Part 3: Must-Visit In Hiroshima, Japan For Children And Young Adults

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

While writing a blog about my visit at Hiroshima Peace Memorial, I was drawn to watch the ordeal of bombing Hiroshima at this link, Dropping The Bomb. The video was really engaging! Hiroshima Peace Memorial, originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, and now commonly called Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome, is part of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruin of the hall serves as a memorial to the over 140,000 people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6th August 1945. Hiroshima was a designated target because the US planners believed that no American prisoners were being held in Hiroshima.

A-bomb Dome Of Hiroshima Peace Memorial (World Heritage Site)

The building was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel. It was completed in April 1915, Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall soon became a beloved Hiroshima landmark with its distinctive dome. While its business functions included commercial research and consulting services and the display and sale of prefectural products, the hall was also used for art exhibitions, fairs and cultural events.

At 8:15am of 6th August 1945, an American B29 bomber carried out the world's first atomic bombing. The bomb exploded approximately 600 meters above and 160 meters southeast of Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, ripping through and igniting the building, instantly killing everyone in it. Because the blast struck from almost directly above, some of the center with remained standing, leaving the building and iron frame to be recognisable as a dome. After the war, these dramatic remains came to be known as A-bomb Dome.

A-bomb Dome Of Hiroshima Peace Memorial (World Heritage Site)

In December 1996, A-bomb Dome was registered on World Heritage List as a historical witness conveying the horror of the first use of a nuclear weapon and as a world peace monument appealing continually for lasting peace and the abolition of such weapons. To protect the dome, national government designated the area around it as a historic site under Cultural Properties Protective Act, with a larger area in and around Peace Memorial Park set aside as a buffer zone. 

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is a museum located in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, in central Hiroshima, Japan, dedicated to documenting the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in World War II. The museum was established in August 1955 with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Hall (now the International Conference Center Hiroshima). It is the most popular of Hiroshima's destinations for school field-trips from all over Japan and for international visitors. 

Former Model Of Hiroshima City Flattened After Explosion (Red Ball Depicts The Explosion Point)

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum collects and displays belongings left by the victims, photos, and other materials that convey the horror of that bombing event. Each of the displayed items embodies the pain of the victims. Admission fee is 200 yen per adult and free for children. The museum opens daily except 30th and 31st December. Opening hours are 8:30am to 6pm from March to July and from September to November. Between December to February and August, it opens at 8:30am and closes at 7pm. 

Cenotaph For A-bomb Victims

The cenotaph consists of a stone chest beneath an arch representing the roof, is used to decorate prehistoric tombs. It is also known as the Memorial Monument for Hiroshima, City of Peace. It was built to reconstruct postwar Hiroshima as a city dedicated to peace. Within the chest is a record of the names of all the deceased of the bombing regardless the victims' nationalities. A phrase is inscribed in the cenotaph, “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.”

Children's Peace Monument

When Hiroshima was bombed, 2-year-old Sasaki Sadako was exposed to radiation. Ten years later, she was diagnosed with leukemia and died from the disease. Based on ancient Japanese belief, she would recover if she folded one thousand origami cranes. When she died, schools in Japan raised fund to build a statue for all children who died as a result of the bombing. Today, schoolchildren often bring folded cranes with them on trips to the monument. 

Folded Cranes Next To The Children's Peace Monument

If you want to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial, from Hiroshima Station, you can take tram line 2 or 6 to the Genbaku-Domu stop. The ride takes 15 minutes and costs 190 yen one way. Other option is taking Hiroshima Sightseeing Loop Bus (Meipuru-pu) that serves all 3 lines to the Memorial Park.