Japan/Honshu: Hiroshima – A-Bomb Dome & Peace Memorial Park

At 8:15 am on 6 August 1945, the first atomic bomb equivalent to 15 tons of TNT was dropped by the US on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb was supposed to fall on the Aioi Bridge but missed the target and exploded 600m/2000ft above the Genbaku Dome (Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall). While the city was obliterated for miles, the fact that the bomb exploded nearly vertically above the dome spared the beams and skeleton of the structure. It remains to this day as the main attraction of the Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park (also the building was built to withstand earthquakes). The park was established in the 1950s and the decision was made to preserve the A-Bomb dome as is. It’s an emotional and deeply depressing site – thousands of lives wiped out in one morning for no reason, purpose, or goal. The Genbaku Dome stands almost exactly as it did at 8:16am on August 6 in 1945, a minute after the blast. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. Around it, lies a vast Peace Park with several monument, eternal fire, statues. And beyond the park, the rebuilt city of Hiroshima with new bridges and skyscrapers.
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