Hiroshima is probably one of Japan’s most famous cities for the most pathetic and horrifying of reasons. Little more than fifty years ago, Japan’s role in the Second World War came to an end with the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, on August 6, 1945, by the Americans. The bomb killed an estimated 200,000 hapless people- thousands of children, women and other completely innocent folk- and left scars that have not healed yet.

True, the city has recovered, and a whole new township has come up, with offices, hotels, nightclubs, shopping malls, restaurants and homes- but the awful tragedy that devastated Hiroshima is not easily forgotten- should not be forgotten. 

Most of the noteworthy sights in the city are those connected to the bombing- the best known is the Gembaku-Domu (the A-bomb dome), which, surprisingly remained standing despite the bombing. It remains as it were in 1945, twisted and mangled, and quite awesome. Round about the dome are other reminders, all lying within a complex known as the Heiwa Kinen Koen (the Peace Memorial Park). These include the Peace Flame, wherein an eternal flame will remain burning till the end of all nuclear weapons on earth; the Peace Memorial Museum, with some dreadfully poignant relics of 1945; and the Memorial cenotaph, and the Statue for the A-Bomb Children. The last is perhaps the most touching- it’s a memorial to a ten-year old girl called Sadako, who developed leukemia due to the radiation, and started folding paper cranes, in the belief that if she managed to fold 1000 cranes (a traditional symbol of longevity), she would be healed. Sadako did not live to complete her job- but her schoolmates did it for her, and even today, schoolchildren across Japan fold cranes, hundreds of which arrive every year at the statue, where they are exhibited.

Getting There: Hiroshima is a ferry hub and a host of services connect it to Shikoku and Kyushu islands. The city is just two hours from Osaka by the 'shinkansen' trains and four hours from Tokyo. Bullet trains depart every half hour from Hiroshima for one or the other destinations in Honshu. Domestic flights link Tokyo, Kagoshima (Kyushu) and Sapporo (Hokkaido) and international flights connect it to Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul and other Asian capitals.

Accommodation: Traditional Japanese style inns, western style deluxe hotels and no nonsense business hotels are some accommodation options for visitors to Hiroshima. The ryokans offer  no frills, basic rooms with tatami mat covered floors and futons to sleep on.

For detailed visitor and country information, see Japan.