The name Hiroshima will forever evoke images of devastating events, but the city is so much more than its museums and memorials. To get a full picture of the friendly, vibrant Hiroshima of today is to see it through the eyes of someone who lives here – so who better give you a crash course in navigating all its sides than a local host? Jostle through Hondori shopping arcade, a small slice of big city life, with trendy coffee shops and crowded stores, and take a serene stroll through 400-year-old Shukkei-en garden, a survivor of the atomic bomb. Hiroshima Castle is a trove of treasures once belonging to samurai lords, while the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome are must-sees to fully comprehend Hiroshima’s strength and resilience.

With your local insider as your choice GPS, guidebook, and Google, you’ll get to grips with central Hiroshima – an energetic hub of friendly locals, pristine parks, tightly-packed sake bars, and plenty of Okonomiyaki (savory pancake) restaurants serving Hiroshima’s “soul food”. Shop for souvenirs and survey the city from Orizuru Tower, then, at the north end of an island formed by two rivers – Ota and Motoyasu – see the Peace Memorial Park, where survivors of the attack are eager to share their stories. Between these two distinct sides of Hiroshima, you’ll learn to see the city through a local lens, appreciating both present-day Hiroshima’s thriving cosmopolitan community and the extreme difficulties its people have overcome to get here.