Hiroshima Brochure

A MISAWA ITT TOUR

Hiroshima

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ABOUT HIROSHIMA

Hiroshima, the city of water, is a modern and culture-rich city. Over 1.1 million people live in the city and over 73,000 people enter and leave the city per day by train.

Oysters from the Hiroshima region have been renowned for their flavor throughout Japan for over 400 years. Miyajima is host to an oyster festival every 11th of February.

Hiroshima is also famous for its style of Okonomiyaki, a pancake-like dish made with various meats and cabbage.

The city is built on the Ota River delta in one of the most sheltered harbors on the Seto Inland Sea. Hiroshima enjoys the mild climate provided by its position in the Seto Inland Climate Zone and is sheltered by the Chugoku Mountains in the north and the Shikoku Mountains in the west from the worst of late summer and winter storms. The average temperature for January is 5.9°C and August is 28.1°C.

This historic city is much more than its Peace Memorial Park and a stepping stone to Miyajima. It has much to offer year-round for any kind of tourist. World class museums, gardens, temples, professional baseball, shopping, and more are all to be found in Hiroshima City.

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ABOUT HIROSHIMA

The Memorial Cenotaph (Hiroshima Peace City Memorial) is the central monument to honor and console the souls of the victims of the A-bombing. It stands close to the exact center of Peace Memorial Park and was unveiled on August 6, 1952. The design evokes the primitive shelters provided to earthenware dolls buried in ancient burial mounds during the Kofun period (third to seventh century). The concrete structure was resurfaced with granite in March 1985.

or families to have died of A-bomb related diseases are added to the register. The Japanese characters carved on the front of the coffin say, “Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil.�

These words are a pledge never again to repeat the evil of war that visitors make as they pray for the repose of the souls of the A-bomb victims. They express Hiroshima’s determination to endure the sorrows of the past, transcend all rage and hatred, and work tirelessly for a world of genuine peace and mutual prosperity.

At the center of the monument lies a stone coffin which holds the register of the A-bomb victims. Each year on August 6, the names of victims reported by their friends

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PEACE MEMORIAL MUSEUM PLACES TO SEE

The Peace Memorial Museum's A-bomb museum presents various facts about nuclear weapons, information about the time period of the 1940’s, and what became of Hiroshima after the atomic bomb. The museum has toys, books, and magazines that belonged to children in the 1940’s. There is also two models of Hiroshima. One model is of Hiroshima before the bombing, while the second model is of Hiroshima right after it had been bombed.

You will see tattered and torn clothes of children when the bomb hit, watches that all stopped at 8:15 AM, and a wall that is scarred by hundreds of broken and shattered pieces of glass. There is also a replica of Little Boy, the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. This museum explains and warns people to never use any kind of bomb, especially a nuclear bomb. The museum exhibits the terrible things that the people in Hiroshima had to endure, what they lost, and how they suffered.

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CHILDREN’S PEACE MONUMENT PLACES TO SEE

One of the most popular monuments in Peace Memorial Park is the Children’s Peace Monument, also known as the TowerofthePaperCranes.Thismonument wasinspiredbySadakoSasaki,avivacious young girl struck down by radiation after the effects. Sadako, two at the time of the bombing, was one of many children who developed leukemia about ten years later. In the hospital she folded over a thousand paper cranes using medicine wrapping paper in the hope that doing so would cure her. She and her classmates continued bravely folding the cranes until the day she died on October 25, 1955.

Sadako’s grieving classmates decided to build a monument in her honor.

Their sincere passion led to a nationwide fundraising campaign to build a monument for her and the thousands of other children lost to the atomic bomb.

With contributions from all over Japan, the monument was built and unveiled on May 5, 1958. On top of the concrete tower stands the bronze statue of a young girl holding over her head a huge paper crane symbolizing the hope of all children for a peaceful future. In, and around, Peace Memorial Park stand numerous monuments to A-bomb victims. Each and every one of these monuments stands for the common desire that nuclear weapons be abolished and world peace be realized.

