Hiroshima: Remembrance, Art and City History

Hiroshima offers several distinct themes to consider when choosing your destination: remembrance of the atomic bombing, peace education, art and garden culture. The city also has okonomiyaki restaurants and a café serving sweets made mainly from Hiroshima-grown fruit. If you are looking for a hotel in Hiroshima, you can think about the city in terms of which of these themes matter most for your trip.

Remembrance and Peace Education

Peace Memorial Park is a city park created to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombing and pray for lasting world peace. The Atomic Bomb Dome was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in December 1996. It can only be viewed from the outside; visitors cannot enter it. Check the latest information before your visit, as conditions may change.

The Atomic Bomb Relics Exhibition Hall displays remains of houses and paved roads that still bear traces of damage caused by the atomic bombing. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum opened in 1955 to convey the reality of the atomic bombing and promote the abolition of nuclear weapons and lasting world peace. The museum also hosts talks by atomic bombing survivors and lends materials for peace education.

The two facilities have different focuses: the hall centers on tangible remains, while the museum focuses on conveying the historical reality and promoting peace education.

Garden, Moat and Views

Shukkeien was created in 1620 as the historic garden of a Japanese daimyō and is located in the heart of Hiroshima City. It adds garden culture and a long history to the city’s memorial and museum themes.

The Hiroshima Castle Pleasure Boat offers a sightseeing cruise around the castle moat. On board, visitors learn about the history and sights of Hiroshima Castle. As this is a current service, it is advisable to check the schedule before your trip.

The rooftop terrace of HIROSHIMA ORIZURU TOWER offers a different perspective: on clear days, you can see the Atomic Bomb Dome and Miyajima from there. The view is therefore explicitly dependent on clear weather conditions.

Museums, Art and Okonomiyaki

The art museums also have different focuses. The Hiroshima Museum of Art displays around 90 works from its collection in a permanent exhibition, including modern French art, especially Impressionism. The Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum’s collection comprises around 5,200 works, including art related to Hiroshima Prefecture and crafts from Japan and Asia. This places a clearly defined focus on French modern art and Impressionism alongside a larger collection with regional connections and crafts.

Okonomi-mura is a visitor attraction with 23 okonomiyaki restaurants; this number may change. HIROSHIMA ORIZURU TOWER has a café serving homemade drinks and sweets made mainly from Hiroshima-grown fruit. Café operations may change; check the latest information if you are planning a specific visit.

Planning Your Trip

Hiroshima’s Meipuru-pu city bus reaches Peace Memorial Park on the Orange Route in about 16 minutes. Timetables and journey times may change, so check the latest service information before traveling. Information about this route provides a specific point of reference, while the park, museums, garden, boat ride and art appeal to different interests in Hiroshima.

Discover more destinations: Fuchū, Higashihiroshima, Sera, Onomichi, Miyoshi, Fukuyama, Hatsukaichi, Mihara

For the overview of the wider region: Hiroshima Prefecture.