
The A-Bomb Dome, Hiroshima © JNTO
Tragedy has turned Hiroshima, the main city of the Chugoku
Region on Japan's main island of Honshu, into the country's most
famous tourist attraction. On 6 August 1945 the unfortunate city
became the first ever target of an atomic bomb. Early in the
morning three United States B-29 bombers flew in from the
northeast; one dropped its deadly ordnance over the centre of the
city, leaving a mushroom cloud that darkened the sky while more
than 200,000 civilians died. Today thousands of visitors make a
pilgrimage to Hiroshima's Peace Memorial Park, marvelling at the
lively modern city that has overcome its tragedy to become the
thriving home to more than a million people. Not surprisingly the
city has become vehemently engaged in the promotion of peace.
Visitors are drawn mainly to the Peace Memorial Park and its
museum, but the rebuilt city is an attractive place to visit in its
own right, criss-crossed by rivers and wide avenues and containing
several good museums. Nearby are some of Japan's most scenic
excursion destinations.
Attractions

Hiroshima Castle
Hiroshima Castle
Hiroshima’s original castle, built in the late 16th
century, was totally destroyed in the atomic blast but has been
reconstructed as a perfect reproduction of the original. The castle
houses a museum detailing the city’s history and the historic
feudal system. The exhibits include...
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Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art
Hiroshima boasts the first public art museum in Japan devoted
exclusively to contemporary art. The museum is housed in an
interesting building designed by Japanese architect Kurokawa Kisho,
based on the shape of a Japanese warehouse (Kura). The building is
set high on a...
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Peace Memorial Park © JNTO
Peace Memorial Park
Around the epicentre of the atomic bomb explosion in Hiroshima
in 1945, a complex of buildings and monuments has been erected in
the Peace Memorial Park to commemorate the earth-shattering
event. It is dedicated to the promotion of world peace.
Central to the park is the...
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Miyajima
The romantic little island of Miyajima lies about eight miles
(13km) off the mainland in the Seto Inland Sea. Apart from being
scenically beautiful with steep wooded hills, the island is famous
for its Itsukushima Shrine featuring a massive red wooden torii
(gate). The...
see full detailsSandankyo Gorge
The erosion of the limestone plateau in the northwest of the
Hiroshima prefecture has left a beautiful deep gorge, stretching
for about 11 miles (18km), full of primeval forest, waterfalls,
monkeys, unusual rock formations and the Onbashi Bridge, the
largest natural bridge in Japan....
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