Hiroshima
City Of Peace; UNESCO World Heritage Site: Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) (1996) · Hiroshima, Hiroshima
A city on the delta of the Ota river in western Japan, destroyed on 6 August 1945 by the first atomic bomb used in war, which killed tens of thousands instantly and many more in the months and years after, and rebuilt since as a city dedicated to peace. The Peace Memorial Park, laid out on the former city centre, holds the cenotaph, the Children's Peace Monument hung with paper cranes, and the Peace Memorial Museum, which tells the story through belongings, photographs and survivors' testimony and is one of the most affecting museums anywhere. Across the river stands the Atomic Bomb Dome, the skeleton of a building near the hypocentre, kept as it was left and listed as a World Heritage Site. Every 6 August a ceremony is held and lanterns are floated on the river at night. Hiroshima is also a lively modern city, known for its own layered style of okonomiyaki. The island of Miyajima, with the great torii gate of Itsukushima shrine standing in the sea, is under an hour away and makes the usual pairing for a visit.
Peace Memorial Park, Nakajimacho, Naka Ward, Hiroshima, Hiroshima, 730-0811, Japan
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: the Peace Memorial Park and the view of the Dome are open at all times and lit at night; the Peace Memorial Museum keeps daytime hours, opening around 7:30 to 8:30 am and closing between about 6 and 7 pm, with longer hours in summer and around 6 August, last entry 30 minutes before closing and a few closure days at year end. Shukkeien and the castle keep shorter hours, and the castle keep's opening has been under review. Ferries to Miyajima stop in storms. Confirm museum hours before going.