Dec 29(Tue)～Jan 3(Tue) !!! Closed Periods for the New year Holidays !!!!

Peace Memorial Museum Dec. 29 - Jan. 2
広島平和記念資料館 12月29日-1月2日

* The park will be opened all day and you can still see the Atomic Bomb Dome.

＊平和公園は24時間開放されていますので、原爆ドームは見ることができます。
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Shukkei-en Garden Dec. 29. Jan2.Jan. 3
縮景園 ★（Opened) Jan.1　/9：00～17：00
12月29日　1月2日、3日 　　　　　　　 ＊1月1日は通常通り開9：00～17：00
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Prefectual Art Museum Dec. 25 - Jan. 1.Jan.3
広島県立美術館 ★（Opened)Jan.2and 3 /9:00～17:00
12月25日-1月1日
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Contemporary Art Museum Dec. 28 - Jan. 4
広島現代美術館 12月28日-1月4日
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Hiroshima Museum of Art Dec. 29 - Jan. 2
ひろしま美術館 12月29日-1月2日
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Hiroshima Castle Dec. 29th - Jan. 2nd
広島城 12月29日-1月2日
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Mazuda Museum Dec. 26th - Jan. 5th
ﾏﾂﾀﾞ　ﾐｭｰｼﾞｱﾑ 12月26日-1月5日
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☆Post office Chuo Post office （Opened) Dec. 31 （0:05－22:00）- Jan. 1.2.3（0:05－20:00） 中央・十日市郵便局 Toukaichi Post office （Opened) Dec. 31Jan1 （8:00－21:00）- Jan.2.3（9:00－17:00）

Dec 25 (Fri) Christmas Party at HANA HOSTEL ♪

We are having Christmas Party at Hana Hostel on the 25th of December!

We will serve some foods and Sake etc...

Let's spend a great time with staff and guests and have a chat!
It will be fun!!


Date-25th of December
Time-19:00～
Meet in the living room!!

Nov 18 (Fri)～Nov 20(Sun) Ebisu Shrine's autumn festival!!

Dates/Times:18 November - 20 November

20 min walk from Hana hostel!!












Ebisu Shrine's autumn festival marks the arrival of winter in Hiroshima. Known among locals as Ebessan after the god of commerce, surrounding stores hold sales and buy who Komazarae bamboo rakes adorned with gold coins and a treasure ship. A large keg with mouth wide open is placed in front of the shrine to receive offerings.


The festival usually pulls in around 300,000 people.


Usually on one day final day the main Chuo-dori road is closed to traffic for 3 hours between 7pm and 10pm and addition to all the stalls and activity arund Ebisu shrine there are two stages set up, one at the Ebisu-dori intersection and another at the Shintenchi intersection where kagura dance and taiko drum performances are held.



Address:In the streets surrounding Ebisu ShrineBehind the Hachobori Tenmaya



***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

The foliage season is coming

From the end of October to the beginning of November,

the leaves start to change colors all over in Japan.
Some of the places in Japan has already started.

One of my favorite leaves are the maple leaves.



To see the beautiful colored leaves in Hiroshima,
I'd like to reccomend
Miyajima, Shukkeien garden, and Sandan-kyo
(the place I've recommended in my last blog).

***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Saijyo Sake Festival !!

The Sake Festival will be held in Saijo town this weekend, 10th and 11th of October.

In Saijo there are many sake breweries, one of the towns in Japan famous for the production of sake. You can go around the breweries and enjoy sake tasting.

In the Sake Hiroba, you can get your own little cup with 1300yen (1600yen on the day), and participants can taste about 900 different samples of sake from all over Japan.

(There is no re-admission to the Sake Hiroba, so if you want to do tour the breweries and go around the back streets, you should probably do that first.)

Each sake brewery also hosts various elaborate events, such as concerts at the brewery, and more than 200,000 tourists take part in the festivities.

[Dates/Times]

The main site of the festival
10th of October (Sat.) 10:45-21:00
11th of October (Sun.) 9:50-17:00

The Sake Hiroba
10th of October (Sat.) 11:00-20:00
11th of October (Sun.) 10:00-17:00

[Access]

by JR train
From Hiroshima station, take the JR Sanyo Line and get off at Saijo station, it'll take about 30min, and the fare is 570yen.



View Larger Map

[Contact]

E-mail： sakematsur★hh-kanko.ne.jp (★ as @)
TEL：082-420-0330
FAX：082-420-0329
(9:00-17:00)

[Web-site]

The official web site doesn't have English web page yet, so please check the translated web site as follow:

Saijo Sake Festival (translated by Excite Japan)




***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Oct 5 MIYOSHI'S UNKAI (sea cloud)

Hi there!!
October has come ,and the weather has suddenly become cooler,looking more like Autumn.

I recommend a beautiful place in the Autumn season in Hiroshima.

it is MIYOSHI'S UNKAI(sea cloud).
In MIYOSHI,we can sometimes see the sea cloud from Autumn to Spring.
it has been said that it is due to a difference of temperature between day and night.

You can see Miyoshi town under the sea cloud.

The sun is coming up brightly.

The sun is appearing.

The town covered with see cloud.
It is sooo mystic! great view ,isn't it?

