My name is Wakako. I was born and raised in Hiroshima.
I left when I was young — Edinburgh, Los Angeles, Tokyo. Years of living elsewhere, learning what it means to miss a place without quite admitting it.
When I came back, I exhaled. After Edinburgh, after Los Angeles, after Tokyo — Hiroshima felt like meeting an old friend. No catching up needed. No explanation. We simply started from where we left off. This is home.
I walk this city the way you move through a place that belongs to you. Not as a visitor looking in, but as someone who is part of it — the rivers, the side streets, the hills where almost no one goes.
I am not a travel writer. I am someone who lives here, walks here, and is still discovering what this city holds. I write for travellers who want more than a checklist. Who are willing to slow down, stay longer, and let Hiroshima find them.
This is my slow journal. I am glad you are here.