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A-BOMB DOME PLACES TO SEE

The Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition HMI was built in response to the need for a central facility to run trade routes. Plans were drawn up for the commercial exhibition hall on the banks of the Motoyasu River and construction was completed in April 1915. It was formally opened to the public in August that year. In 1921, the name was changed to the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition Hall, and again in 1933 to the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall.

During the war, as Japan’s economic fortunes worsened, the hall was commandeered for such government, quasi-government, and rationing offices as the Chugoku-Shikoku Public Works Office, the Hiroshima District Lumber Control Corporation, and others.

Standing a mere 160 meters northwest of the hypocenter, the building was heavily damaged by the blast, then burned from the ceiling down by fires ignited instantly by the heat rays. All occupants of the building perished.

Because the force of the blast came from almost directly above, the section of the building under the central dome remained standing. The skeletal structure of the dome looming high above the ruins was a conspicuous landmark and became known locally as the A-bomb Dome.

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HIROSHIMA PEACE MEMORIAL PLACES TO SEE

members and mobilized students were in the area demolishing buildings for a fire lane. Nearly all of these lives were lost as the entire district vanished instantly.

The area now known as Peace Memorial Park was previously an urban district called Nakajima. During the Edo Era (1603-1868), it was a thriving commercial center where goods coming up the rivers on boats were unloaded, then sold or sent elsewhere by land. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), it was the political, administrative, and commercial heart of Hiroshima, home to City Hall, the Prefectural Office, and Hiroshima’s central distribution facilities. It is estimated that at the time of the atomic bombing, about 6,500 people lived in the seven cho (neighborhood units) in the Nakajima district.

On August 6, 1949, with enactment of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law, it was decided that the entire Nakajima District would be devoted to “peace memorial facilities,” and thus was the beginning of what is now known as Peace Memorial Park. The park covers approximately 122,100 square meters. It wasdesignedbyKenzoTange,aprofessor at Tokyo University, and three others. The south edge of the park is lined with three buildings: the East Building, the West Building of the Peace Memorial Museum, and the International Conference Center Hiroshima.

On August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb in history exploded directly over this area. In addition to the usual inhabitants, thousands of volunteer army corps

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SHOPPING

HONDORI

Hondori, which translates to main street, is the traditional retail heart of Hiroshima City. It houses two large malls, the Sun Mall and Parco. The Sun Mall hosts HMV and UNIQLO as its anchors, and the more trendy and fashion-oriented Parco has a large Mujirushi store on the 7th and 8th floors in the new building. A Gap (4F) is located in the new building as well.

TOKYU HANDS

The self-proclaimed “creative life store” has everything you need for daily living except groceries. Tokyu Hands is best described as a department store for the under 30 crowd. It has everything from pots and pans to games and costumes. The two movie theatres called the Louvre-Toei Cinema (8th and 9th floors) show Hollywood blockbusters and hit Japanese films, respectively.

FUKUYA - YALE YALE BUILDING

This building is located across from Hiroshima Station and is connected by an underground passage. The 11-floor building is home to the Fukuya Department Store and many other smaller shops. One of the largest bookstores, with possibly the largest selection of English books and English teaching materials in Hiroshima Prefecture, is on the 10th floor. The panoramic view from the roof is one of the best places to view Hiroshima City and the best part is it’s free!

AEON MALL DIAMOND SOLEIL

This is located close to JR’s Tenjingawa Station which is one stop east of Hiroshima Station. Kirin closed its beer factory at the location in 1998 and Jusco finished building this mega-mall in 2004 to replace it. It is, quite simply, all the shopping you could ever wish for all in one building.

MARINA HOP

This is Hiroshima’s large, stylish outlet mall. There are 114 different fashion, lifestyle, sports, and other trendy outlet stores to pick from. Also, the only large ferris wheel in Hiroshima City is located next to the ocean at Marina Hop.

