Day 1

The world was forever changed when the atomic bomb detonated over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Mark a powerful beginning to your peace-related exploration by paying your respects to the souls of the dead at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park cenotaph at 8:15 AM, the time the bomb was dropped. The adjacent museum offers deep insight into the suffering experienced by hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) through photos, commentary, and objects salvaged from the blast.

Photo by Joachim Ducos

Feel the pulse of the city by sampling the local soul food, okonomiyaki. For an international twist, try an award-winning version at Okonomiyaki Lopez, featuring fiery jalapeños. See outdoor art installations at the tranquil hilltop Hijiyama Park, then hike up Mount Misen on the sacred island of Miyajima for spectacular ocean views. To get a head start on Day Two, drive to the halfway point: Kitakyushu, gateway to the Kyushu islands. Consider visiting the retro town of Mojiko, on Kyushu’s northeastern tip, which has a vibrant history as a thriving international port in the early twentieth century.

Courtesy of Hiroshima Prefecture

Walk up Mount Hanaoka, located behind Kumamoto station, to visit its Peace Pagoda. This is the first such monument in the world, built in 1954 by Japanese monk Nichidatsu Fujii following his meeting with Indian peace devotee Mahatma Ghandi. There are now 80 Peace Pagodas worldwide, including in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Another special place to visit is the former residence of Greek-Irish writer Lafcadio Hearn (known in Japanese as Koizumi Yakumo), famous for his portrayals of ghost stories and the underworld in Japan—his adopted home—during the late 1800s.

Photo by Kumamoto city

Day 3

Boyokaku features stylish touches such as chalk art recounting local history and culture, and artfully presented meals in its Horizonte restaurant (a nod to the region’s Portuguese influence). After breakfast, enjoy a morning swim in the pool, followed by a restorative onsen bath. According to hotel proprietor Keiko Fujimoto, the local waters of Shimoda are very soft on the skin, at the perfect temperature for long soaks.

Visit Sakitsu Church to explore the fraught history of “Hidden Christians”, who fled to the islands to secretly practice their faith during an Edo-era ban on Christianity. Enforcers of the ban included Lord Kato Kiyomasa, who in addition to building castles, was a staunch anti-Christian militarist. However, Fujimoto pointed out that people of different faiths had co-existed harmoniously in Amakusa, where local residents refused to turn in their Christian neighbors despite being offered enormous rewards.

After reaching the city of Nagasaki, have lunch in Chinatown, established by the city’s Chinese traders. Your final destination for understanding the region’s Hidden Christians is Oura Church, which houses a comprehensive exhibition recounting this extraordinary history. Christians were blamed—and foreign missionaries purged—following the 1630s Shimabara Rebellion, which was in fact a response to heavy taxation. Although they faced severe punishment or death for practicing their faith, Christians nevertheless found ways to worship in secret, such as transposing the Virgin Mary onto seashells.

Day 5

As the second city to have suffered an atomic bombing, Nagasaki also has its own dedicated Peace Museum. Before you enter the museum itself, you will have the visceral experience of traveling back in history as you descend a spiral staircase counting down to August 9, 1945, when the bomb was dropped at 11:02 AM. Inside, stark imagery and artifacts impart the enormity of what was lost: video footage of the billowing mushroom cloud over the city; fragments from a destroyed church and elementary school near the epicenter; poetry from anguished survivors.