Learn and Reflect on the Devastation and Horror of the Atomic Bomb: A Guide to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

The Introductory Exhibit, which begins on the 3rd floor of the East Building, displays materials such as reproduced photographs and models showing Hiroshima before the bombing, at the time of the bombing, and immediately afterward.
Its defining feature is that it focuses on an overview, helping visitors quickly grasp the full scope of the damage as well as the course of events and the threat of the bombing.
Before entering the Main Building, the exhibit also includes thoughtful elements that encourage visitors to consider the atomic bomb from perspectives beyond the direct damage, such as efforts toward peace and the lives of people suffering from radiation illness.
In particular, White Panorama, which uses CG projection to show the devastated city after the bombing, is especially striking in conveying the bomb’s destructive power.

After crossing the corridor, you enter the Main Building entrance, where you are greeted by a photograph of a young girl.
The Main Building conveys the devastation of the bombing and the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, while making visitors recognize that these are issues we still need to face today.
In Hiroshima on August 6, the first section, The Devastation of August 6, displays photographs and materials showing the city destroyed by the bomb, people’s clothing, and the horrific conditions at relief stations.
The following section, Damage Caused by Radiation, introduces the effects of radiation from the atomic bomb on the human body, as well as the health problems and discrimination faced by survivors.
One of the section’s defining features is the many painful photographs of injuries and hair loss caused by the atomic bomb, so graphic that they can be hard to look at, giving a stark sense of the tragic reality.

In Victims, personal belongings worn by those who lost their lives in the bombing, as well as diaries and paintings they left behind, are carefully preserved and displayed together with their photographs and words from the family members who donated them.
Seeing the tattered belongings and coming into contact with the helpless grief and anger of the bereaved families will likely stir emotions different from anything you have felt before.
In the section Cries of the Soul, items such as Tricycle and Helmet and Belongings of Three Junior High School Students are valuable materials that convey the atomic bombing and are well worth seeing.
The section Living also introduces how survivors who lost family and friends continued to live afterward.
Among them, The Collapse of the N Family and Alone: Elderly Atomic Bomb Survivors Left on Their Own are especially memorable.

The Gallery, which marks the halfway point of the permanent exhibition, displays photographs and materials related to the design and construction of Peace Memorial Park.
Up to this point, the content has been quite heavy, but this section looks back on the history of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum itself, and one of its features is that the room is relatively bright thanks to natural light.
For that reason, it may be a good place to pause and collect yourself while looking out the windows.
As you continue on, you return to the entrance of the Main Building, where the photo of the young girl has changed into that of an adult woman, once again conveying the cruelty and brutality of the atomic bombing to visitors.

Cross the corridor once again and return to the East Building, where the section The Danger of Nuclear Weapons begins.
This section mainly displays materials related to the following topics.

You can also search and learn about the above topics using the Media Table, a large touch-panel information search device installed in the museum.
It is a good place to review what you have seen so far or explore topics that interest you in more depth.

The final section, Hiroshima’s Path, looks back on the history of Hiroshima as it developed from a castle town into a military city, and explains daily life before and during the war.
It also features panels and official documents outlining the city’s path to recovery from the chaos after the bombing, as well as various initiatives and movements by the government and citizens calling for world peace.
This section also has a Media Table, so it is worth making use of it.
From the first Introductory Exhibit to the final Hiroshima’s Path, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is filled with highlights, including thought-provoking and shocking content.
Because of that, it is worth noting that seriously engaging with every exhibit can be emotionally demanding.

The Atomic Bomb Dome is a precious structure that conveys the reality of the devastation caused by the first atomic bomb, a nuclear weapon, ever used in human history to people today and in the future.
In 1996, it was inscribed as a World Heritage Site and has also become a symbol for calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and pledging lasting world peace.
The battered outer walls and exposed steel frame, preserved just as they were at the time, powerfully convey the tragedy of that history.
Although you cannot enter the building, you can use your smartphone to view the inside in 360 degrees, so be sure to try it when you visit.

The stone monument erected to pray for the reconstruction of Hiroshima, which was completely destroyed by the atomic bomb, as a city of peace is the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims (official name: Hiroshima Peace City Memorial Monument).
Its roof, shaped like a haniwa house, is distinctive and reflects the wish to protect the souls of the atomic bomb victims from the rain and dew.
Be sure to also notice the words inscribed on the monument: “Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil.”
This inscription expresses a prayer for the realization of true world peace, and explanation boards in multiple languages, including English, Korean, and Simplified Chinese, are also installed so that its meaning can be accurately conveyed to international visitors.