If you’re interested in the history of the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima in August 1945, you probably have the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Museum on your list of Must-See Sights. But the bomb’s effects stretched much further across the city, and there is more to see than just those two headliners. This self-guided walking tour will take you through them.
Article by Helen Foster. Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
Where to Start
Start by taking the tram from your hotel or Hiroshima Station to the Genbaku Dome Atomic Bomb tram stop. Depending on where you are coming from, this is served by tram numbers 2, 6, 3 and 7.
You’ll see our first stop right ahead of you…
1. The Genbaku Atomic Bomb Dome
The hypocentre of the blast was above the Shima Medical Clinic, about 240 metres east of the river, and it obliterated many of the surrounding buildings. One exception was the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, a domed building designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel, the shell of which is left as a symbol of the day that scarred the city.
You can’t go inside the dome, but you can still see the twisted metal and impact of the blast on the remains.
The bomb dome is able to be seen 24 hours a day.
From here, most people walk down along the river to cross over to the Peace Park, but you’ll take a detour to the east, away from the river, to cross the main road… you’re heading for a shrine called Sairen-ji.
The map here shows locations of the sights and a rough walking route (Google made me split the lettering just before the Peace Museum, but that’s a logical place, so I’m going with it!).
2. The Jizo Statue
You’ll see round-faced Jizo statues in many Japanese shrines, typically wearing knitted red hats or garments. They are often placed in memory of children who have died. This one, that stands outside Sairen-ji, survived the blast.
In 1945, this sat on a tombstone inside a small cemetery; the blast hit almost directly above this. The parts of the tombstone shadowed by the jizo stayed smooth; the others were roughened from the explosion. There are also scorch marks on its face – yet, the statue itself still stands.
There are also some damaged roof tiles built into the plinth where the jizo now sits.
The jizo is visible 24 hours a day. There is no charge to visit.
Related Read: There are other jizo around Hiroshima marked by the blast. In 2013, photographer Ken Shimizu began documenting them all. Here’s where to discover more about his story, and see pictures of some of the other surviving jizo in Hiroshima.
Once you’ve paid your respects to the lucky Jizo, take the road immediately behind (south) the statue, walk one block, right (east), then at the next intersection look for the plaque below – it’s by the parking lot.
3. The Hypocentre
The original target for the Enola Gay to drop her deadly cargo was Hiroshima’s Aioi bridge, but winds meant the bomb didn’t quite hit the target.
Instead, it exploded here, about 600 metres above the Shima Medical Centre. The 80 people inside died instantly. This simple plaque marks the spot.
You can see this any time of day.
From here, reverse your steps and head back into the grassed area on the east side of the river – you’re heading to the Motoyasu bridge that crosses it further south.
As you walk, look out for different statues, artworks and memorials around the park. One of the most striking is this one…
4. The Memorial to the Mobilised Students
In 1944, the Japanese Government signed an order that allowed high school students (12 years and older) to make up for some of the shortfall in the labour shortage caused by the war.
Their jobs included making munitions, sewing uniforms, and even clearing damage from air raids. In August 1945, over 25,000 students were working in Hiroshima City. It’s estimated that 7200 of them died in the blast.
The memorial is visible 24 hours a day.
5. Cross the Motoyasu Bridge
This bridge was built in 1992 after the original bridge sustained damage in the bombing. It does, however, contain four columns and two pillars from the original bridge. A third pillar can be found on the riverbank a bit further south.
6. The Memorials of the Peace Park
Once you cross the bridge, you enter the Peace Park, where most of the memorials to people hurt or killed that day are located. While a walking route is indicated on the map above, once you’re in the Peace Park, you can follow your own path as your attention is drawn to various memorials – everything is well signposted in English. But, some of the memorials to particularly look out for are…
The Children’s Monument
This monument honours the children killed in the bombing or from illnesses caused by it that continued to appear for years.
The figure at the top of the statue is Sadako Sasaki, a 12-year-old girl who died of leukemia caused by radiation poisoning ten years after the bombing.
As well as appearing on the monument, Sadako-san is the reason you see so many paper cranes around Hiroshima.
In Japanese tradition, it’s said that if you make 1,000 origami paper cranes, your wish will be granted. Sadako-san’s wish upon completing her goal was that there would be no more nuclear weapons, and her wish lives on today. The boxes around the statue are filled with brightly coloured origami cranes and other displays for peace created by children throughout Japan.
Atomic Bomb Memorial Burial Mound
The ashes of an estimated 70,000 bomb victims lie in a cinerarium underneath this burial mound. These are the unknown victims whose remains were never claimed, possibly because their whole family died in the blast.
The city is still working to find the families of those it may still be able to identify, even now.
The Peace Flame
Take a moment to pay your respects at this monument, which represents outstretched hands. The flame on top was lit in August 1964 and will burn until all the nuclear weapons on Earth are abolished.
The Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall
This underground space is a place for quiet contemplation. The circular hall is lined with tiles, creating an image of a devastated Hiroshima city as it looked after the bomb hit. This is made from 144,000 tiles, the estimated number of people who were killed by the bomb.
