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This beautiful castle is also known as "Rijo," or "Carp Castle," because it was near the district of Koi, a homonym for carp. It was originally built in 1591 by the lord Terumoto Mori, one of Hideyoshi Toyotomi's top five generals. It was one of the few castles that lasted into the twentieth century, and was declared a National Treasure in 1931--but unfortunately, it was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. The current tower is a reconstruction done in 1958, and now houses a museum. The first two floors show the history of the Castle and its town, the third floor displays battle armor and weapons, and the fourth floor has special exhibits on Hiroshima's history or culture. The second enceinte or wall, and a few structures associated with it, were reconstructed in 1994.

The area around the hypocenter of the atomic bomb explosion, roughly in the center of the city, has been set aside as a memorial park. It is a delta between two rivers, and at the time of the bombing, it was home to about 6,500 people, but on that day, there were also thousands of volunteer soldiers and students in the area building a fire lane. The park contains many, many monuments to the victims of that day, as well as the Hiroshima National Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, Peace Memorial Museum and the International Conference Center. The famous A-Bomb Dome is at the north end of the park.

The uniquely designed museum on Hiji Mountain, overlooking the city of Hiroshima, is the first Japanese public art museum that specializes in contemporary art. The building is modeled after a "kura," or traditional Japanese storehouse, and a greek "agora." Its collections center on outstanding works produced since the end of WWII, as well as those having connections with Hiroshima. Exhibits consist of paintings, prints and sculptures, as well as newer artforms such as architecture, video and performance. Notable artists include Henry Moore, Andy Warhol and Masuo Ikeda.

The prefectural art museum is located downtown, next to the beautiful Shukkeien. It was renovated to harmonize visually with the gardens next door, and reopened in 1996. It collects and exhibits the traditional arts of Hiroshima, craftwork of Japan and Asia, and "Arts from the 1920s and 30s." Its collection of over 3500 pieces are displayed in seasonally changing displays, and include some prints by Picasso and a painting by Dali.

At the south end of the Peace Memorial Park is the Peace Memorial Museum. It was opened in the Peace Memorial Park in 1955, in accordance with the federal Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law. The East building has exhibits on Hiroshima before and after the bombing, as well as a history of the development of the atomic bomb. The west building shows what occurred at 8:15 of August 6, 1945, and the horrors following the event, using graphic displays and artifacts donated by the victims. There are articles of burnt and tattered clothing, lunch boxes, a tricycle, and even human hair that had fallen out due to radiation sickness. Large items such as iron girders and bridge columns that had been deformed by the blast are nothing compared to the recorded testaments and drawings made by survivors of the horrid event. The exhibit ends with the messages of peace presented by visitors from all over the world, including those from the Dalai Lama and the late Pope John Paul II. Videos are presented in Japanese and English, and recorded audio guides in English are available for rent at the front desk.

The name means "shrunken scenery garden," and it is said to be the miniature model of West Lake (Xi Hu) in China. It was built by the Asano family, then in power, in 1620, and was designed by renowned tea master Soko Ueda. The gardens were destroyed by the A-bomb, but was subsequently restored and reopened in 1951. It is a beautiful garden with a circular path, and receives about 200,000 visitors each year.

This haunting symbol of the devastation of nuclear war was originally the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. The atomic bomb, which was actually meant to fall on nearby Aioi Bridge, detonated right above the Hall, so that miraculously some of the walls were left standing while everything inside, and any wooden structures within a one-kilometer radius were instantly reduced to ashes. In 1966, Hiroshima City decided to preserve the Dome indefinitely as a grim reminder to the world, and with help from governments and organizations in Japan and overseas, reinforced and preserved the building as it was. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

It is a Japanese tradition to fold one thousand paper cranes when someone is ill or stricken by tragedy. This monument was built when twelve-year-old Sadako Sasaki died of leukemia ten years after the atomic bombing, by her classmates and by children from 3,100 schools across Japan and nine foreign countries. The bronze statue is of a girl holding up a paper crane, and at the foot of the pedestal is a stone with the inscription "This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world." To this day, visitors leave thousands of folded paper cranes at this and other monuments in the park.

Built to appease the souls of the A-bomb victims and to pray for world peace, this flame was lit on August 1, 1964 in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and has been burning ever since. It is to continue to burn until the day that all nuclear weapons are abolished from the earth. Each year there is a Flame of Peace Relay, in which community representatives run through Hiroshima Prefecture to appeal for an end to nuclear weapons and for improved assistance for hibakusha, or A-bomb survivors. The flame is also used to light torches at other events, such as the Asian Games that were held in Hiroshima in 1994.

Miyajima, less than an hour from Hiroshima by train and ferry, has always been considered to be an island of the gods, and is the site of Itsukushima Jinja (Shrine), of the famous vermillion shrine gates in the sea. The shrine itself juts out onto the sea on stilts, and is a National Treasure as well as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It was built in 593 but expanded to its current size in 1168 by Taira-no-Kiyomori, and has been maintained meticulously for over 800 years. At high tide, the shrine appears to sink into the sea, and it is thought to be modeled after Ryugu-jo, a mythical palace under the sea. The gates are about 200 meters from the shrine and can be accessed at low tide. The island also has several temples, one of which is on top of a mountain and is accessed by a ropeway. There are also beautiful beaches with campsites and a public aquarium.

Hiroshima's very own baseball team, named "Carp" after its castle, was founded in 1949 and is strongly associated with the city's postwar revival, especially since it had no corporate sponsor for the first 18 years and relied heavily on fan support. Today its majority stockholder is Mazda, but it is still said to be the poorest team in the Central League and continues to lose its promising young players to free agency. Nevertheless, the Carp have won six league championships (there are two professional leagues in Japan, just like in the U.S.) and three Japan Series championships, in 1979, 1980 and 1984. The team has been struggling in recent years, but the games are still worth going to as the fans are crazy (it was Carp fans that started using trumpets and megaphones to cheer their team) and because the Hiroshima stadium is slightly smaller than other stadiums, making it easier to hit homeruns.

Hijiyama or Hiji Mountain is about 70 meters high and overlooks the city of Hiroshima and the Seto Inland Sea. It has been set aside as a park, and contains the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, the Hiroshima City Comics Library, a playground with concession stands, and pleasant walking trails. It is famous for its cherry blossoms in the spring.

Hiroshima is sometimes referred to as a living museum of trams. Before WWII, the city had an extensive tram system which helped develop its downtown, and it was one of the first things to be restored after the A-bomb. The efficient public transportation system helped to get the city back on its feet quickly. Four tram cars survived the disaster, and two of them are still running today, mostly on weekends and holidays.

Also known as the "Water City" or the "City of Rivers," Hiroshima, is located at the mouth of the great Ota River and actually has six rivers flowing through it. There is a wonderful river cruise departing from Motoyasu bridge, traversing upstream through the city's famous sites; the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Another cruising route, World Heritage Course connects Atomic Bomb Dome and Miyajima. Enjoy the view of not only world heritage sites but also the view from when you traverse the river into the ocean. With the sea gulls gliding by your side as you cruise, every passing moment brings a picture perfect spectacular view; a fine addition to your collection of most precious memories. Be sure to take your camera with you.