People in Hiroshima, People to Hiroshima: Hiroshima City View: Hacchou-bori (八丁堀)

Hacchou-bori is the city central in Hiroshima. It is the central for business and commerce.
Comparing to Kamiya-cho, also major for business and commerce and 10min from Hacchou-bori, Hacchou-bori is more local and popular. Several department stores and shops are in there, as well as restaurants.

Hacchou-bori is the keystone for major area in Hiroshima city. It is 10min from Kamiya-cho and Hiroshima Station (広島駅) by Tram "Hiroden" (路面電車 "広電"). Hon-dori and Namiki-dori, 2 major shopping area, are 5min walk from Haccho-bori, and Nagarekawa, amusement area, is also 5min. Tram "Hiroden" Hacchou-bori stop is the most accessible stop for those area.

Hacchou-bori is filled with people, ladies in weekday evening, young business-men on Friday night, and students and young people on holiday. People to buy foodstuffs for dinner, to get dring, to look apparel and just walk. Having festival in city central or baseball game in "MAZDA Zoom-Zoom Stadium Hiroshima", Hacchou-bori shows different color in every single night.

Since no JR station in Hacchou-bori, you need to use tram, bus or taxi to get there. It will take 15-20min by walk from Hiroshima JR station. You can get the route map from Hiroden web site.
http://www.hiroden.co.jp/en/

Golden moment in Hacchou-bori is evening, 5pm-8pm. Especially, at the time of festival, Toukasan in June and Ebessan in November, it gets sooooo crowded. Many open-air stalls are coming. Hacchou-bori corner is the most major meeting place and the hardest place to find.

Blooming Magnolia is very beautiful in early spring. It gets warmer and people, having shopping bags, are walking around for dinner place. Cream-colored flower is calling the spring coming and should make you feel happy for the night.
Fallen season may not be so characteristic than expected, unfortunatelly.

Magnolia bloom in Chuo-dori, central avenue, running through Hacchou-bori.

Now, Hacchou-bori is changing. One of the major department store, Tenmaya, is to be replaced by electronics store.
Hacchou-bori faces the difficulty to keep its characteristic with satisfying consumer's expectation. Many old local stores have closed in a past decade, while many new chain stores have opened. Hacchou-bori was famous for the movie theater 20 years ago, but now, most of them have closed already.

As wrote above, Hacchou-bori is local and popular. People in Hiroshima love this town and are proud of the bustle in Hacchou-bori corner. Hacchou-bori is believed to become more attractive town.
The another major local department store, Fukuya, standing at the Hacchou-bori corner, plays a big role for that.

No major hotel in Hacchou-bori, actually. ANA crown plaza, Tokyu-Inn, Oriental Hotel, Mitsui Garden Hotel are all 10-15min walk from Hacchou-bori.