Hiroshima Day 2024 is on Tuesday, August 6, 2024: What is modern day Hiroshima, Japan like?

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 is Hiroshima Day 2024. The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in August 1945. The two bombings were the first and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in wartime.

The atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan were conducted by the United States during the final stages of World War II in August 1945. The two bombings were the first and remain the only use of nuclear weapons in wartime.

I live in Hiroshima, but Lord Waffles did a good job of summing it up--it is a wonderful city, one of the best lesser cities in Japan. (only a few million)

Very clean, safe, easy to navigate with its street car system, and the number of international tourists who visit the Peace Park (ground zero) and the A-Bomb museum give it an international, pacifist flair that is in stark contrast to many of the cities of Japan.

There are lots of solemn remembrance ceremonies on August 6th, the day that marks the anniversary of the event, and world leaders often visit the area.

Last year many folks visited, but one I remember vividly seeing was the famous Latin American revolutionary (you know him from the T-Shirt) Che Guevara's daughter, who is in her 50's now.

It is similar to other big Japanese cities in other ways, for example, the huge shopping districts made up of department stores and upscale brand shops like Louis Vuitton and Prada. Also the covered street arcades have many neat little shops and restaurants,

and like Waffles said, you've gotta have the Okonomiyaki--It's the Japanese food that the every foreigner can agree on.

Other cool things--lots of expat hangouts and an international crowd, occasionally you'll meet US Navy folks or other servicemen, but there are folks from all over the world. As I mentioned before, Hiroshima is very pacifist, and naturally, are world renowned for the anti-nuclear advocacy. You mentioned religion, so I guess Buddhist and Christianity and of course native Shinto, but more than religion, I would say there is a special kind of sprituality that comes with living in a place that witnessed such horrible things, and then rebounded quickly.

In other words, definitely worth a visit.

What To Do In Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima.. Day Trips To Each Places!?

Hiroshima is the easiest.

Of course, you'll want to go to the Atomic Bomb Memorial Museum and Peace Park. To thoroughly explore the park and museum, it honestly takes about a half day.

After that, you have some options. If you choose to stay in the city, you can visit Hiroshima Castle (replica), Shurakuen Garden, Hiroshima Museum of Art, etc. You can make a nice day out of exploring Hiroshima City.

It is also possible to take the tram or the train to the Miyajima ferry port to go to Miyajima to see the famous Itsukushima Shrine. This is the most photographed shrine in Japan, and the view of the torii gate in the water is considered to be one of the top three views in Japan. This shrine is truly one of Japan's most beautiful and interesting shrines.

For Kyoto, you can see more in one day if you choose one area and thoroughly explore it, unless there are certain places you absolutely want to visit in another area. There are so many options in Kyoto though...

The Arashiyama area makes a nice day trip, though. If you don't mind walking, you can actually see all of the main sites in the area from Adashino Nenbutsuji Temple down to Iwatayama Monkey Park in one a day.

In the Northwest area, you can visit Kinkakuji Temple, Ryoanji Temple, and Ninnaji Temple together easily. These are all World Heritage Sites, if you are interested in that. From near Ninnaji, you can take a bus to the Takao area to see Jingoji Temple, Saimyoji Temple, and Kozanji Temple. Kozanji Temple is a World Heritage Site, but Jingoji has more interesting history AND is much more impressive than Kozanji. Either way, you can see them all in a day.

If you don't want to go to Takao, you could visit Imamiya Shrine, Daikokuji Temple, and Kitano Tenmangu.

In the Eastern part of Kyoto there are many sites close together.

Chionin Temple, Yasaka Shrine, Maruyama Park, Kodaiji Temple, Kiyomizu Temple, and the Ryozen Kannon Temple are all around the same area. Other interesting places include Sanjuusangendo, Heian Shrine, Kyoto National Museum...

Some places in Kyoto that are worthwhile that are not really close to those mentioned are Toji Temple, Daigoji Temple, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Shimogamo Shrine, Kamigamo Shrine, and Nijo Castle. These are not far, and the buses (and trains and subway) makes travel in Kyoto convenient, so if any of these look interesting, you can easily go.

In Osaka, people often just go shopping in Umeda or Namba. If you want to do something more interesting than that, you can visit the Kaiyukuan aquarium, the Osaka Museum of Art, Sumiyoshi Shrine, Shitennoji Temple, Shitennoji Zoo, Isshinji Temple, Osaka Castle, Peace Osaka... And if you go to Umeda or Namba at night, there is a lot of nightlife.

POLL: How are you commemorating Hiroshima Day today?

Interesting Q! I WAS remembering the day that my husband and I drove our MG with the top down, through Hiroshima, in l955. My husband was stationed on Kyushu (in the US Air Force), and we were on vacation. We got caught in a terrible traffic jam, and had to get out of the way of this huge bus--but two little girls jump right behind us and were playing in the soft dust in the road behind us. We could not back up--and there was no WAY we dared to pick the children up to move them to the side. People just stared, but one old WWII vet, still in his old army uniform, and who had one wooden leg, came out shaking one of his crutches at us and rabble-rousing the crowd against us. It was really frightening! All I could think of was how enraged I would have been if I were a Japanese citizen of Hiroshima. Finally, someone got the children out of the road and we were able to be on our way. I do think that--as bad as the H-bomb was--that it did shorten the war. My landlord's Daughter and I used to talk, and she told me that the authorities--the Generals and others in command--had told them that if the Americans fought their way up to Kyushu, that they would kill every man, woman and child. That was no doubt to get the people to fight to their death. But my landlord's Daughter told me how totally surprised everyone was, when they saw the first American soldiers, who were smiling and passing out chocolate candy bars to all the children! The atomic bomb is a terrible thing--and we all have to work for Peace over the world, all the time.