12 months on from our last trip to Hiroshima and we were back but this time things were a bit different and not in a good way.

At the start of the year beloved family dog Cocoa sadly passed away and his absence was felt immediately on arrival at my parents-in-law’s apartment. He really was a wonderful dog and spending time with him was always a great pleasure so it was really sad to not be greeted this time by the sight of him happily wagging his little tail in excitement at seeing us.

As ever there was a fair amount of family stuff going on but this post will detail the best of the rest of the action which began soon after our arrival at lunchtime with a dog walk to a local secluded beach-of-sorts. I’m not sure if I would like to lie on the sand or swim in the sea but do love going there with the dog as it’s a stretch that barely anyone else visits.

It does offer some pleasant views given the right angle and an ability to cut out the eye-sore parts in pictures!

Maybe the reason few people go there is not just that it’s located on the other side of a busy highway but because of all the snakes that are supposedly present!

Late afternoon we went to Miyajima but not to visit the world-renowned island and its famous floating torii gate. Together with my mother-in-law, we ended up having dinner at a place called Miyajima Cafe which is one of the many places that have popped up in recent years to cater to the huge increase in foreign tourists.

Miyajima is famed for its oysters but I’m not sure how authentic the Miyajima Oyster Burger is!

Bona fide or not, it was still very nice!

A new month began in May with a trip to the awesome bb-geek gallery and cafe which was fantastic. I first visited a few years ago to see the many Star Wars exhibits but now I go back each time for the great food, atmosphere and to see the wonderful owner.

Later that evening I stopped by a Uniqlo store in Hiroshima station to purchase one of the four new t-shirt designs which were released that day. This has become something of a tradition in the last few years for me and ‘The Mandalorian & Grogu‘ one I bought (1,990 yen) typically got soiled not long after putting it on the following day when I had to pick up our dog suddenly. His paws were a little dirty so it was stained almost instantly!

Baseball at Mazda Zoom Zoom Stadium followed as I went to see a Central League game between Hiroshima Carp and Chuninchi Dragons. As ever with English signage in Japan, a quick check of the spelling escaped the person making it!

Just over 27,000 fans were present to see an entertaining 7-3 for the home team in a game that lasted just shy of four hours! I arrived fashionably late and left a bit early too which helped me avoid the majority of the home runs!! That’s fine with me as I’m not such a big fan of the sport and only go for the atmosphere and occasion.

There was more sport the next day in the afternoon but this time it was my debut at Hiroshima Sun Plaza Hall for basketball. I’ve been trying to see Hiroshima Dragonflies in a home game for a few years but it’s just not been possible due to family commitments or tickets being sold out. This time I booked tickets way in advance for a couple of days hoping that I’d be able to go to at least one.

It’s a bit of a risk and a few thousand yen is lost but it’s worth it for me to guarantee a seat during my limited time in the area. More details here.

Just outside the arena in Seibuumetate Daigo Park is an Arc de Triomphe-style piece of architecture.

A little further down the road is the interesting-looking WoodEgg Okonomiyaki Museum building where my mother-in-law once took part in an okonomiyaki cooking lesson.

The next day was my big, long day out in Kitakyushu which has been well documented in posts about interesting playground structures, the football stadium by the sea, art and toilet museums, and the search for an elusive giant goddess statue. Thankfully I had a bit of time to recover the following morning and make up for lost time from the previous day by spending it all with our dog who experienced the delights of a swivel chair for the first time ever!

Our time in Hiroshima came to an end after four nights but that wasn’t the end of our trip as there was more family business to take care of in Kyoto.

This trip to Hiroshima was the first time to not include any of the famous things that most visitors experience (A-Bomb Dome, Miyajima island, okonomiyaki) in the city but that’s absolutely fine with me and I’m more than happy to see a side that many visitors don’t get to see. On the other hand, you might easily say that such local life and lesser sights is what they don’t want to see!

Click here to read ‘6 Days in Hiroshima: A Messy Poop, Live Sport, A Secluded Beach, The Shortest Mountain & The Slowest Bullet Train!’

Click here to read ‘A Great Atmosphere for My 1st Time Inside Japan’s Newest Topflight Stadium’

Click here to read ‘5 Nights In Hiroshima: A Local Retro Game Centre, Japan’s Newest Topflight Football Stadium, A Great Value Meal, Live Baseball, A Splendid Waterfall, A Hidden Pop-Culture Cafe & Quality Family Time!’

Click here to read ‘8 Days in Hiroshima: A Milk Carton Building, A Star Wars Cafe, Abandoned Stations, Snowy Hot Springs, Japan’s Best Value Meal, Train Trips, Waterfalls, Boat Race, Family Time & More!’