Port of Call Information

Port of Call Information

Hiroshima, Japan


Average Yearly High Temperature in Fahrenheit (&degF)
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
39 40 46 56 64 71 78 80 73 63 53 44

Overview

The city of Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the biggest city in the Chugoku region of Honshu, the biggest of Japan's islands. Hiroshima was founded in 1589, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea, and became a chief urban center during the Meiji period. The city is placed on the broad, flat delta of the Ota River, which has 7 channel outlets dividing the city into six islands in Hiroshima Bay. On August 6, 1945 a nuclear weapon was dropped on Hiroshima by a U.S. Air Force B-29 bomber which was altered specifically to hold the bomb, killing an estimated 80,000 people and heavily damaging 80% of the city. In the following months, an estimated 60,000 more people died from injuries or radiation poisoning. Every year on August 6, the mayor of Hiroshima gives a speech called "The Peace Declaration" to remember the atomic bombing of the city. It has often been used as an occasion to criticize U.S. foreign policy and ask the president to visit Hiroshima. Tens of thousands of people marked the 60th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city on August 6, 2005. The city has an estimated population of 1,200,000 inhabitants.

Things to Do

Visit the Itsukushima Shrine is in the town of Miyajima, on the island of Itsukushima, across from Hiroshima. Its large red "floating" gate is one of the most famous sights of Japan. Although it lies outside the city of Hiroshima, it is accessible by streetcar or ferry.

Another well known tourist attraction is Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The Memorial includes the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and brings many visitors from all around the world, especially around the time of the yearly commemoration.

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