The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park occupies the open ground near the point where the atomic bomb detonated on 6 August 1945, once a busy commercial district reduced to ash in an instant. Rather than rebuild, the city made it a place of memory and a plea for peace. At its edge stands the A-Bomb Dome, a UNESCO World Heritage Site preserved as a ruin exactly as the blast left it, its skeletal frame one of the most powerful anti-war images in the world. The park itself holds the arched cenotaph framing the dome and the eternal Flame of Peace, the Children’s Peace Monument hung with paper cranes, and the museum. It is quiet, moving and essential.
🗓️ At a Glance
| Location | Naka-ku, Hiroshima |
| Hours | Park always open; museum has hours |
| Admission | Park free; museum ~¥200 |
| Time needed | 1.5–3 hours with the museum |
| Best time | Year-round; Aug 6 for the memorial ceremony |
What to See
- The skeletal A-Bomb Dome, a World Heritage ruin.
- The cenotaph framing the dome and the eternal Flame of Peace.
- The Children’s Peace Monument hung with paper cranes.
- The Peace Memorial Museum at the park’s south end.
Combine Your Visit
- Combine with the Peace Memorial Museum in the park.
- Pair with paper crane folding as a reflective act.
- Read our Hiroshima overview .
Getting There
- By tram: Hiroshima’s streetcars stop at Genbaku Dome-mae, beside the dome.
- On foot: central and walkable from Hiroshima Station area by tram.
Tips
Give the park real time and quiet attention rather than a quick photo of the dome — walking the whole park from the dome through the cenotaph to the museum tells the story in sequence. Approach it as a place of mourning: keep voices low, be respectful in photographs, and if you can, visit around 6 August, when the annual memorial ceremony and evening lantern floating are deeply moving.
