Not sure if this has been covered before, which would you pick out of hiroshima or nagasaki if you had to choose one?

We've only been to Hiroshima: A-bomb dome, Peace Memorial Park, the museum... I don't know what there is is Nagasaki.

OMG I forgot Miyajima!! It's just across the bay and it's a beautiful one day destination all by itself.

I've been to both Nagasaki and Hiroshima. I liked the city and region of Nagasaki better than Hiroshima, although I confess that I did not have the chance to go to Miyajima, but, from the standpoint of seeing the sites of the A-bomb droppings, Hiroshima had a much more effective exhibit than Nagasaki. Hence, I would choose Hiroshima. ZZ

You can also see the Carps play baseball at the stadium in Hiroshima.

I haven't been to Nagasaki but I will be going in August, although that's no help to you now, I know.

If you select Hiroshima, try to get in touch with the World Friendship Center. They will arrange a tour of the peace museum (with lots of extra info that you wouldn't get on your own) and also a meeting with an atomic bomb survivor. This is all for free, although you probably should have small gifts for the guide and the atomic bomb survivor.

The World Friendship Center also offers very simple lodging for around $40/night. Haven't stayed there myself.

Personally, I think Hiroshima would be the better choice if you had to pick one, not only because of the above but also because you can take a day trip to Miyajima, which is stunning.

I cannot comment on Nagasaki beacause I have not been there (my friends told me it's great). However, Miyajima in Hiroshima is a divine and stunning place. I did not explore the rest of Hiroshima and so cannot comment either.

I've been to both.

The museums, I think, are equally moving. The park in Hiroshima is nicer. For historical reasons, the Hiroshima site is more easily accessible as it is downtown. The Nagasaki site is a bit away (only a few minutes, though) from the center of town and the hypocenter monument, the museum, and the park are separated by a very short walk.

Hirohsima is on the shinkansen line and is easily reached. It is near Miyajima, as others have pointed out, and is also not far by hydrofoil from Matsuyama.

Nagasaki can be accessed by air and by the Kamome Limited Express train (maybe the nicest L'Ex in Japan) from Hakata. It is a bit more remote than Hiroshima, but this is a good thing because it is off of the very well beaten track. I think that Lyndie is the only person who provided any report on this forum of traveling in the region (Shimabara peninsula).

Both cities are ports. I know that Hiroshima has local sightseeing cruises. Nagasaki has harbour cruises and more.

Nagasaki is the more attractive city with the harbor and the mountains. I went up to the lookout point but it was foggy that day. If you go to Nagasaki then go to that spot and (optionally) take the harbor cruise before going to the A-bomb museum. The immediate area of Hiroshima is flat, but if you can get a high point, maybe from your hotel, you should check out the geography. The museums address the scope of the physical destruction to some extent, but I think it is worthwhile to get a grasp of the area (important even, to gaining a better understanding of what happened). The human toll is far more important, of course, and is well presented in both museums.

None of what I have mentioned so far is enough to decide on one city over the other. The one thing that clinches the decision is the fact that Hiroshima has the <b>Genbaku Dome</b>.

And, of course, Hiroshima has the Carp: Maeda, Maeda .... Maeda!

Thanks very much for the responses guys, I was posting on my mums account.

I wonder if any of you have any suggestions for my other post, the best way to get from Tokyo to Takayama?

best way: take your JR Pass to a JR ticket counter in Tokyo and ask for reserved seats to Takayama. The agent will give you a res seat ticket on a shinkansen to Nagoya and another res seat ticket on the Hida limited express from there to Takayama.

Another option, I think, is to take a bus from Shinjuku. I saw a bus with a Shinjuku station destination sign at Hirayu Onsen, above Takayama, as I was getting on a bus to Takayama.

I expect it would take longer to go by bus.

I have been to both.
As for the A-bomb museum/park, Hiroshima is more extensive, but both moving nevertheless.

Nagasaki, being the entry point of the foreign culture, has something not found elsewhere in Japan. Here one can see Japan's attempt to assimilate foreign cultures as seen in buildings, cuisines as well as in religion (Catholics.)