Today started with a farewell brunch from Jon and Connie’s wedding (at a place in the resort called Manza Pizza). Not gonna lie, food was meh, so not leaving a review on my food blog lol. Said a few good bye’s then checked out of the resort.
Then went ahead and returned the rental car to Avis. First filled up gas (which ended up being a 10 minute detour since Google and Apple Maps were failing to locate all the gas stations). When returning the rental car, they asked for the gas station receipt. They mentioned I needed to fill up within 5 km of Avis (I filled up 20 km, basically where it was most convenient for driving). Good to know for next time that they asked for gas receipts as proof. And the shuttle service to the airport was fairly smooth (came within 10 minutes).
At OKA airport, I actually had a good amount of time for my flight so I used the ANA lounge. It looked very classy, but food was basic (they did have at least latte’s and whisky plus few basic snacks).
Landing in Hiroshima (HIJ), airport seems fairly small. One thing I didn’t factor in is that it is one hour taxi ride from the airport! Tried using uber to hail a taxi but that did not work. Fortunately there are taxi’s that are on stand by and good to head there (around $130 one way!). Alternative is there is an airport shuttle to Hiroshima Shinkensen station. However could not figure out where the pick up point in the airport was.
Checked in ANA Crown Plaza Hiroshima, and again my IHG status hooked me up with a free traditional Japanese breakfast, a higher floor, and late check out.
After sleeping for two hours, decided to explore around in the neighborhood I was staying at called Nagarekawa / Hatchobori / Hondori. First stop was to grab dinner trying the Hiroshima style Okinomiyaki. The famous building that has 4 stories dedicated to this food is called Okonomimura. Unfortunately all the eateries were closed past 10pm, so walked a little bit and found another spot. Restaurant is called Henkutsuya Horikawa. Details can be found here:
Henkutsuya Horikawa
After decided to go to a speakeasy that was recommended by various internet sources and ChatGPT. I will say really glad I ended up going there. Details can be found here:
https://food.johnmatienzo.com/2026/04/22/bar-alegre/
And that wraps up the night.
