This article is based on a visit made on Monday, 21 November 2016.
Edit 8 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
Previously on Sekai Ichi, I visited the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, devoted to the history and memory of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945. When the bomb detonated, a good chunk of land in the city's centre was left completely razed. In the years that followed, it was decided to leave that space as a public park, the Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園,
Heiwa Kinen Kōen), adorned with monuments and the aforementioned museum erected to evoke wishes of peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and nuclear warfare.
Many statues and monuments dot the park, depicting and offering tribute to various groups of people who had been victimised by the bomb and by World War II in general. I saw some of these right after I got off the bus from Hiroshima Castle, on the south side of the park. This one, known as the Statue of Peace or "New Leaves", was sculpted by Katsuzo Entsuba. The base contains an inscription by Dr.
Hideki Yukawa (湯川 秀樹,
Yukawa Hideki, 1907-1981), a Nobel Prize laureate who campaigned for nuclear disarmament.
This one seems a bit more dramatic in its depiction of someone who had been critically wounded, or possibly killed, from the explosion, and someone else carrying them in agony. It is called the Monument to the A-Bombed Teachers and Students of National Elementary Schools.
A close-up of the garlands of origami cranes hung behind the statue. The paper crane is a major motif of peace relating to the bombing, as I would soon learn in the museum afterwards.
After passing under, or visiting, the museum, we will reach this cenotaph, an archlike structure engraved with the names of all victims of the Hiroshima bombing. Underneath this cenotaph, a plaque is inscribed with a message. Translated to English, it reads:
"Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil."
Translations to several other languages are inscribed on floor plaques nearby.
Behind the cenotaph stands a reflecting pool and this monument, atop which an eternal flame burns. It was first lit in 1964, and is meant to remain lit until the last nuclear weapon in the world has been destroyed. Good luck with that, world.
Nearby the cenotaph and eternal flame is another statue, the Peace Prayer Monument, which appears to depict a goddess figure standing atop a crescent moon.
Continuing the arch motif of the cenotaph, farther back we see the Children's Peace Monument. It is topped by a statue of Sadako Sasaki, whom you may have read from my last article was a child who suffered from leukemia after surviving the bomb, and folded a series of origami cranes in her final months. Fittingly, her statue here depicts her holding a wireframe crane, and there is also a crane-shaped bell ringer beneath the arch.
Behind the Children's Monument are several displays with messages to peace and many more paper cranes. This one depicts a face whom I thought to be Barack Obama, but could just as likely be a Japanese politician whom they were either praising or trying to send a message to.
Nearing the north end of the park, we finally get to one of its most enduring symbols, both literally and figuratively. The "A-Bomb Dome", as it has become known, was the closest building to the bomb's epicentre that survived partially standing. It was originally built as the Hiroshima Prefectural Product Exhibition Hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel in 1915. Again, as discussed in my previous article, concrete structures like this were able to withstand the blast more than the wooden buildings that were more common in the area. The A-Bomb Dome has remained much as it has since then, with only minor structural renovations to keep it that way. It was also inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
Finally, the Peace Clock Tower. It was built after the bombing, as far as I can tell, but it does look like the kind of twisted wreckage the bomb would have left in its wake.
I missed it, but a new attraction had opened nearby right before my visit, earlier in 2016. The Orizuru Tower (おりづるタワー,
Orizuru Tawā) is a multi-purpose building with a visitor's centre, interactive exhibition space, and an observation deck. The word "orizuru" means "paper crane", and it is indeed a major motif of the place. This is of course related to the story of A-bomb survivor Sadako Sasaki, whom I mentioned in my last article. The entry fee is a little steep, but if you thought the view from Hiroshima Castle wasn't close enough for your liking, the view from Orizuru Tower's rooftop deck is supposed to be even better. It looks down over the Peace Park, and on a clear day, you can even see Miyajima Island! For an added fee, you can fold a crane of your own and drop it into the Orizuru Wall, which can then be seen from street level.
Finally, this is the tram stop I took to get back to my hotel. It stands right nearby the Peace Park and the A-Bomb Dome, and is fittingly named after the latter. Even though you can see the Orizuru Tower in the background of this and other pictures above, I sadly was unaware of it at the time. Either that, or I just felt shagged out and wanted to head back home, as it were. Fortunately, I would go to see Miyajima in person. But before that, a tour through the Mazda car factory, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hiroshima Peace Park
Hours: Open 24 hours. No closing days.
Costs: Free.
Address: 1-1 Nakajima-chō, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 〒730-0811
Access: From Hiroshima Station, take tram line
2 or
6 to Genbaku Dome-mae / Atomic Bomb Dome (M10, 15 minutes, ¥190). The north end of the park is right across the river to the south. Alternatively, take tram line
1 to Fukuro-machi (U2, 15 minutes, ¥190), and walk west for 5 minutes, on Heiwa-dori, to reach the park from the south.
The Peace Memorial Museum is also a stop on the Maple-oop bus. From Hiroshima Station, take any of the three lines to Peace Memorial Park (16 minutes, ¥200, JR Pass OK).
Website:
(Japanese)
Orizuru Tower
Hours: Open from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Costs: ¥1,700. Adding a crane to the Orizuru Wall costs an additional ¥100.
Address: 1-1 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima-shi, Hiroshima-ken 〒730-0811
Access: Orizuru Tower is next to the Genbaku Dome-mae tram station.
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
