
Hiroshima was founded in 1589 on the delta formed by the
Ota River, flowing out to the Seto Inland Sea. It became
a major industrial center and one of Japan's larger cities
in the Meiji period. During World War II, when the first
atomic bomb exploded over Hiroshima on 6 Aug 1945 the city
became an immediate symbol for the horrors of war. Today
Hiroshima (pop. 1 086 000) has several moving reminders
of that day of utter devastation.
Hiroshima (広島) is an industrial city of wide boulevards,
criss-crossing rivers and a dense city center. It is located
along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea in the western Chugoku
region of Japan. Although many only know it for the horrific
split second on August 6, 1945, when it became the site
of the world's first atomic bomb attack, it is now a modern,
cosmopolitan city with a lot of great food and nightlife.
Sightseeing:
Atomic bombing:
The following memorials related to the bombing are all clustered
in Peace Memorial Park (平和公園 Heiwa-kōen), reachable
by tram line 2 or 6 to Genbaku Domu-mae. Coming
from JR Hiroshima Station, you'll see the Peace Park on
your left and the baseball stadium on your right, just before
crossing the Aioi Bridge - which was thought to be the target
of the atomic bomb.
The International Exchange Office: near the center of the
Peace Park can provide English-language information about
any of the many statues and memorials that are dotted throughout
the park.
- Hiroshima Peace Memorial. Better known as the A-Bomb
Dome (原爆ドーム Genbaku Dōmu) is Hiroshima's best-known
symbol. Formerly the Prefectural Industrial Promotional
Hall, it was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel
and completed in 1915. The fanciful green dome in particular
made the building a much-loved symbol in Hiroshima before
the war. When the atomic bomb was dropped on August
6, 1945, the explosion is thought to have taken place
almost directly above the building. Its skeletal remains
were among the few buildings left standing in the entire
city. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in
1996 amid some controversy - the United States and China
both voted against the nomination for reasons related
to the war, and some Japanese continue to find it a
disturbing sight. It has become a symbol of the city
once again, though, and the benches around the building
are as likely to be occupied by Hiroshima natives reading,
eating lunch or simply relaxing as they are by tourists.
- Peace Memorial Museum (平和記念資料館 Heiwa Kinen Shiryōkan)
(March - Nov. 8:30am to 6pm, Dec. - Feb. to 5pm, Aug.
to 7pm. Closed 12/29 - 1/1). This heart-wrenching museum
documents the bomb and its aftermath, complete with
scale models of "before" and "after", melted children's
tricycles and a harrowing recreation of a post-blast
Hiroshima street. The first floor describes the events
leading up to the bomb and attempts to give a sense
of what Hiroshima was like before the war. The second
floor contains a number of displays and artifacts related
to the day of the bombing. Some of these are extremely
graphic, evocative and - consequently - disturbing.
The rest of the museum describes the post-war struggles
of the hibakusha (bomb survivors) and the state
of nuclear weapons in the world today. Entry costs a
token ¥50, and audio guides are available for an additional
donation. Be warned: a visit here, while by all means
worthwhile, will ruin your day. Allow plenty
of time afterward to decompress. Shukkeien (below) is
a good destination for that purpose.
- The Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims is a saddle-shaped
concrete memorial containing the names of persons who
died from the bombing, "regardless of nationality".
Under the arch is a flame which, it is said, will not
be extinguished until the last nuclear weapons are gone
from the earth. Beyond the cenotaph is a pond leading
toward the A-Bomb Dome.
- Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic
Bomb Victims.Next to the Cenotaph, this museum is dedicated
collecting names and photographs of people who died
in the blast. The entrance of the museum leads downward
to a quiet hall for contemplation, and then back up
again, to a set of kiosks with compelling stories and
recollections from survivors (in English and Japanese).
- Statue of the A-Bomb Children. Perennially draped
in thousands and thousands of origami paper
cranes, folded by schoolchildren across Japan in memory
of bomb victim Sadako Sasaki. Dying of leukemia in 1954,
she was told an old folk tale according to which anybody
who folds over 1000 cranes will have her wish come true;
she managed 642 before her death in 1955 at the age
of twelve.
Gardens and castles:
- Shukkeien (縮景園). While not officially one of Japan's
Top 3, this is a compact and beautifully landscaped
Japanese garden well worth a visit. Despite more and
more high-rises peeping over the trees recently, it
can feel like an entirely different world. Little paths
crossing ponds on bridges and winding their way around
graceful teahouses and waterfalls. Open daily 9 AM to
6 PM, entry ¥250. Get there on tram line 9, stop
Shukkeien-mae. It's behind the Prefectural Art
Museum, and combined admission tickets are available.
The garden is especially pretty in spring when the cherry
blossoms are in bloom, in the fall with the Koyo, vibrant
colors of the fall leaves, and in winter when the park
is covered in a light dusting of snow.
- Hiroshima Castle (広島城 Hiroshima-Rijō).
The castle is a fun place to walk around or jog around-
there is a 1.5km running path that circles the castle
grounds outside the moat. There is a small kids playpark
on one side and its a nice place to sit and relax for
a while. Kids have fun spotting the fish that swim in
the moat as well as turtles. It's just across the street
from Chuo Park. The grounds of the castle and the banks
of the moat are great places to view the 350 or so cherry
trees that come into bloom in early April. The castle
museum is a ferroconcrete reconstruction of the 16th
century, 5-story Donjon, and well worth a look if you
are interested in a bit of culture. There are amazing
relics and armor to see (and try on!) as well as informative
displays about the history of the castle and the city.
The view from the top is worth the entrance fee all
by itself.
The castle grounds also house a monument
to Chinese workers killed by the atomic bomb, which was
not allowed into the Memorial Park for political reasons.
