Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR (8 Easy Steps)

Visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is an unforgettable experience. It will resonate within you, leave you speechless, and make you cry. It is one of the most powerful experiences that I ever had while traveling.

Here is a fascinating Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park self-guided walking tour.

However, if you feel like joining a guided tour, my recommendation is to attend Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Walk Tour. You will have a local guide by your side who will give you an in-depth insight into the history of Hiroshima.

Another tour that I enjoyed was Hiroshima Cycling Peace Tour with a Local Guide. This tour is about 2 hours long and you will bicycle around Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and see the Atomic Bomb Dome, the Cenotaph, Children’s Peace Monument, and the Peace Bell. It is a small group tour limited to no more than 10 people.

However, now, with no further delay, follow my Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park self-guided walking tour and learn about the history of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the location and significance of Hiroshima’s memorials and monuments, and unforgettable exhibits at Hiroshima Peace Museum.

Before we dive into a step-by-step Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park self-guided walking tour, here is Hiroshima At-A-Glance Guide which covers how to get to Hiroshima, how to get around, and where to stay in Hiroshima. I know it will help you plan your visit.

In July 1945 the U.S. successfully tested a working atomic bomb.

Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967), an American theoretical physicist and a director of the Los Alamos Laboratory of the Manhattan Project, chose to name the atomic bomb test as “Trinity” test.

When Germany surrendered to the Allies in May 1945, it became clear that the atomic bomb might be used on Japan. Japan continued to refuse to surrender to the Allies and publicly rejected Potsdam Declaration.

The general opinion was that the Japanese would fight to the bitter end.

The invasion of the islands by combat forces was calculated to be costly. An opinion that dropping one or more atomic bombs might convince the Japanese that further fighting was futile. And, since the atomic bomb was available, President Truman authorized the attack on Hiroshima.

Charles Maier, a professor of history at Harvard University, said that while it was possible for Truman to have made another decision, he said “It would have been hard to justify to the American public why he prolonged the war when this weapon was available.”

A directive approved by President Truman and issued by Secretary of War Henry Stimson and General of the Army George Marshall, ordered the Army Air Force’s 509th Composite Group to attack Hiroshima, Kokura, Niigata, or Nagasaki weather permitting.

Thus, Hiroshima was chosen because it had not been targeted during the U.S. Air Force’s conventional bombing raids on Japan. As a result, it would give a true indication of the effect of the impact of the atomic bomb. Also, Hiroshima was an important military base.

At 8:15 am on August 6th, 1945 the city of Hiroshima fell victim to the atomic bombing.

The atomic bomb with the codename Little Boy, was dropped by the United States Army Air Forces from the Boeing B-29 Bomber Superfortress Enola Gay. It was named for Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr.

The bomb was dropped by a parachute. The detonation was caused by firing one piece of uranium 235 into another and occurred at 580 m (1,900 ft) above the ground after falling for 45 seconds.

The intended target for the bombing was the Aioibashi bridge, a distinctive t-shaped structure that was easily recognizable from the air – just to the north of where Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park stands now.

The damage came from three main effects: blast, fire, and radiation. The blast was the result of x-ray-heated air, which sent a shock wave in all directions. Next, the fireball of the blinding light and heat created fires that merged into a firestorm.

Lastly, the radiation: soon after the explosion, a giant mushroom cloud rose upward carrying dust, dirt, ash, and other debris contaminated with radioactive fission products high into the air. It mixed with the water vapor in the air and then fell back to earth in what came to be called “black rain.”

The entire city was virtually obliterated.

It is estimated that over 70,000 people were killed instantly and more than 70,000 suffered fatal injuries. Many more who managed to survive sustained permanent physical and psychological damage. Many still endure the effects today.

On the morning of August 9th, 1945, the Americans dropped a second, bigger atomic bomb. The original target was Kokura, however, Kokura was shielded by thick clouds on that day, so the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The final death toll was calculated at least 50,000.

On August 10, 1945, Japan offered to surrender to the Allies.

Today, Hiroshima has recovered into a bustling manufacturing hub with a population of 1.1 million people and counting.

However, the people of Hiroshima have certainly not forgotten the fact that their city was once transformed to rubble by an atomic bomb. The A-Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park with its monuments and memorials, and the museum will forever tell the story of the cruel tragedy of the atomic bombing.

Every year on August 6, the day the bomb was dropped, Hiroshima holds a ceremony in Peace Memorial Park.

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park serves as a memorial to the people who were killed in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. It was designed by Japanese architect Kenzo Tange and opened to the public in 1954.

The park has a total area of 122,00 square meters and houses a museum, numerous memorials, and monuments.

While visiting Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, I found it difficult to imagine that this quiet and spacious triangle-shaped piece of land bordered by two rivers was once a busy commercial and residential downtown area.

