Hiroshima Washington Hotel

Rooms and decor

The Hiroshima Washington Hotel is a 14-floor blue building in the Shintenchi district, and it opened in 2013 with a simple, modern fit-out. The Standard Double runs 18 sqm on the 10th floor — small in the Japanese business-hotel mould, but well laid out, with a 140 cm double bed, a work desk, a fridge, and a 32-inch LED TV. The bathroom is a unit-bath setup with a Toto Washlet. The standout is the deep soaking tub: 60 cm deep against the usual 40 cm, so the water reaches your shoulders. Run it hot at 40°C and it does a lot to loosen up your legs after a day around Peace Park — about as close to an onsen as you'll get in your room. The bedding is good quality and the free Wi-Fi is fast.

Food and amenities

The heart of this place is Okonomimura, the 4-floor okonomiyaki complex with 25 shops sitting right behind the hotel — a 30-second walk. Hiroshima okonomiyaki differs from the Osaka version in that it's layered: cabbage, then noodles, egg, more veg, shrimp or pork, all finished with thick, dark-sweet Otafuku sauce. Guests have worked through five shops in three days — Hassei on floor 2 (about $8), Misokin on floor 3 (about $9, with shellfish), and Tsuruchan on floor 4 (about $7, with local oysters). Every shop's chef cooks it fresh in front of you on a hot iron griddle — a genuine show, and genuinely good. The buffet breakfast runs about $10 and includes a small Hiroshima okonomiyaki.

Location and getting there

The Washington sits in central Shintenchi — a 3-minute walk to the Hondori Shopping Arcade and 10 minutes (about 800 metres) to Peace Memorial Park, most of it under cover through Hondori, which is a real plus when it rains. Walk Peace Park at 8 am before the crowds and you'll get a close look at the Atomic Bomb Dome; budget about 3 hours to also see the Peace Memorial Museum (around $1.30). For Miyajima, take the Hatchobori tram for 3 minutes, switch to the JR Sanyo Line for 25 minutes, then the ferry for 10 minutes — about 50 minutes all in. From JR Hiroshima Station, it's the Hiroden tram line #1, roughly 12 minutes (about $1.50) to the Hatchobori stop, then another 200 metres on foot.

Things to know before booking

This is a 3-star, so set your expectations accordingly. Standard rooms are 18 sqm — small, business-hotel size, with no room to spread out. There's no Sky Lounge and no onsen, the kind of extras you'd find at a place like the Mitsui Garden, and no swimming pool. It also sits 2 km from JR Hiroshima Station, so you'll need a tram to reach the bullet trains rather than walking. None of that is a dealbreaker if you came for the food and a comfortable soak — just know what you're booking.

Our take

The Hiroshima Washington Hotel is the foodie's pick — it backs onto Okonomimura, a 4-floor complex with 25 okonomiyaki shops, every room has a deep soaking tub, and it's central in Shintenchi from about $71 a night. At 8.6/10, it suits foodies, solo travelers, and budget-minded couples who want okonomiyaki at every meal — a hotel where 25 shops sit within a one-minute walk.