- Hijiyama-koen is a huge park to the south of JR
Hiroshima Station, between two branches of the river.
(Follow Ekimae-dori from the station to the southeast
and you'll walk directly into it.) There are the usual
areas for sitting in the sun (and rather a lot of stray
cats), but much of the park remains refreshingly undeveloped
forest land. The Museum of Contemporary Art and the
Manga Museum are within the grounds of the park, as
is a futuristic long tunnel / escalator to the SATY
grocery store / shopping mall / movie theater. One of
the very few remaining structures from before the atomic
bomb is also on the outskirts of the park. Walk up toward
the park on the street branching off from the Hijiyamashita
tram stop. You'll see a temple on your left. Just past
the temple is a set of stone steps heading back toward
the tram stop. At the top of the steps is a small house
and an explanatory plaque. (Notice the vane at the top
of the house, warped from the heat of the bomb.) Please
note that while visitors are welcome in the front yard,
the rest of the area is private property, including
the house itself.
Other museums:
- The Hiroshima Museum of Art was established by the
Hiroshima Bank in 1978. The permanent collection covers
European art from late Romanticism to early Picasso,
including a couple of Japanese painters who painted
in Western styles. It's a ruthlessly stratified selection:
at least one painting by every Famous Artist of the
period, but no major works by any of them. It's on the
other side of Jonan-dori from Hiroshima Castle. Take
tram lines 1, 2 or 6 to Kamiya-cho (a big intersection
just before the Peace Park) and walk two minutes north.
It's included in the route of the sightseeing buses
that leave from JR Hiroshima Station.
- The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of Art (2-22 Kaminobori-cho,
Naka-ku, Tel. 082-221-6246. Open 9am - 5pm, until 7pm
on Saturday, closed Sunday and 12/25 - 1/1. Admission
¥500, ¥300 for college students, children free) has
a good permanent collection of modern European art,
including major works by Dali and Magritte, and a a
few modern Japanese artists as well. Special exhibitions
are of a generally high quality, ranging from Persian
carpets to The Legend of Ultraman. It's located in front
of Shukkeien, east of Hiroshima Castle, a couple blocks
north of Jonan-dori and Hakushima-dori.
- The Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art (1-1
Hijiyama-Koen, Minami-Ku, Tel. 082-264-1121. Open 10am
- 5pm, closed Mondays, national holidays, Tuesdays after
national holidays that fall on a Monday, August 6th,
and 12/29 - 1/3. Admission ¥360 for adults, ¥270 for
college students and ¥170 for other students; free November
3rd) is probably the most worthy of a visit among Hiroshima's
three art museums. There are a few famous Western names
in its collection, including Andy Warhol and Frank Stella,
but the real emphasis is on interesting modern Japanese
artists working in their own styles, and the exhibition
designers make creative use of the museum space. Special
exhibitions cost extra. There is a sculpture garden
outside that can be visited for free, and a decent city-view
from the plaza near the museum's front steps. (Head
past the giant sloping gate-sculpture.) See the directions
to Hijiyama-koen above.
- The Manga Library / Museum is around the corner
from the Museum of Contemporary Art.
- Mazda Museum (Mukainada-cho Shinchi 3-1, Tel. 082-252-5050)
Mazda's corporate headquarters are a short distance
outside of Hiroshima. They offer free tours every weekday
at 9:30am and 1:00pm in Japanese, and 1:00pm in English.
The tour is a must for any automobile fan. Space is
limited, and they ask that you call first to make a
reservation. If you have any serious technical questions
then you should go on the Japanese tour and bring along
your own interpreter. The English tour guides are not
very knowledgeable. The tour will begin with a historical
view of the Mazda Company from its early days making
three-wheeled trucks and cork, to the present day Renesis
Wankel Rotary Engine. Highlights include the Mazda Cosmos
(the world's first Rotary Engine car) and the 4-Rotor
Mazda 787B, which is the only Japanese car to win at
Le Mans. From there you will be taken to see how the
design and build process works at their Ujina plant,
and you will be taken onto the actual assembly line
to see the latest Mazda vehicles being made. The tour
concludes with a view of Mazda's attempts to make Hydrogen
fueled cars and some of their concept vehicles. Take
the San-yo line two stops east to JR Mukainada, head
two blocks south, turn right and cross the street.
- Hiroshima's Transportation Museum. Located on the
outskirts of the city, the transportation museum has
many exhibits and interactive games. Outside, behind
the museum, they have a track with many different, odd,
funny and interesting kinds of bicycles to ride. It's
great fun for children.
- Hiroshima Children's Museum and Library. Also a
must-see for kids, with a planetarium on the top floor
and full of fun scientific games for kids to play and
learn from.
Things to do:
- Hiroshima Family Pool. Open from July 1st-August
31st every year, this huge open-air pool is a popular
place for kids and families to beat the heat. It becomes
an ice-skating rink in the winter. Skates are available
for rental, although they're pretty beat-up.
Hiroshima Carp Professional Baseball. Hiroshima's entry
in Japanese professional baseball, the much-beloved and
bemoaned Carp play in a stadium across the street from the
Peace Memorial Park. A new stadium is being built outside
the city center for use in a couple seasons. While the team
doesn't win much, the enthusiasm of the fans can hardly
be faulted, and Hiroshima is as good a place as any to witness
the fervor of Japanese baseball fandom. Get a seat in the
bleachers, though, ideally on the right-field side - that's
where the drums, chants and excitement are. (The reserved
seats are oddly tame by comparison, and the left-field bleachers
put you close to the area set aside for the fans of the
visiting team.) Bleacher seats are ¥1500 and can usually
be bought on the day of the game.