A side room makes these tiles personal as it contains screens showing images and names of the identified victims. There are also videos of survivors’ experiences, which are subtitled in English.
Depending on the day you are here, the Memorial Hall also offers readings of personal experiences from that day. They do have this in English three days a month. Check the website to confirm the exact dates if this is something you want to experience, to make sure you time your visit to coincide.
Even if you don’t go inside the hall, note the design of the roof of the building above – it’s shaped like a clock marked 8.15, the time that the bomb hit.
As you walk around the park, you’ll see other signs, memorials and artworks that all tell different stories or pay tribute to the people and places destroyed that day. Nakajima, part of the area on which the park now stands, was one of Hiroshima’s most popular entertainment areas. Zaimoku-cho was an area filled with shops, houses, and a large temple. You can see maps or pictures of how these were before – and immediately after – the blast, in a number of locations.
The Memorials are all available to be seen 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, except for the Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall. This is open from 8.30 am until at least 5 pm – longer during the lighter months. It is closed December 30th and 31st.
Most of the sights so far on this list are outside on public paths and roads. The Peace Memorial Hall aims to be fully accessible, with lifts and a ramp down to the main floor. Accessible routes are listed on the floor map. They also have wheelchairs available for loan if needed.
7. Other Sights in the Peace Park
A Bomb Ruins Exhibition Hall
This small building contains the ruins of some old houses that were on this site. The curators say it’s here to show ‘that this place was once a town with many people, that the daily lives of the people who lived there were lost in an instant by a single atomic bomb.’
It’s a pretty nondescript building, not much more than a Portakabin, but it’s kept carefully climate-controlled to protect what’s inside. However, it was here that I read the story that brought me to tears.
I won’t paraphrase it as I can’t do its impact justice, but it’s written on the display boards showing survivors’ stories. It tells the story of a man who encountered a small boy after the bombing, who asked him if he had anything to cut with.
I read it, walked outside, and then it hit me, and I started sobbing. This was my second trip to Hiroshima. I’ve visited the museum twice, I’d covered pretty much every sight in this guide by then, feeling sad, but dry-eyed, but that was the point when I lost it.
The A Bomb Ruins Exhibition Hall is open from 8.30 am until at least 5 pm – longer in the lighter months. It is free to go inside. It closes December 30th and 31st, and occasionally for temporary monitoring of the exhibits. They mention these dates in advance on their website.
Accessibility for this building is not listed on the website, but as far as I can recall, and based on what I can see in pictures and on Street View, the entrance to this building, at least, is step-free.
The Peace Bell
The bell here is traditionally rung during the minute’s silence that happens each August. It’s actually the fifth bell that’s been displayed here – some were either on loan from nearby temples and returned, the first one was stolen and has never been found, and another one is on display in the museum.
At this point, I need to turn on my stern voice. When I was there, a tour group was ringing the bell – which is allowed. However, some people were treating it like a competition to see who could slam it the hardest and create the loudest sound. That’s not really the point. Please don’t be that tourist!
Related Read: 8 Ways Tourist are Annoying the Japanese
The Surviving Trees
Considering the blast obliterating so many concrete structures, you wouldn’t have thought that any trees in the way stood no chance, but in fact, there are over 170 trees in Hiroshima that survived the bombing.
Many of them had their trunks split by the blast, but over time, new regrowth has appeared, making them a powerful symbol of Hiroshima’s resilience.
There’s a full list of some of the most notable ones here.
You’ll find some in and around the Peace Park. However, the one I found most fascinating is a little further out of town at the Myojo-in. I found it while doing the shrine walk slightly north of Hiroshima Station (see more about this in our guide to Hiroshima’s top 10 sights). Many of the shrines in the walk were also damaged in the blast, mainly by fire.
The tree has been cut so only its trunk remains, and you can see a change in the rings from the day the bomb hit.
8. The Peace Memorial Museum
Full of pictures, personal belongings, and stories, this museum humanises the impact of the bombing. It’s very sombre. I first visited in 2012, then again in 2024, and the way the museum is designed now is far more melancholic than I remembered from my first visit. When I was there, the whole place was silent- no one spoke at all. That’s not a criticism, it’s so that you have an idea of what to expect.
It will take at least an hour to visit the museum, longer if you want to read everything.
The Museum can get busy, so to help control queue times, you can now purchase tickets in advance. This doesn’t mean you have to book weeks ahead; I bought mine via a QR code standing outside the entrance. This actually links to Klook, so if you’d like to book ahead, you can purchase tickets here. The tickets are 200 yen for adults, 100 yen for children.
The only time you must book ahead is if you want to visit early in the morning (between 7:30 and 8:30 am) or during the last hour of the day, as access is limited during these times. The latter is more likely to be relevant to you on a day trip. If you’re planning on visiting in the afternoon, check the Visiting section of the museum’s website for the specific times when booking is essential for the month when you’re visiting, as the museum’s closing time varies by season.
The Museum is open seven days a week, but closes Dec 30 and 31st. It also closes for three days each February to change the exhibitions. If you are traveling in February, check the website to make sure you don’t pick those days. The museum is accessible with elevators and wheelchairs available for loan and accessible bathrooms – see the floor map here for details. Guests with additional needs also do not need to queue to enter the museum, just make a staff member aware that you need a little extra support.