It takes about 1 hour by car from Hiroshima to Miyoshi.
And also you can go there by JR train.
It takes about 1 hour 30 min (1280 yen one way).

Temperatures and the amount of clouds vary from day to day.
so you will never see the same one.

Visit to Hiroshima and enjoy the coming Autumn!


***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Sandan-kyo

I visited Sandan-kyo to see the waterfall.

Sandan-kyo is famous for waterfall and for the beautiful colored leaves,

so a lot of people visit here in the autumn.

To see the waterfall, you need to take a boat.
The water is so clear that you can even see 7 meters below!!

Through the rock...

Here is the waterfall.

This waterfall used to be a 2 step waterfall.
Because of the landslides, it changed to 1 step.


To get to this place, you can take the bus from Hiroshima Bus Center.
It takes about 2 hours by local line bus
and the fare is 1200yen.

***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

" HANABI "

Hello!

Fireworks displays are held all over Japan in the summer (well not only summer).
We call fireworks " HANABI ".


There will be a firework display tomorrow at Kure which is 40mins. from
Hiroshima station. They will shoot off the fireworks over the sea.


Also, there will be another big firework display at Miyajima on the 14th of August.
This is an under water fireworks.


You can also enjoy fireworks at home. There're many kinds of fireworks
in Japan. They sell it everywhere in the summer time.

But be careful!!


***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

They always lose!

This picture was taken in the old market near Hiroshima Station. It is also very close to Hana Hostel, Hiroshima. Taken is a Tea leaves&Coffee beans store. I like the two paintings displayed in front of the store, and they are replaced to diffenrent paintings depending on the season. I often see them on the way to work. If you see the road in front of the place, it is painted in red showing that it is a part of the way to the Mazda Stadium (Hiroshima Carp's new home ground).

Last Sunday, I had a chance to go see a baseball game at the Mazda stadium, Carp's against the Dragons, with a coleague from work. Although it was boiling hot in the afternoon at the stadium, and although the Carp was overrun by two consecutive homeruns in the 4th inning, we stayed until the 9th to watch the game, anticipating that they would somehow win in the end. Well, they lost. And they are likely to lose every time you go watch the game.

But, as my coleague remarked "It's OK for the fans to watch them lose. It's one of the reasons we go and see the game, too! The love the Carp fans have for their team is ultimate.", it's worth seeing a Carp's game, even though they lose.


***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Off the beaten track

If you walk toward downtown from Hiroshima station, you might encounter the steeple of Noborimachi Cathedral. But you should not take the way along the major tram track, though.
You might even hear the bell tolling if you walk by this place at certain hours. To some, it is a familiar scene, maybe too usual and obsolete.

The church, featuring a pipe organ, is said to have a great sound rendering structure compared to other church buildings in Japan. Live pipe organ concert is held monthly on every first Sunday of the month at 4:00 PM. And the coming concert is on the 7th of June. Each time, a different prestigious organist is playing for this event.


***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

May 9 New Stadium has been OPEN!!!!

April 10th, the day eventually arrived!!!

While watching our local news, I knew the process of the new stadium but it was much more quickly than I expected. The date which I am writing now is May 1st, but I feel the opening day is just like yesterday.

Thanks a lot for coming from far away and and making the "great opening" mood.

Hope to see you all again pretty soon!





***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Cherry blossoms in Iwakuni Kintai-kyo

Hi, this is Kumi!
This is my first time posting in this blog.

Today I want to introduce every about a place called Kintai-kyo in Iwakuni.
Iwakuni is one of a big city in Yamaguchi prefecture. You can get there by
JR train from Hiroshima sta. to Iwakuni sta. and take a bus.

This place is nice to see at all times of the year.
Now is the season to see SAKURA the cherry blossoms.

Yesterday I went there with my friend. It wasn't blown 100% but
it was really nice!


***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

Lobby Renewal

Lobby in front of the front desk was renewed on the 8th of February.

The renewed lobby features a set of sofa and a table which allow guests to relax on the first floor besides the living room; whether doing internet with one's own computer or having tea with the fellow travellers.
Come and enjoy staying at Hana Hostel in Hiroshima!

***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***

The Great Seto Bridge and Sanuki Udon.

I am a great fun of Sanuki Udon since I had a real Udon in Kagawa Pref.

Sanuki is a region name in Kagawa.

There are so many Udon restaurants and they serve a great Udon at a low price!

For small dish of Udon is only 250yen. Actually, small dish is not so small. See the picture as bellow. This is small size. Do you think it is small?

One more travel tips!

We drove on the highway for 2.5 hours to get Kagawa Pref.
There is a big bridge, called "Seto ohashi" between Okayama and Kagawa Pref.

At 13.1 km long, it ranks as the world's longest two-tiered bridge system.

The bridges carry two lanes of highway traffic in each direction on the upper deck and one railway track in each direction (Seto-Ōhashi Line) on the lower deck.

You will see the Seto Inland sea and lots of lovely small Islands from the bridge!

Especially night time...the view from a parking area was soooo beautiful!!

If you have got a Japan Rail Pass, you can get the train for free from Okayama Station to Kagawa Pref.

If you would visit Kagawa, please taste a great Sanuki Udon!!

***Budget Accommodation in Hiroshima "Hana Hostel"***