Things to Do in Hiroshima

The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, also known as the Heiwakinen Park, is a park in the middle of Hiroshima city that contains several memorials dedicated to the atomic bomb victims of Hiroshima. The park is a reminder of the horrific past of the city. Spread across over 120,000 square meters, the park is home to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Genbaku Dome (aka A-Bomb Dome or Hiroshima Peace Memorial) and the Children’s Peace Monument. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum tells the history of Hiroshima with focus on the events of August 6, the day of the bombing, and its result on human life. On display are personal details and artefacts of the lives perished.

The museum is a constant reminder that one should not take peace for granted. The A-Bomb Dome, also known as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial are the remains of the Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, one of the only buildings that remained standing after the bombings. The story behind the Children’s Peace Monument is- Sadako Sasaki was a small 2 year old girl when she was exposed to the atomic bombing. 8 years later, due to her exposure to the radiations, she died of leukaemia. Shocked by her death, her classmates put out a national call to build a monument in memory of all the children who died because of the atomic bombing. The monument was completed on May 5, 1958 (Children's Day). There are 3 peace bells within the park. Visitors are encouraged to ring the bell to show support for ongoing peace throughout the world.

Fine example of a flatland castle, the Hiroshima Castle is also known as the Carp Castle. It was built in the year 1589 by Mori Terumoto and was an important seat of power in Western Japan. The main keep of the castle in 5 stories tall. Surrounded by a moat, the castle was destroyed in 1945 during the atomic bombing. Thirteen years later, its main keep was rebuilt with an attractive wooden exterior. Within the keep is a museum that tells the history of Hiroshima and its castles and palaces. The top floor of the main building provides magnificent panoramic views of the city.

Boasting of an annual footfall of 1,80,000, the Shukkei-en is a beautiful, fairy tale like garden situated in Hiroshima. Translated to English as ‘shrunken-scenery garden’, the place has miniature valleys, mountains, forests, ponds and small islands in these ponds! The Shukkei-en has a history dating back to 1620. However, during the atomic bombings, all the buildings within the garden along with the vegetation were burnt.

The garden is witness to atrocities and tragedy- many people who were injured during the bombings took refuge in the grounds of the garden. And many of those people died in the garden due to their wounds. Their remains were interred within the garden. Today, the garden is an example of beauty and serenity.

The epicentre of the atomic bombing, the place where the bomb actually landed in Hiroshima is marked by a stone plaque. This marked site is the ‘ground zero’ of the bombing. It is situated a side street behind the A-bomb dome. A humble site, it will make you question the necessity of war.

The Hiroshima Museum of Art is a non profit organization which was established in the year 1978 by Hiroshima Bank. It was established as a memorial of the 100th anniversary of the bank’s foundation. On display are paintings that comprise Modern European paintings (concentrating on French Impressionists’ art work) and Japanese oil paintings from after the Meiji Period to the current times. In the Modern European section, you will find paintings done by artists such as Millet, Monet, Degas, Redon and Vincent Van Gough. Apart from these permanent displays, the museum also houses temporary moving exhibits.

This one is for the artists and art lovers. Head over to the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum if you have a few hours to spare. On display are paintings by artists of the region. The museum also features non-Japanese artists who influenced contemporary Japanese art, like Salvador Dali and Picasso. The museum owns over 3500 pieces of marvellous art.

The Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park opened on September 1, 1971 and is spread across an area of 25.6 hectares. The zoo is home to around 160 species of animals coming from Asia, Africa and Europe. In total, there are around 1,500 land animals and around 5,000 fish.

The zoo is divided into sections. The more popular ones are the Baboon Mountain, Africa, Pichiku Park and the Snakes and Nocturnal Animal Building. A must visit while in Hiroshima with your kids.

Hiroshima Hon Dori Shotengai or just ‘Hondori’ for short, is the main shopping and entertainment street in the city. The area starts from the Peace Memorial Park and ends at the Parco Shopping Mall. Many shops, izakaya (Japanese-style pubs), eateries and clubs can be found here. To put things into perspective, the Hiroshima Hon Dori Shotengai covers a distance of 600 metres and houses as many as 200 shops!

Wondering where to take your kids while in Hiroshima? Well, head over to the Children’s Museum and watch your kids have a time of their life! The museum opened in 1980 and apart from the actual museum, it also has a planetarium and a library. There are two floors of activities for kids to enjoy while learning about science. At the science discovery area, kids learn about gravity, electric currents, train engines and a lot more. There is a maze that kids can climb through and access the second floor or gleefully slide down a slide at to get back to the first floor. The best part? It is free!

Opened in the year 1989, the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art is Japan's first public museum dedicated to modern art. The architecture of the museum itself is stunning and was designed by renowned architect Kisho Kurokawa. The museum has more than 1,400 works of art on display. Apart from this the museum also organizes special exhibitions. A couple of really helpful services the museum offers are- explanations of works on display and day-care service for children of visitors.

Located a short walk from the Chorakuji station, the museum has on display interesting exhibits about cars, trains, ferries, trams, monorails and aeroplanes. The first floor of the building has a library and it organizes ‘Science Shows’. The second floor offers many alluring exhibits of old and new transportation in Japan and from around the world. The 3rd and 4th floors feature a futuristic city where interactive exhibitions keep kids engrossed. A must visit while in town with your family.

The Honkawa National School was constructed in the year 1928. At 410 metres, this school stood closest to ground zero. On that unfaithful day of the bombing, the school lost around 400 students and 10 teachers. Since then the building has been renovated and it was opened as a peace museum in the year 1988. Visitors get to see exhibits collected from the bombed site.

A scenic and serene walk along waterfalls and greenery takes you to the ancient temple of Mitaki-dera. Established in the year 809, the Shingon Buddhist temple has many Buddhist images and Jizo statues. A hike of about 15 minutes from the train station takes you up to the shady temple paths. The temple premises look like a fairytale with an enchanted feeling to them. A hidden gem in Hiroshima, this temple is frequented more by locals than tourists.

Situated around 20 minutes from the city of Hiroshima, the Hiroshima Bay is a bay situated between Hiroshima and Yamaguchi Prefectures. During the day, you can spend a leisurely time exploring the bay area and dining at one of the many restaurants and food stalls. Don't forget to try out the oysters. They taste out of the world! In the evening, the bay area comes alive with romantic sunset cruises. 

This popular local chain restaurant specializes in serving Udon noodles and Musubi (rice balls). Try the Musubi-bento (rice ball lunchbox) or the Wakadori-Musubi-bento (fried chicken lunchbox).