I’m happy to say that the Hiroshima of today is a vibrant and bustling city as we found out after our visit to Peace Park. 

Our guide took us on a walk through the busy shopping district on our way to an Okonomiyaki dinner. A traditional dish of Hiroshima, it means “as you like it” and I’ve read it described as a Japanese pancake, pizza and omelet. A little outside my comfort zone…but I absolutely loved it. 

It’s cooked on a griddle in front of you and is customizable (hold the fried egg, please :-)). Mine consisted of a thin pancake with cabbage, bacon, kelp, corn, kimchi, sliced garlic, green onions topped with the special Okonomiyaki sauce. It was delicious. 

Afterwards our guide took us to a local sports bar where the group had a great time. One drink turned into 3 hours – a much needed release from the emotion of earlier in the day. And I learned a bit about the local baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp. They were started after the war and have a special bond with the city as they were created via donations from Hiroshima citizens rather than corporations which is typical of Japanese baseball. 

A great night to end an emotional day.