Hiroshima — The Hibakusha's Vow

Your journey in Hiroshima begins at the Genbaku Dome, the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, designed by Jan Letzel and completed in 1915. This partially preserved structure, only 160 meters from the hypocenter of the atomic explosion on August 6, 1945, stands as a powerful symbol. Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996, the Dome, with its original height of 25 meters, reveals the devastating impact that destroyed its roof and interiors. The city of Hiroshima and the Chugoku region offer an essential first step here to understand the event's scale and the tenacity of memory.

Continue towards the vast Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, inaugurated in 1955 on the ruins of the city center. Spanning 120,000 m², this park designed by Kenzo Tange houses over 50 commemorative monuments. Approximately 500 meters from the hypocenter, it welcomes 300,000 annual visitors for peace. At the heart of the park is the Peace Flame, lit on August 1, 1964, burning continuously until the total destruction of nuclear weapons. Directly visible from the Genbaku Dome at 400 meters, it is fueled by natural gas and bears the inscription 'May the flame not be extinguished until atomic bombs are abolished.' This site is central to any visit to Hiroshima.

The route then leads you to the Children's Peace Monument, erected in 1963 in memory of Sadako Sasaki, who died in 1955 from radiation-related leukemia. This 9-meter-high statue, topped with a girl holding a paper crane, symbolizes the hope of a thousand cranes. Millions of colorful paper cranes are hung by visitors from around the world, renewed annually. 600 meters from the Genbaku Dome, this poignant monument in the Peace Memorial Park embodies the resilience of young victims. You then reach the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims, built in 1955 by Kenzo Tange, bearing the inscription 'Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.' 45 meters long, it houses the list of 440,000 known victims from 1945, aligned with the Genbaku Dome and the Peace Museum.

Your exploration continues to the Hypocenter Pillar, a basalt marker erected in 1985 at the exact point of the aerial detonation, 580 meters high. With its base dimensions of 1 m x 1 m and a height of 2 meters, this pillar, 500 meters from the Genbaku Dome, bears the inscription 'Atomic Bomb Explosion Center, August 6, 1945, 8:15 AM.' Although partially hidden by trees in the Peace Memorial Park, it is a crucial point in Hiroshima's history. You then walk along the Motoyasu River, crossed by the T-shaped bridge 100 meters from the Dome. Survivors fled along its banks in 1945, and its 30-meter-wide water flow carried bodies post-explosion. A direct view of the Genbaku Dome is offered from the west bank, 200 meters from the path, highlighting the river's importance in the city's narrative.

The National Peace Memorial Museum for the Atomic Bomb Victims, opened on April 5, 2002, offers an in-depth perspective. Across 2,700 m² and two floors, it displays a collection of 350,000 artifacts, including burnt clothing and testimonies from 1945. Located 400 meters from the Genbaku Dome in the Peace Memorial Park, this museum, with its capacity for 600 visitors, is a key step in understanding Hiroshima's history. This thematic circuit in Hiroshima, at the heart of Chugoku's heritage, is an invitation to an interactive and immersive visit. It allows you to grasp hibakusha testimonies, explore the Peace Memorial Park, and reflect before the Atomic Bomb Dome, essential sites for anyone wishing to discover Hiroshima's history and its commitment to peace.