To the south of the Atomic Bomb Dome across the Motoyasu River, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park is located. The park was built based on the law, which was enacted in 1949, to prevail peace on earth to worldwidely, and also not to not repeat the evil. It was completed in 1954.

If you across the Motoyasu River, you will see the "Peace Bell". The global map without any national borders are printed on the bell. Everybody can strike the bell in order to pray for peace.

The Peace Memorial Park is approximately 122,100 square-meters. It was estimated that 6,500 residents and mobilized students were there when the Atomic Bomb was explored.

Then, you will see the Children's Peace Monument.

This monument was built in 1958 by classmates of Miss SASAKI Sadako, who was an atomic bomb victim when she was two years old. Sadako was survived the Atomic Bombing, but died ten years after the bombing due to leukemia caused by radiation of Atomic Bombing.

If you walk further to the south, you will see a rectangle shaped pond. At the north end of the pond, you will see the wing-shaped monument. This is the Peace Flam Monument. On the monument, there is the peace flam. The flam will be turned off when peace on earth and total destruction of nuclear weapons are achieved.

At the other side of the pond, the Memorial Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb victims is located. The Atomic Bomb Dome, the Peace Flam Monument and the Memorial Cenotaph align. Under the Memorial Cenotaph, the name lists of all the Atomic Bomb victims are placed. As of 2006, 247,787 of names were listed.

You will see the Atomic Bomb Dome through the arched Memorial Cenotaph.
The following words are engraved on the monument:

"Let all the souls here rest in peace ;
For we shall not repeat the evil."

To the south of the Memorial Cenotaph, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is located. The museum originally opened in 1955 to exhibit the evidence of horrible sights caused by atomic bombing. Accumulated visitors reached seventy million people on September 24 in 2017. The annual number of visitors are one million in average. The main hall is designated as an important property of Japan.

A couple of below pictures show the exhibits of the museum.
The mushroom shaped cloud shows the explosion of the atomic bombing. The picture was taken from "Enola Gay", which was a bomber of the US Army and released the atomic bomb above Hiroshima City.

When the atomic bomb was explored, the grand temperature below the hypocenter of the blast reached 3,000 degree C. Ninety percent of people who were within one kilo-meter from the hypocenter of the blast died within a week after the atomic bombing.

Survivors were also damaged by the heat. Skins of survivors melted. Clothes of them were burnt and became like old torn rags.

Japan was not simply a victim of the atomic bombing. This was the results of wars of aggression to east and southeast Asian countries, which Japan caused. Also, it was the results of the war against the Unites States which Japan generated without a war declaration.

Based on this understanding, Japan deeply regrets what Japan did during Warld War II or before, and declared not to go to war in Article Nine of the Japanese Constitution. Japan has been wishing total destruction of nuclear weapons.

However, the situation is getting worse.
ABE Shinzo, who became the prime minister of Japan in 2012, is making his best efforts to ruin the Article Nine of the Japanese constitution. ABE's administration opposed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations in 2016.

In 2016, Mr. Obama, the former president of the United States, visited Hiroshima and the museum. He made a speech to wish peace and also total destruction of nuclear weapons. After he retired from the president of the United States, this also has been drastically dropped back.

I sometimes wonder when peace on earth will be realized. But, I believe that human being is wise enough to achieve it.

How to get there
From Tokyo, take a "Nozomi" to Hiroshima. Or, take a "Hikari" and change to "Sakura" at Shin-Osaka for Japan Rail Pass travelers.
From Hiroshima Station, take a street car, the route 2 or 6, to "Gembaku Dome Mae" station,

Official English Website:
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
http://hpmmuseum.jp/?lang=eng

Other Historical Sites near by:
Atomic Bomb Dome
Ruins of Hiroshima Castle
Shukukei-En Garden
Itsukushima Shrine