Hiroshima: The City of Peace

Hiroshima, though only a bullet train or two away from the sprawling metropoles and bustling streets of Tokyo and Osaka, in other respects seems a world apart.

Of course, you still find the same chaotic side-streets stuffed with ramen counters. Japanese businessmen and schoolchildren head off in their droves, and popular shops like Don Quijote and Daiso make their appearances. Hiroshima is even home to Japan’s first pizza vending machine, complete with two flavours and offering dough crafted in Venice… supposedly.

Yet where these scenes create a vibrant buzz in most Japanese cities, the atmosphere in Hiroshima remains one of tranquillity and peace.

Perhaps this owes to the atomic bomb, dropped at 8:15 on 6 August 1945, as Hiroshima rebuilt itself looking for a future of peace. You can take a stroll along “Peace Boulevard”, follow the “Peace Promenade” where trees and flowers are in abundance, lining the riverbanks with paths of green. Or you can witness the Atomic Bomb dome and Peace flame, a testament to Hiroshima’s role as a leading city in the global movement for denuclearisation.

The leisurely pace of life on Hiroshima’s surrounding islands certainly doesn’t hurt either, where seeing fishermen while away the hours.

Yet by no means does this tranquility mean that Hiroshima is dull. Rich in history and culture, there is no shortage of things to do. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, treks around Miyajima Island and cycling the Shimanami-Kaido cycle route were some personal highlights of this beautiful region. If you get the chance to visit Hiroshima, you won’t be disappointed!

Written by Eddie, Global English Camp 2019 Leader, University of Oxford

Edited by Paige Goetz, Director of Communications