Explore the Past and Future of Global Peace Efforts with Professor Gen Kikkawa at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park

A Ground-level View of Hiroshima

The experience begins with a walking tour of Hiroshima in the immediate vicinity of the Peace Memorial Park. Take in the sights of the city while learning about its history through fascinating commentary from Professor Emeritus Gen Kikkawa, with thought-provoking views of the real places most affected by the first combat use of atomic weapons in history.

A streetcar passes along Aioi Bridge

Stroll along the reconstructed Aioi Bridge – originally used as the aiming point for the dropping of the bomb from the air. First-time visitors to Hiroshima from abroad are sometimes surprised to learn that buildings near the hypocenter of the blast survived in any form at all – such as the skeletal ruins of the now famous “Atomic Bomb Dome,” or the nearby (reconstructed) Rest House. But these few buildings offer a window into a time when the area now covered by parkland was once the densest, most bustling, and most built-up central district of the city.

A flower left by a visitor on the memorial plaque marking the exact location of the blast’s hypocenter, directly in front of the reconstructed Shima Hospital

Professor Emeritus Gen Kikkawa: Bringing History to Life

Recently retired from his demanding University roles, Professor Emeritus Kikkawa envisioned this specialized tour as a way to share his knowledge on important subjects related to the history and legacy of the bombing by connecting with visitors directly. He hopes to bring to life the park’s strong anti-war message and the complicated legacy of the event in a way that gives visitors out a fuller experience of the park.

Professor Emeritus Kikkawa in front of the Cenotaph for the Atomic Bomb Victims, with the Atomic Bomb Dome in the distance

It’s easy to say that the information and insights Professor Emeritus Kikkawa shares during the tour do just that. Those with a strong interest in history may already be familiar with some of the general information and facts of the bombing and its legacy, but it is an entirely different thing to stand in the actual spot where it transpired, discussing their details and implications with a local expert.

Professor Emeritus Kikkawa is an affable and approachable guide – and surprisingly easy to talk to for someone so erudite

As a longtime professor, it is of course that interactivity and deeper engagement with the subject matter that Kikkawa is seeking to foster. His goal is not to preach to visitors, but to get them thinking. That’s why his talk includes information on a wide variety of different perspectives, including the people of Hiroshima and their local government, the Japanese national government, the US government and military, as well as China, Korea, and academics from other countries in Asia – and why he highlights key differences in views and interests among them.

Genbaku Dome – the former Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall – today bears witness to the devastation of atomic warfare

The World Heritage listing was not without political controversy – with most opposition coming from the United States and China. The United States argued that the memorial’s focus omitted crucial historical context, and the US government officially distanced itself from the final decision. China, on the other hand, cited dangers that the monument could obfuscate the suffering inflicted on victims of Japanese aggression during the war, and the fact that it was these who suffered the greatest losses of life during the war.

The restored “Rest House,” another building preserved from the time before the bomb

From the Ashes: Monuments to Peace, and the Dream of a Humanity that Learns from its Blunders

Professor Emeritus Kikkawa guides visitors to other important monuments in the park, including the Peace Bell and Flame of Peace. As his commentary illuminates, these various installations are as much aspirational as they are memorial. They come with a distinct vision: of a world choosing to reflect on – and not merely react to – the emergence of the atomic bomb, the effect of its use on human targets, and the possibility for learning from the horrors of war and building a better future.

The Peace Bell

The surface of the Peace Bell is engraved with one take on that vision: a world map without national borders, asking visitors to envision our one world and humanity as something shared and universal. 

A visitor to the park engrossed in conversation with Professor Emeritus Kikkawa

At one end of a nearby pond burns the Flame of Peace. Referred to as symbolizing the “Heart of Hiroshima,” this fire burns to represent the determination of the city to convey the reality and horror of nuclear weapons, to foster global norms against its use, and to pursue peace in a world without them. 

The Flame of Peace

The Heart of Hiroshima rests on a conviction that nuclear deterrence is a misguided philosophy. So long as there is war, supporters believe, humans will eventually and inevitably turn to the use of whatever weapons they have. This conviction has guided the city to actions so far resulting in two Nobel Peace Prizes.

“Let All the Souls Here Rest in Peace”

Across the reflecting pond from the Flame of Peace sits the park’s central memorial installation – the Cenotaph for the Victims of the Atomic Bomb. Designed by world-class architect Kenzo Tange early in his career, the cenotaph honors the hibakusha – victims of the atomic bomb, whether they lived or died – with a pledge. “Let all the souls here rest in peace,” reads the English version, “for we shall not repeat the evil.”

The inscription on the cenotaph

Written by Hiroshima University Professor Tadayoshi Saika, himself one of the hibakusha, this latter half of the inscription pledging not to “repeat the evil,” almost immediately caused controversy of its own. Criticisms are best summed up in the words of the Indian jurist (and only non-Japanese Asian representative at the Tokyo Trials for War Crimes) Radhabinod Pal: “It was not the Japanese who dropped the atomic bomb.”

The Children’s Peace Monument pays respect to Sadako Sasaki and the thousands of other child victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima

Interestingly, because of inherent grammatical differences between English and Japanese language structure, it is the English translation that invokes the use of the word “we” in this pledge – the original Japanese has no subject at all. But Saika himself defended the wording of the inscription – including the English translation – noting that the “we” refers to all of humanity, and “the evil” refers to the evil of war. A signboard clarifying this was installed in 1983.

History as Mirror to the Present – and Future

By the nature of what it memorializes, Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park makes for more reflective, somber, and even complicated sightseeing than the usual spots. But the nature of what it memorializes also makes it a vital at-least-once pilgrimage for all those living in the post-Atomic Age. As Kikkawa notes, these weapons haven’t gone away, and until the dream of their abolition – or the abolition of war itself – becomes a reality, they remain a perennial threat to all of us. And they have already been used.

Owing to the story of Sadako Sasaki, a child victim of the bomb who folded origami cranes while dying of radiation illness, these folded paper birds have become a powerful symbol of prayers for peace

If history matters at all – and if deep personal reflection on world issues have any importance – then it is hard to make a case against the value of Hiroshima and its Peace Memorial Park as a vital sightseeing destination for all of humanity. This isn’t a subject to be ignored or put out of mind, nor is it one to skim through. 

The Motoyasu River, which is straddled by the peace park and was at the hypocenter of the lbast

And thanks to this exclusive Wabunka plan, visitors can rest assured that they’re getting reliable and appropriately deep engagement thanks to having Professor Emeritus Kikkawa as their guide.