Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Memorial park in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Japan
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is a memorial park in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, covering landscaped green spaces with monuments, statues, and pathways. The grounds sit in the city center and also house a museum and several memorial sites that visitors can explore on foot.
The area served as the political and commercial center of Hiroshima before the war, until the atomic bomb exploded here on August 6, 1945, at 8:15 AM. After the destruction, the site was converted into an international memorial ground, laid out in the early 1950s.
The Children's Peace Monument displays thousands of paper cranes from around the world, honoring Sadako Sasaki and other young victims of the atomic bombing. These folded cranes follow a Japanese tradition as a symbol of hope and are added daily by visitors.
You can reach the site via tram lines that stop in the city center or by using a dedicated sightseeing loop bus for tourists. The museum extends its opening hours during high season, so planning a visit outside midday can help avoid larger groups.
A stone chest beneath the arch of the Cenotaph holds a register listing more than 220,000 names of people affected by the atomic bombing. This register is updated each year on the anniversary of the bombing, when new names are added.
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