And now, here is a step-by-step Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park self-guided walking tour:

The first stop in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) – now commonly called the Atomic Bomb Dome or A-Bomb Dome.

The building was designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel and was completed in 1915. It served as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall and housed national and municipal governmental offices.

The building was located just 160 meters from the epicenter of the blast and amazingly, it was one of the few structures in the area to remain upright.

Atomic Bomb Dome was designed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

At night, with the lighting, the A-Bomb Dome and other memorial monuments look different than in the daytime. Darkness isolates them from the lively modern city, which makes them much more impressive to view at this hour.

The Hypocenter of the Hiroshima atomic bomb is marked with a memorial plaque.

The atomic bomb targeted Aioibashi Bridge, yet it exploded directly above Shima Hospital. The building was destroyed instantly, and it is estimated that 80 patients, nurses, and other individuals disappeared without a trace.

It was a sobering experience for me to stand in that spot and look up into the sky.

Children’s Peace Monument is a tribute to Sadako Sasaki and all the children who perished in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Sadako was exposed to the A-bomb at the age of two but grew into a strong and healthy girl. Nine years later, she suddenly contracted leukemia. After an eight-month battle with the disease, she succumbed.

Hiroshima Children’s Peace Monument is also known as the “Tower of a Thousand Cranes”. When you get to the monument, you will see brightly colored cranes everywhere.

These cranes came from the Japanese tradition of origami or paper folding. Sadako believed that if she folded 1,000 origami cranes she would recover. She continued folding them to the last moments of her life. Today, paper cranes are known as the symbol of peace.

Sadako’s death triggered a movement to build a monument for the children who perished due to the atomic bomb. Children’s Peace Monument was completed on May 5th, 1958.

The Flame of Peace sculpture was designed by Kenzo Tange. The base of the sculpture represents two wrists joined together, and the two wings on either side represent two palms facing upwards to the sky.

The Flame of Peace sculpture was designed both to console the souls of the thousands who died begging for water and to express the hopes for the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realization of lasting world peace.

The flame at the top was lit on August 1, 1964, and has been burning ever since in protest of nuclear weapons, and will continue to burn until there are no nuclear weapons left on earth. Source: Hiroshima Peace Tourism

Cenotaph, also known as the Memorial Monument for Hiroshima for the A-bomb Victims is located in the center of the park. It consists of a stone coffer beneath an arch. Within the coffer is a record of the names of victims of the atomic bombing.

Cenotaph is inscribed with the phrase: “Let all the souls here rest in peace for we shall not repeat the evil.”

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was built by the city of Hiroshima and it was opened to the public in 1950.

The museum collects materials that convey the horror of Hiroshima’s atomic bombing. It displays artifacts, photographs, and paintings that show Hiroshima before and after the bombing.

It demonstrates the present current status of the nuclear age.

The museum has been going through extensive renovation projects since 2017. It reopened its doors on April 25th, 2019 with two new permanent exhibitions, titled Hiroshima on August 6 and Victims and Survivors.

The exhibitions tell the story of the day the Allied forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima at the close of WWII and its aftermath.

• Third Floor of the Museum

Introductory Exhibit – see the photographs, panels, videos, and panorama models of Hiroshima. See the daily lives of people in Hiroshima and learn how they were lost in the atomic bombing.

The Dangers of Nuclear Weapons – get informed about the development, testing, and use of atomic bombs; learn about the damage caused by shock waves, firestorms, and radiation.

• Second Floor of the Museum

Hiroshima History – learn about Hiroshima during the war, recovery efforts after the war, and the struggles to eliminate nuclear weapons.

• First Floor

Outline of Atomic Bomb Damage – Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum Special Exhibition Room – this is the most poignant part of the museum. Here, you will see the victims’ belongings donated to the museum by the victims of the terrible attack or their family members.

Here, you will read the accounts of survivors which show the misery of the bomb attack.

The photographs of the effects of the bombing and the results of the subsequent radiation are heart-wrenching.

For opening hours and admission fees click here.

Allow at least 2 hours for your visit. Enter the museum from the first floor and take the escalator to the third floor. Start the tour from the third floor and work your way down to the first floor.

This memorial is a very special place. It was opened by the Japanese government in 2002 and is a place to mourn the victims of the atomic bombing.

It contains thousands of written and video testimonials by survivors of the bombings and photographs of those who were killed.

These aogiri (Chinese parasol) trees were originally growing 1.3 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion and took the full force of the heat and blast.

Interestingly enough, although apparently dead, the next spring after the bombing, they started to bud again, giving hope to the people of the city.

The trees were transplanted to their current location in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park by the east building of the Peace Memorial Museum in 1973.