Hiroshima Peace Memorial Guide

The museum is the emotional and informational core of the memorial complex — divided into East and Main buildings presenting the history of Hiroshima before the bombing, the event itself, and the aftermath in exhaustive detail. Personal belongings of victims, survivor testimony videos, reconstructed blast scenes, and medical documentation of radiation effects are presented with directness rarely found in a public institution. Allow 90–120 minutes minimum; many visitors require significantly more time.

The Industrial Promotion Hall's skeletal frame — the only structure near the hypocentre to retain its shape after the blast — stands at the northern end of the park as the world's most recognisable symbol of nuclear destruction. Preserved by international agreement as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the dome's twisted iron dome frame and shattered exterior walls are maintained in their post-blast condition. Most impactful in the morning light from the Peace Memorial Park's main promenade.

The monument depicts Sadako Sasaki, a girl who developed leukemia from radiation exposure and folded 1,000 paper cranes before her death in 1955. The tower is surrounded by thousands of origami crane offerings sent by children worldwide — a practice that continues year-round. The monument has become a global symbol of childhood and nuclear impact, with paper cranes a worldwide symbol of peace.

The arched cenotaph aligns with the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Eternal Flame in a precise north-south axis — on 6 August each year, the rising sun aligns through the arch. The cenotaph's inscription reads "Let all the souls here rest in peace; for we shall not repeat the evil." The register of victims held within is updated annually and now lists over 340,000 names.

Each year on 6 August at 8:15 (the exact moment of the bombing), the Peace Declaration Ceremony takes place in the park. Representatives of nations, survivors, and Hiroshima citizens gather at the cenotaph. The ceremony includes a moment of silence, the Peace Bell, the release of white doves, and the mayor's Peace Declaration. Thousands attend and the ceremony is broadcast internationally.

The Peace Boulevard runs east-west beside the park in what was the cleared blast zone. The Orizuru Tower at the boulevard's eastern end offers views over the park and river from an observation platform, with a paper crane folding studio at its base where visitors can fold and release cranes. The tower's café provides a quieter complement to the park.