Most visitors to Hiroshima limit their explorations to the Peace Park, but if you make your way east into the town, you’ll find some other sights to visit. So, once you’ve finished in the museum, head down toward Peace Boulevard and cross the river east.
Related Read: If you want to grab a bite to eat now before you carry on, there’s a great brothless ramen restaurant by here. See more in our guide on where to eat in Hiroshima.
9. Former Bank of Japan, Hiroshima Branch
Constructed in 1936, this was one of the finest buildings in Hiroshima on the day the bomb hit, featuring a glass ceiling, large columns with decorative mouldings, and ornate metal balconies. The bomb exploded 380 metres away, blowing out the windows and causing surface damage, but the building itself was sturdy and remained standing.
It was so strong that by August 8th, just two days after the bombing, representatives from all the banks in the city came here to work together to keep the city running. The glass panels of the roof had been blown, which meant that if it rained, staff had to hold umbrellas as they worked, but they kept the city running.
Today, the building has been restored, and the upstairs and some areas downstairs in the bank are used as community spaces showcasing art and exhibitions. However, as you walk around, you can still see remnants of the bomb damage left on the building.
The bank is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day of the week. Some of the display areas close on Monday. The entire building closes between December 29 and January 3 for the New Year Holiday. Entrance is free.
The front of the building features steps for entry, but a ramp is located on the east side. Exhibits are located on multiple floors, and the bank’s website doesn’t specify accessibility details; however, there is a lift available.
10. Fukuro-machi Elementary School
Many of their children who would normally have been at this school, 460 metres away from the blast’s hypocentre, had been evacuated from Hiroshima, but those who had remained in the city and were in the school were in the wooden buildings that made up much of the school – they died instantly.
The building still standing today was the school’s west building, and it is made of ferroconcrete, which withstood the blast. In the days that followed, it became a relief station. As communications were limited, the survivors scratched notes into the walls of the building, saying who was alive – and, you can still see these inside today.
You’ll also find other evidence of damage – I must admit, of all the things I saw in Hiroshima, the simple broken pane of glass in one of the doors here is one of the things that stuck with me most.
The School is open from 9 am to 5 pm seven days a week. It’s closed over the New Year’s holiday from December 28 to January 4. Entrance is free. You will need to remove your shoes to go inside. The school has stairs throughout, so it isn’t easily accessible.
11. Keep an Eye Out
Most of the trams running in Hiroshima on that day were damaged by the bomb, as were the tracks. However, the repair work proceeded quickly, and some of the trams were back in operation within two days.
And two of them still run today. They only run during weekday rush hour, and they run quite slowly, but look out for trams numbers 651 and 652. Tram 653 was also operating that day, but it is only used for private hire. The routes these trams run on vary, but keep an eye out. 651 and 652 have green and beige livery, 653 has been restored with blue and grey colouring.
Sadly, although I took many pictures of trams during my trip, I wasn’t lucky enough to catch these ones.
This guide will take you through the main sights associated with August 6th 1945, in Hiroshima. You can walk to all of them once you arrive in the city, and the map below shows you their locations, allowing you to plot your route. I was staying in Hiroshima for three days, and I broke up my visits to see a couple of sights each day. However, if you only have one day, I think it would take the best part of 4-5 hours to see everything; longer if you spend time viewing the testimonial videos in the museums.
This map doesn’t include the route lines, in case you prefer to visit the sites in a different order or a few at a time.
Prefer to Take a Tour
The route and advice above provide a good overview of the main sights, along with some background information. You’ll also find a lot of information on the boards in and around each sight – all in English. However, if you really want to learn about the events of that day and their impact on Hiroshima, you might want to book a guided tour. There are a few angled explicitly towards the events of August 6 1945 – although I haven’t found one that takes in all the sights above. Some to look at include…
Hiroshima Peace Walking Tour is a five-hour tour including a trip to the museum, walking around the Peace Park, and finishing with lunch in the Orizuru Tower, which overlooks the site (pictured below). It has over 700 reviews on Viator, almost all of them with a 5-star rating. See more here.
You can also book this tour on Klook – if you do, try adding the code JAPLANEASEKLOOK at checkout, and it might offer a discount.
Two-hour Peace Cycling Tour: If you prefer being on wheels to being on foot, this tour could be the one for you. It starts in the Peace Park but then takes you further afield to see the less-visited sights affected that day. It is also five-star rated with almost 300 reviews. Find more details here.
If you prefer to use Klook, you can also book this tour via them here. Again, our Klook code may lead to a discount here.
Three-Hour Peace Cycling Tour: You can also book a three-hour version of this tour. It goes further afield, including up into the shrine district. This also includes some sights not listed above that I hadn’t even heard about until I read the tour description.
And that’s it. Our guide to the main atomic bomb sights to see in one day in Hiroshima, but keep your eye out all over the city for information boards, as there are many, many smaller memorials and stories of how areas were affected by the bomb dotted around the city. It is a lot to take in, so see why I think finishing your day at the Orizuru Tower is the perfect way to end your day in Hiroshima.
