Hiroshima. The name itself lives in infamy as the site of the first use of an atomic bomb on human targets; but today this modern, cosmopolitan city of just over 2 million is better known for its positive mission of peace, its culinary delights and beautiful attractions.

Hiroshima was founded in 1589 when warlord Mõri Terumoto chose a spot on the Ota River delta, formerly known as Gokamura, or “Five Villages,” as the site for his new castle. The castle was completed a couple of years later, but the warlord’s stay was short — he chose the wrong side in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and lost his fiefs in the area. By 1619, samurai Asano Nagaakira became the territorial lord, or daimy, and under the rule of his family the city saw prosperity with very little conflict until 1869 when the feudal system was abolished by the rise of a new emperor.

Emperor Meiji restored the throne and ended the shogunate’s power, and industrialization and a bit of Westernization followed. Mills were built for the growing cotton industry, and one of seven government-sanctioned English-language schools opened in Hiroshima. But with the increased economic importance also came a rising military presence which would lead the city down its path to the dramatic ending of World War II.

Hiroshima’s location along the Seto Inland Sea and the arrival of the railroad in 1894 made the city a key supplier for the military during that decade’s First Sino-Japanese War, and for seven months the emperor commanded out of Hiroshima Castle. The Russo-Japanese War in 1904–05 brought more war production to the industrialized city. Troops from the region fought in China when Japan invaded in the 1930s; as World War II unfolded, the Second Army and Chugoku Regional Army were based here and the Army Marine Headquarters took command of the port.

Years later, as Japan retreated on itself and Allied air raids became continuous on the island, incendiary bombs left portions of population centers in cinders — except Hiroshima. To protect against potential firebombing in Hiroshima, thousands of 11- to 14-year-old students had already been brought to the city to tear down buildings to create a firebreak when the bomb was dropped on Aug. 6, 1945. Eighty thousand died almost immediately, while another estimated 60,000 perished from wounds or the effects of fallout. To add insult to injury, a typhoon stymied recovery efforts by wiping out bridges and roads and killing another 3,000 people just one month later.

But Hiroshima rose again from its ashes. The 1949 Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Construction Law provided funding and land for reconstruction, and a plan was laid out for a peace memorial park. Industry boomed once again, and the symbol of the complete annihilation of nuclear war emerged as a city of peace and disarmament attracting peace organizations and summits. The Hiroshima Interpreters’ and Guides’ Association was established in 1992 to provide services for conferences, and the Hiroshima Peace Institute was founded in 1998 as part of Hiroshima University. The mayor of Hiroshima is the president of the international Mayors for Peace. Whenever a nation tests a nuclear weapon, the acting mayor sends a letter to the leaders of that nation expressing deep dismay.

Diversions

First and foremost on a trip to Hiroshima is a visit to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (1-2 Nakajimama-cho, tel 81 82 242 7798). At the entrance to the museum is a watch found after the atomic blast, stopped at the moment of detonation, 8:15 a.m. Well-designed exhibits tell of the lead-up to the war, not overlooking Japan’s own part. Photos, videos, text and artifacts tell the story of the war, the development of the atomic bomb, the choice of Hiroshima as a target and the horrors of the victims and survivors. But the museum does a fine job of avoiding simplistic black-and-white blame and pursues its true goal: promoting peace and a future free of nuclear weapons. A walk through Peace Park past the reflecting pool and the continuously burning Peace Flame takes visitors to the A-Bomb Dome, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the very few structures left partially standing in the blast zone. It stands as it was after the explosion, a symbol of devastation in the midst of a beautiful city. Particularly touching is the Children’s Peace Monument and the story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died from leukemia after surviving the initial blast. Her hopes were to fold 1,000 paper cranes and be cured. Even today, cranes are sent from all over the world in her memory. Despite its sobering subject matter, the museum imparts a sense of hope for peace.

The five-story Hiroshima Castle (21-1 Motomachi, Naka-ku, tel 81 82 221 7512) is also known as “carp castle” and, though destroyed in 1945, was restored in 1958. Exhibits detail its construction and its long history. Just north of the castle, the Hiroshima Botanical Garden (495, Kurashige 3-chome, Saekiku, tel 81 82 922 3600) has six greenhouses filled with tropical plants, including some rare orchids. The garden’s cherry trees attract visitors each spring. A similarly beautiful attraction is the Shukkeien Garden (2-11 Kaminobori-cho, tel 8182 221 3620) commissioned by Asano Nagaakira in 1620 and Hiroshima’s largest Japanese-style garden.

The 14th-century Fudo-in Temple (3-4-9 Ushita-shin-machi, Higashi-ku, 81 82 221 6923) is Hiroshima’s oldest building, and its golden pavilion is a national treasure. Hiroshima Museum of Art (3-2 Motomachi, Naka-ku, 81 82 223 2530) holds a fine collection of works by Impressionists such as Cézanne, Manet, Renoir and Van Gogh.

But the most-beautiful attraction of Hiroshima, and in fact one of the purported top three most-beautiful sights of Japan, is Miyajima Island (tel 81 82 930 9141), formally known as Itsukushima, and its UNESCO World Heritage shrine. The shrine’s large vermillion torii (shrine gate) stands in the sea. The tides here are drastic and at their lowest expose mud out past the torii, while at high tide the gate appears to be floating. Trails pass along the sparsely populated, mountainous island which includes at least a full day’s worth of attractions, from botanical gardens and hiking to other notable temples and a 13th-century five-story pagoda.

Being a port city, the availability of fresh seafood is a given, and sushi fans won’t fail to be pleased. Hiroshima’s bay is the source of nearly three-quarters of the nation’s oysters, producing about 30,000 tons annually. But also not to be missed is the Hiroshima version of okonomiyaki. This local cuisine is made on a large griddle, and often patrons are served along its edge. A wheat flour batter is spread thinly in a circle and then topped with cabbage, bean sprouts and green onion. Bits of pork are also added, and then Chinese noodles and an egg yolk are put on t
op before the whole thing is flipped, smeared with a special sort of barbecue sauce and slid to the section of the grill in front of you to be eaten with a metal spatula and chopsticks. Wash this down with some local saké to make your arrival in Hiroshima official.

Lodging

ANA Crowne Plaza Hiroshima
Located within walking distance of Peace Park and shopping areas, the hotel is noted for hospitality and modern style. 7-20 Nakamachi, Naka-ku, tel 81 82 241 1111, $$$

Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima
With nice views of the islands in the sea, the Grand Prince caters especially to business travelers and couples. 23-1 Motoujina-Machi, tel 81 82 256 1111, $$$$

Rihga Royal Hotel Hiroshima
Next to the Bus Centre where the airport shuttle arrives, this towering property offers fine rooms within walking distance of city sights. 6-78, Motomachi, Naka-ku, tel 81 82 502 1121, $$$

Dining

Kaki-den
The name translates appropriately to “oyster den” and is one of the finest places to have the city’s most popular seafood. 2-8-24 Hikari-machi, tel 81 82 264 5968 $$

Kanawa
Dine on oysters and seafood right on the water in this houseboat-restaurant famous for farming its own oysters even in the off season. Motoyasu River, at Heiwa-Ohashi Bridge, tel 81 82 241 7416 $$$

Nagata-ya Okonomiyaki
Just over a bridge from Peace Park, this local eatery is the perfect place to try okonomiyaki and some local saké. Omoishi Bldg. 1F 1-7-19 Otemachi, Naka-ku, tel 81 82 247 0787 $$