Hiroshima with preschoolers (4–6) 4 spots
Hiroshima sits on a calm inland sea. Miyajima's shrine gate stands in the water, afloat at high tide and walkable at low tide, and the okonomiyaki is built up with noodles on a griddle in front of you.
Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park
A zoo of eight zones, with one of the world's best black rhino breeding rates.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
Miyajima Public Aquarium (Miyajima Marine)
An aquarium built around the Seto Inland Sea, with 380 species in its tanks.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
A hilltop garden between Hiroshima and Miyajima, where 10,000 kinds of plant grow.
Stroller OK · Nursing room · Changing table · checked Aug ’26
An oyster restaurant on Miyajima's main street that claims Japan's first grilled oysters.
checked Aug ’26
At Panda Ai Way you can look at the soles of the feet — a place to walk to with a purpose, to see the part you never normally see. Rhino Terrace holds black rhinos from one of the world's most successful breeding programmes. On Saturdays the giant salamander conservation facility hosts Talk with a Keeper Saturday, where a child can ask a keeper directly.The visit is a walk through eight zones; the stretch from Peachiku Park to the West Garden is hilly and the electric cart that used to run it is suspended, so allow for the distance and go in soon after the 9:00 opening. Last entry 16:00, closing 16:30. Some animals are off display or restricted because of redevelopment work and animal health management, so if your child has one animal in mind, check the park's notices first. In 2026 the Saturdays from 8 August to 12 September are Night Safari days, when the West Garden area closes after 16:30. Admission is free for infants and elementary and junior high students, 510 yen for adults, and parking is 450 yen. The restaurant and shops inside are cash only.
At weekends and on public holidays, Otter Touch Time lets a child touch an Asian small-clawed otter, and after the 13:00 sea lion show there are photos with the sea lion. At Archerfish Shooting Time you watch an archerfish take aim and shoot down food above the water. At the Setouchi Laboratory on the ground floor, the Fun Creature Lecture has a keeper talking about the animals.Otter Touch Time is capped, and you have to take a reservation card put out near the Fureai Hiroba around 15:00 — decide in advance who goes for it and when. The sea lion show can be capacity-limited when busy, so take a seat early. The backyard on the Feeding & Backyard Tour has stairs. Event times can change or be cancelled. Admission is 400 yen for a child aged four to pre-school, free under four, and tickets are cash only. Until 30 November there is a joint stamp rally with Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park — collect a stamp at both and you get an original badge. The aquarium is closed from 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2027.
In the Great Greenhouse a child sees bananas, cacao and coffee growing as trees. It is one of the largest in the Chugoku-Shikoku region, with about 700 species and 5,000 plants, including Japan's finest Australian baobab. North of the tropical water lily house is a carnivorous plant corner. The two lawn areas take running and ball games, and there are events aimed at young children, such as the giant water lily ride and Forest Kindergarten.All of it takes three hours across 18.3 hectares, so choose from the one-, two- and three-hour suggested routes. Ball games are fine on the lawn areas, though hard balls that could hurt someone are asked to be left out. Insect collecting is not allowed and nets and cages may not be brought in. Free volunteer guided walks run 13:30 to 15:20 at weekends and on public holidays, but the regular guides are suspended for July to September 2026. Admission is free for pre-school and for elementary and junior high students, 510 yen for adults, and parking is 450 yen. Closed on Fridays unless the Friday is a public holiday; last entry 16:00.
Any udon can be swapped for soba and any soba for udon, so a child picks between tempura udon at 1,200 yen and cold zaru soba at 900. The fried chicken at 950 yen and the fries at 700 are dishes to share around. Grilled oysters are 1,500 yen for two — three-year-old Jigozen oysters, started on the grill out front only after you order.The Miyajima visitor tax is waived for preschool children but costs 100 yen per person per visit from primary school age up. The ferry company collects it on top of the fare, so there is no separate payment queue at the port; an annual pass is 500 yen per person per year. The restaurant is about 8 minutes' walk from Miyajima port, near the middle of the Omotesando shopping street. A sister shop, CAFE HAYASHIYA, is about a minute away on Machiya-dori, but it is a different business with its own website — do not mix up its hours and closing days with these.