"Rest House”, the only existing building with the appearance of those days in the Peace Memorial Park.

When you visit the Peace Memorial Museum, your emotions may be shaken and you may not feel like enjoying your trip.
However, now and even before the atomic bomb was dropped, Hiroshima still has its culture, and we would want you to know the daily life and culture of people living in Hiroshima.

We should be able to build a better world by knowing and understanding each other.

The Peace Memorial Park is now well developed as a park with no houses, but before the atomic bombing in 1945, it was a downtown area of Hiroshima as well as a residential area.

What retains the impression of those days is the current Rest House.

History

This building was not built as a Rest House.
When it was built in 1929, it was a Kimono Shop called "Taisho-ya Kimono Shop". Please click here for the interior at the time of construction.

If you have ever watched the film "In This Corner of the World ", please recall the scene where the main character, Suzu, went out for delivering dried-seaweed from Eba, where she lived.
This “Taisho-ya Kimono Shop” is drawn in the scene.

During World War II, various industries became under national control, and in 1944, the “Taisho-ya Kimono Shop” closed.

Then, the building became a Fuel Hall, as a building of a union that controls of the Hiroshima prefecture's fuel rationing.

Since it was, unusually at that time, constructed of reinforced concrete, it didn't lose its shape totally, despite being only 170 meters from the hypocenter; on the other hand, the surrounding wooden structures such as movie theaters, coffee shops, and temples were completely destroyed due to the blast and fire.

In 1957, the building was used as the Hiroshima City East Reconstruction Office, and then it became the Rest House in 1982.

Actually, Hiroshima Convention & Visitors Bureau used to have an office in this building. Thereafter, it was renovated in July 2020. The exterior of the building is changed to reproduce the situation of those days, and for inside, there have newly set an exhibition corner that conveys history and a resting area where tourists can take a rest. Now every floor is open for visitors from the first basement floor through the third floor.

An elevator is also installed, so every one of you can come in with ease.

In 2016, when Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States visited the Peace Memorial Park, he stood just beside the Rest House to see the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Initially, the Atomic Bomb Dome was Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Products Exhibition Hall and was a place where people gather and hold exhibitions.

Please try to stand there, imaging the traffic of people of those days.

Traces of the A-bomb

In the condition of safety considerations, there are some points where you can see the traces of the atomic bomb left in the ceiling, beams, etc.

Also, part of the outer wall uses what was actually used in those days. If you walk surrounding the building, you will recognize which part by seeing the wall with different colors.

A piano that survived the atomic bomb is displayed in the rest space/cafe hall inside.

Furthermore, you can go down to the 1st basement floor. There is an exhibition space where you can see the records about the story of the only person survived among the 37 people who were working at the Fuel Hall on that day.

Please read and know what he experienced and how he survived, in the basement room that was actually exposed to the atomic bombings, which should inspire your imagination.

Engagement of the younger generation

The Rest House, which has been reopened in July 2020, introduces the efforts made by the younger generation.

There, you can see their works, such as colorized old photos and computer graphics that reproduce the cityscape of those days.