want to ensure yours returns, you may want to keep it in your bag.
Originally the 'Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall,' what is now known as the Atomic Bomb Dome is one of the few structures left standing in the hypocentre of the nuclear blast.
Given the instability in Argentina over the past few years, I found that most advice on key topics, even if written within the last 12 months, bordered on being dangerously outdated.
I have attempted to summarise some of the most misleading points I encountered.
Card availability is now excellent across the city. Even if you are purchasing a single empanada, bananas from a greengrocer, or buying cans of beer off a man in the street before a football match. Some businesses may offer a 10% discount if you use cash, or charge a small surcharge for card payments.
"It's difficult to get a SUBE card"
This was true in recent years, as there had been a shortage of the cards across the city due to a lack of the plastics needed to create the card. I had no problems going to the nearest off-licence and getting a card on my first attempt. It's worth asking your Airbnb host who may have a spare.
The biggest misconception that may still linger, even if you are reading articles from 2023. If planning on eating out heavily, then expect European prices or even higher on more imported day-to-day goods. Eating out aside, day-to-day expenses are still good value by global measures.
This advice would continue to make sense for Americans who already have dollars, but I wouldn't recommend making an effort to purchase with the intent of exchanging them on the ground. Collecting money via Western Union was convenient and good value, which I would recommend to anyone visiting from outside the US.
"Make sure you get the blue-dollar rate"
The dramatic stabilisation of the peso by late 2024 means that this difference is nowhere near as significant as it was 12 months ago. At the time of writing, there was only a 10% difference between the official and blue rate. If you are only in the city for a short period you may not even have to grapple with this.
"Restaurant service is poor"
I did see some evidence of this, especially in cheaper, traditional restaurants. In comical fashion, drinks would not appear or the bill would never materialise. In more contemporary outlets, it was never a problem.
"It is a football mad city"
There is absolutely no doubt that this is as true as ever in 2024.
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