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SHUKKEIEN GARDEN PLACES TO SEE

In 1619, Asano Nagakira became the Lord of the Aki province and began ruling as the Daimyo from Hiroshima Castle. Despite ruling all of modern Hiroshima Prefecture, and more, his villa lacked a garden worthy of a prominent ruler of Japan. As a result, one year later, his principal retainer and famous master of the tea ceremony, Ueda Soko, started construction of the Daimyo’s new garden, now known as the Shukkeien Garden.

The garden is said to have initially been designed as a miniaturized landscape of Lake Xihu (West Lake) in Hangzhou, China.

But, a quick comparison of the shape of

Xihu and Shukkeien’s main pond, Takuei, shows very little similarity. In any case, the garden is a circular tour style that emerged in the Muromachi Era (1336-1568).

The gardens, like most of Hiroshima, was wiped out of existence in 1945. The Hiroshima Board of Education immediately started repairs to restore the garden. Today, around 300,000 visitors come to enjoy the gardens each year.

While it isn’t considered one of the top three gardens in Japan, it is worth a visit if you have an extra hour or so in Hiroshima.

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HIROSHIMA CASTLE PLACES TO SEE

Hiroshima Castle was built by Mori Terumoto in 1591. Mori Terumoto was a very powerful daimyo who controlled the vast majority of the San’in and San’yo areas. Having outgrown his Yamato-Koriyama castle he built a new castle in Hiroshima in 1599.

Mori Terumoto aligned himself with the Western forces in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). The Western forces lost and Mori’s lands were confiscated.

He was then appointed to govern most of what is modern day Yamaguchi prefecture.

One of Hideyoshi’s former allies, Fukushima Masanori, filled Terumoto’s place at Hiroshima. After Fukushima was stationed in Hiroshima, it’s said that he became nostalgic for his old days under Hideyoshi. Needless to say, this did not sit well with the Tokugawa. In 1617, a great flood caused extensive damage to Hiroshima Castle. Fukushima petitioned

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the Tokugawa government for permission to fix it but never received an answer.

According to Tokugawa law, all daimyo needed permission to build, rebuild, or renovate any castle. The only reply Fukushima got from the Tokugawa was “under investigation” and permission never came.

Two years later he proceeded on his own and started to fix the flood damage. Fukushima was caught in a Tokugawa trap. Since he defied their laws, they took away his lands around Hiroshima and gave him a smaller, less profitable province in modern day Nagano prefecture.

Hiroshima Castle lasted through the Meiji Restoration and was named a National Treasure in 1931 only to be destroyed by the atomic bomb in WWII.

MIYAJIMA ISLAND & ITSUKUSHIMA SHRINE

PLACES TO SEE

Miyajima Island is part of Hatsukaichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, separated from the mainland by the 500m wide Onoseto strait and is one of the many islands in the Hiroshima Bay. The island is roughly rectangular, with a length of 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) and a width of 3.7 miles (6 kilometers). Mt. Misen, Mt. Komagabayashi, and Mt. Iwafune are located on Miyajima, and all three rise and tower over the shoreline of this mountainous island. Along the mountain range, large granite boulders are exposed on the surface adding a change of character to the scenery.

The island is well known for the floating torii (shrine gate) of the Itsukushima Shrine. The torii happens to be one of the most familiar Japanese cultural icons and a representation of Shintoism, as well as a condensed essence of traditional Japanese architectural expression. This grand wooden gateway, both sturdy and graceful,

sits in the tidal flats before the historic Buddist temple complex of Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima Island.

The five-story pagoda and the hall of Senjokaku (A Thousand Mats), which sits on top of a hill behind the Itsukushima Shrine, were contributions from the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The island is also blessed with several other temples, good walks, and herds of tame deer, which even wander on the streets of this small town.

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Built on the same axis of the sea-facing shrine, the gate serves to welcome spirits of the departed as they come across the water of Japan’s Inland Sea. At low tide, visitors walk around the great columns of the structure, measuring its great size against the human body. At high tide, the rugged vermillion gateway seems to float in the waves around it, a gateway for boats, or for spirits indeed.

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