Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Also called Genbaku Dome, this landmark was the only building left standing after the Enola Gay dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, eventually killing 140,000 people. Genbaku is the Japanese word for 'atomic bomb.'

Originally built in 1910 as the Hiroshima Commercial Exhibition Hall, in 1933 it was renamed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. The five-story building, its exterior faced with stone and plaster, was topped with a steel-framed, copper-clad dome. The bomb blast shattered much of its interior, but the majority of its frame, as well as its garden fountain, remain.

The area around the building was re-landscaped as a park between 1950 and 1964; when complete, it was formally opened to the public as a museum. Since 1952, an annual peace ceremony has been held here on August 6, and in 1996, it was declared a World Heritage site.

Practical Info

It costs 50 yen to enter the site, which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. in August and until 5 p.m. from December to February). From Hiroshima Station, take tram line 2 or 6 to Genbaku-Domu mae station. The ride takes 15 minutes and costs 150 yen.