Hatchobori

Hatchobori is one of the principal commercial districts of central Hiroshima, a bustling quarter of department stores, shops and offices that forms the eastern anchor of the city's downtown shopping zone. Its name, meaning 'eight-block moat', recalls the waterways of the old castle town that once stood here, though today it is thoroughly modern - a place of big retailers, busy pavements and a major tram junction that makes it one of the key crossroads of the city.

The district is dominated by large department stores and shopping complexes clustered around the intersection where several of Hiroshima's tram lines meet. These stores are destinations in themselves, with fashion floors, homeware, specialty goods and, crucially, the food halls in their basements - the depachika - which are among the best places in the city to buy beautifully prepared takeaway meals, boxed sweets, bento and regional delicacies at reasonable prices. For visitors, a wander through a Hiroshima depachika is both a practical way to eat well and an entertaining introduction to Japanese food culture.

Hatchobori connects directly to the neighbouring districts of Kamiyacho and to the great Hondori arcade, so that the whole central shopping area - covered arcades, department stores and underground malls - flows together into one continuous, walkable expanse. You can drift from the sheltered length of Hondori into the department stores of Hatchobori and on to the office towers and shops of Kamiyacho without ever really leaving the downtown core. This makes the area the natural commercial heart of the city, busy with shoppers, workers and students throughout the day.

The district's role as a tram hub is one of its most useful features for travellers. Hiroshima's streetcar network - one of the most extensive surviving tram systems in Japan, itself a piece of living history - converges here, and Hatchobori is a key transfer point for trams heading out to Miyajimaguchi and the ferry to Miyajima, back to Hiroshima Station, or across to the Peace Memorial Park. Basing yourself in or near Hatchobori therefore puts the whole city within easy, cheap reach by streetcar.

The experience here is urban, easy and flat, centred on shopping, eating and people-watching rather than sightseeing. There are no historic monuments in the district itself; its appeal is the everyday energy of a big-city commercial centre and its excellent food and shopping. It is at its liveliest in the afternoon and early evening, and its restaurants and izakaya keep it busy after dark. For anyone spending a night or two in Hiroshima, it is a convenient and lively place to shop, dine and catch a tram onward.

Getting there is simple: Hatchobori is a major stop on Hiroshima's tram network, with frequent streetcars from Hiroshima Station, the Peace Park and beyond, and it is a short walk from the eastern end of the Hondori arcade. Treat it as the practical, well-connected heart of downtown - a place to stock up on depachika treats, do some shopping and use as your springboard around the city.