Walking Through the Peace Memorial Park
Start at the A-Bomb Dome, the skeletal frame of what was once the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. Designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915 with a bold green dome, it stood as one of the city's architectural landmarks until 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The explosion happened almost directly above the building; the walls remained largely intact even as the dome shattered and everyone inside was killed. Today, locals sit on the benches around it to read or eat lunch, transforming a monument to devastation into a living part of the city.
The park itself spreads across what was once the busy Nakajima merchant district, now rebuilt as a space for reflection. More than fifty memorials, statues, and structures mark the ground. You can walk one block east of the A-Bomb Dome to the plaque marking the Hypocenter—the exact point above which the bomb detonated. At the Children's Peace Monument, thousands of origami paper cranes folded by schoolchildren across Japan hang in memory of Sadako Sasaki, a young victim of the bombing; visitors bring their own cranes to add to the memorial. The Memorial Tower to the Mobilized Students honors the 6,300 students conscripted to work in munitions factories who died in the blast, with doves scattered throughout its five levels and a Kannon statue draped in cranes at the base.
- The Cenotaph for the A-Bomb Victims holds a stone chest with a registry intended to contain the names of everyone who died from the bombing, regardless of nationality. The arch frames the A-Bomb Dome perfectly in the distance.
- The Peace Bell is engraved with a world map drawn without borders to symbolize unity. The public can ring it—the log is positioned to strike an atomic symbol—though gently, to avoid damage.
- The Flame of Peace burns at the other end of the pond from the Cenotaph, and will continue until the last nuclear weapon disappears from the earth.
- The Atomic Bomb Memorial Mound holds the ashes of 70,000 unidentified victims or those with no living relatives to claim them. Services are held on the 6th of every month.
- The Monument in Memory of the Korean Victims of the A-Bomb, moved into the park in 1999, features a turtle symbolically carrying the dead to the afterlife, usually draped with colorful origami cranes and flowers.
Access the park by tram line 2 or 6 to Genbaku Dome-mae. The grounds are free to enter and not restricted at night. The Rest House, a reinforced concrete building that was once the Taishoya Kimono Shop, offers a gift shop, vending machines, and a helpful tourist information office—you can even visit the preserved basement with advance request.
Understanding the Bombing Through Museums and Memorials
The Peace Memorial Museum documents the atomic bomb from the moment of detonation through its aftermath. Scale models show the city "before" and "after"; displays include melted tricycles and other artifacts directly related to the blast. Many exhibits are graphic and disturbing—the museum pulls no punches in depicting what happened. The second half addresses the post-war struggles of the hibakusha (survivors) and makes an appeal for nuclear abolition worldwide. Plan to spend substantial time here and allow yourself time to decompress afterward. The museum is open March–July and September–November from 08:30–18:00, August 08:30–19:00, and December–February 08:30–17:00, closed December 30–31. Admission is ¥200 for adults, ¥100 for high school students, free for children; an audio guide costs ¥200.
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, also designed by architect Kenzo Tange, takes a different approach. The entrance leads downward into a quiet hall for contemplation, then back up to kiosks with compelling personal stories and recollections from survivors in English and Japanese. The hall collects names and photographs of people who died in the blast. It is free and open during the same hours as the Peace Memorial Museum.
Outside the Peace Park, two elementary schools preserve sections of their original buildings as museums. The Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum occupies part of the school where more than 400 students and teachers were present when the bomb exploded; only one student and one teacher survived. The Fukuro-machi Elementary School Museum similarly preserves part of the original structure. In the days after the explosion, survivors used the school's blackened walls and chalk to leave messages for lost friends and family members. Both are free to visit.
As you explore the city, watch for maroon-colored marble historical markers with photographs and bilingual text in both Japanese and English. They extend several miles from the Peace Park and provide perspective on the scale of destruction.
Structures That Survived and Bear Witness
Beyond the A-Bomb Dome, the Former Bank of Japan stands as the best-known pre-bomb building in Hiroshima still standing. Built in 1936, the Nippon Ginko's main branch was only 380 meters from the hypocenter. Its exterior remained intact, but all 42 people inside were killed by the heat of the blast. Remarkably, the bank reopened just two days after the bombing and continued operating until 1992. It stands as a haunting reminder of how close the destruction came to being absolute.
Visiting the International Conference Center and Its Surroundings
At the south end of the Peace Park, the International Conference Center houses an International Exchange Lounge with English-language publications and city information, open daily 09:00–21:00. The center's Restaurant Serenade is open 10:00–19:00 if you need a place to rest and eat during your visit to the park.
Just south of the Peace Memorial Museum stands the Statue of Mother and Child in the Storm, completed in 1960 by artist Shin Hongo. It depicts a woman shielding her child from the black rain that fell after the explosion—among the most powerful artistic responses to the atomic bomb. Nearby is the Fountain of Prayer. Further south, the Gates of Peace, installed in 2005 on Heiwa-o-dori by French artists, display the word "peace" in 49 languages across the sidewalk and gate surfaces. The ten gates represent the nine circles of hell from Dante's Inferno, plus a new one: the hell created by atomic bombing.
Faith and Culture Beyond the Peace Sites
For a different aspect of Hiroshima's life, the Hiroshima Nagarekawa Church offers a space of worship in the rebuilt city. The city is also home to a contemporary art museum—the 現代美術館 (museum)—where you can see how artists have engaged with and responded to Hiroshima's history and present. These sites provide context for how the city has moved forward while remaining grounded in memory.
Hiroshima demands time and emotional space. Spend at least a full day in and around the Peace Memorial Park; the museums and memorials are not quick visits but profound experiences. The city rebuilds itself daily around the presence of what was lost, and understanding that duality—between destruction and renewal, between remembrance and moving forward—is what makes visiting Hiroshima a transformative journey.