1-day trip to Hiroshima, Japan

Spending a day in Hiroshima and visiting the memorial places of the city wasn't a relieving experience. Before we decided to go there, we had a several discussions with each other to visit this city or not. Finally, we decide to go one of the most drama place of Japan.

As you might know, Hiroshima has a terrible renown: this was the first place in the world which was hit by an atomic bomb during WWII in 1945 by the US military. More than 70 000 people died immediately and many more due to the radiation effects. As you can imagine most of the sights therefore its tourism is driven this enormous trauma, therefore it is not an easy place to visit.

Is there still radiation in the city? The brief answer is no. Due to the different type of radiation and radioactive materials; Hiroshima is now a completely livable city (unlike Chernobyl or the Fukushima area).

Must see places in Hiroshima

1. A-Bomb Dome

The A-Bomb Dome is the ruins of the former Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall after the bomb attack. Only a few buildings stood after the attack and this building is one of them. Now it is the part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and commemorate of Hiroshima's dark day.

As we were wandering around the Dome, we could feel the odd vibes and sadness. For us it was obvious, that it is not a place for shooting selfies and posing (shockingly many had different opinion).

2. Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and Museum

This site contains a beautiful park and museum commemorate for the victims of the atomic bomb attacks.

The admission ticket to the Museum is 200 yen.

Museum's opening hours:

8:30 to 18:00 (until 19:00 in August, until 17:00 from December to February); admission ends 30 minutes before closing.

As for the museum, it was a heart-breaking experience because of the detailed information about the day of the atomic bomb attack, the suffering citizens and the enormous mayhem caused by the bomb. There were countless writings, photos and videos about survivors who were telling their stories as well as object from Hiroshima. Although it is a heartbreaking experience, in my opinion it is a must-see experience, so that humanity can avoid these disasters in the future!

3. Hiroshima Castle

Hiroshima castle was the economical center of the city, and it was built by a feudal lord in 1589. The castle was also destroyed by the atomic bombs in 1945. Fortunately, it was rebuilt and beautifully renovated as you see in the picture.

To sum it up, spending 1 day in Hiroshima was definitely worth it. You shouldn't miss this city if you are in Japan! We haven't taken too much photo in Hiroshima, but this day just wasn't about that.

- The end of the Japan blog series -