Can you go inside the Atomic Bomb Dome?

No. The ruin is fenced and there is no public entry at any time. You see it from the paths around the fence and from across the river.

Is the Atomic Bomb Dome free, and when can you see it?

It is free and can be seen from outside the fence at any hour. It is lit after dark, except on a few light-down evenings a year.

Why was the Atomic Bomb Dome preserved?

After years of debate over whether to demolish it, the Hiroshima City Council resolved in 1966 to preserve the ruin as a memorial, and public donations paid for the first preservation work in 1967. It became a National Historic Site in 1995 and a World Heritage Site in 1996.

What is the difference between the Atomic Bomb Dome, Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum?

The Dome is the preserved ruin, seen from outside. Peace Memorial Park, across the river, is the free memorial park with the Cenotaph and the Children's Peace Monument. The Peace Memorial Museum, at the park's southern end, is the ticketed museum about the bombing and its victims. All three are within about 10 minutes' walk.

How long do you need at the Atomic Bomb Dome?

About 20 to 40 minutes for the Dome itself. Most people combine it with Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum, which together take 3 to 4 hours.

What is the nearest stop to the Atomic Bomb Dome?

Genbaku Dome-mae, on Hiroden streetcar Lines 2 and 6 from Hiroshima Station, about 15 to 20 minutes. The stop is across the street from the Dome. The Japan Rail Pass does not cover the streetcar.

Is the Atomic Bomb Dome suitable for children?

The Dome itself is a ruined building seen from outside, with no graphic displays, so it is an easy place to begin explaining what happened. The Peace Memorial Museum is a separate decision: it shows injuries and the deaths of children in detail, and parents usually decide in advance how much of it to see together.

How should I behave at the Atomic Bomb Dome?

It is a memorial. Stay outside the fence, keep your voice down, and skip playful poses in photos. Photography itself is fine.

Atomic Bomb Dome

Q: What was the Atomic Bomb Dome before 1945?

It opened in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, and was renamed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall in 1933. By 1944 it was used as government offices.

ExploreJapanDaily Editorial Team · Last updated: October 3, 2026 · Facts verified: October 3, 2026

The Atomic Bomb Dome (原爆ドーム, Genbaku Dome) is the ruin of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall, which was left standing close to the hypocenter of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and has been preserved by the city as a memorial and listed as a World Heritage Site. You see it from outside a fence on the bank of the Motoyasu River, free and at any hour. There is no entry and no ticket, so on its own it takes 20 to 40 minutes; most people see it as the first or last stop of a walk through Peace Memorial Park.

Quick Answer

What It Is

Ruin of a 1915 exhibition hall, kept as a memorial; World Heritage Site

Admission

Free; seen from outside the fence, no entry inside

Hours

Viewable at any time; lit after dark

Visit Duration

20 to 40 minutes on its own

Nearest Station

Genbaku Dome-mae tram stop, across the street

Pairs With

Peace Memorial Park and Museum, about 10 minutes south on foot

Atomic Bomb Dome preserved ruins with skeletal iron dome frame and brick walls against grey sky, Hiroshima Japan

Area: Naka, Hiroshima
Best Time: Early morning or after dark, when the riverbank is quietest
Best For: History, Architecture, Photography
Nearby: Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park · Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

The building, and why it was kept

The building opened in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, designed by the Czech architect Jan Letzel, and was renamed the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall in 1933. It held exhibitions of local products and art on the riverbank in the busiest part of prewar Hiroshima. By 1944 it had stopped operating as an exhibition hall and was in use as government offices.

Atomic Bomb Dome wide view with preserved ruins surrounded by Peace Memorial Park gardens under blue sky, Hiroshima Japan

The atomic bomb exploded almost directly above this district on the morning of August 6, 1945. The people working in the building were killed. Because the blast came from nearly overhead, part of the central walls and the steel frame of the dome stayed upright while almost everything around them was destroyed, and the ruin became known as the Genbaku Dome, the Atomic Bomb Dome.

Atomic Bomb Dome exterior walls and exposed brick structure seen from ground level against a bright blue sky, Hiroshima Japan

Whether to keep it was argued over for two decades; for some residents it was a painful reminder rather than a memorial. In 1966 the Hiroshima City Council resolved to preserve it, and a public fundraising campaign paid for the first preservation work in 1967. It was designated a National Historic Site in 1995 and inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1996 under the name Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome). The city surveys the structure about every three years, and the latest survey, completed in March 2025, found no abnormality.

Atomic Bomb Dome skeletal iron dome frame glowing in warm golden light at sunset, Hiroshima Japan

The Dome is one of three separate visits within a few minutes' walk. Peace Memorial Park, across the river, is the free memorial landscape with the Cenotaph and the Children's Peace Monument. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, at the park's southern end, is the ticketed museum that shows what the bomb did to the people of the city. This page covers the Dome itself.

What to do at the Atomic Bomb Dome

How to Get to Atomic Bomb Dome

The Dome stands on the east bank of the Motoyasu River at the northern tip of the Peace Memorial area, in central Hiroshima. Streetcars from Hiroshima Station stop directly across the street.

💡Good to Know

•Genbaku Dome-mae tram stop, on Hiroden Lines 2 and 6, is directly across the street.
•From the Peace Memorial Museum, the walk north through the park takes about 10 minutes.
•Hiroden streetcars are not covered by the Japan Rail Pass.

For IC cards, tickets, and full transit basics for Hiroshima, see the complete transportation guide.

Getting Around Hiroshima →

Map

Best Time to Visit Atomic Bomb Dome

Best time to visit Atomic Bomb Dome: Early morning or after dark, when the riverbank is quietest. Weekday mornings are generally quieter than weekends and public holidays.

💡Good to Know

•The Dome can be seen at any hour, so fit it around the museum's ticket times rather than the other way round.
•School groups fill the Peace Memorial area on spring and autumn weekdays; early morning and evening are quieter.
•On August 6 the area is crowded from early morning for the Peace Memorial Ceremony and again in the evening for the lantern floating.

Cherry Blossom (Spring)

Late March to early April

Cherry trees along the Motoyasu River bloom on the riverbank opposite the Dome.

Peace Memorial Ceremony

August 6

The ceremony is held in Peace Memorial Park in the morning; in the evening, paper lanterns are floated on the river beside the Dome.

Winter

December to February

The quietest months in the Peace Memorial area. The Dome is lit after dark all year.

Entry Fee & Hours

🎟️

Admission

Free

⏰

Hours

Viewable from outside the fence at any time; no entry to the interior. Lit after dark.

💡Good to Know

•The Dome is viewed from outside a perimeter fence along paved riverside paths that are flat and step-free for wheelchairs and strollers.
•There is no entry beyond the fence at any time. Please do not climb on or reach over it.

Nearby Attractions

Combine with Atomic Bomb Dome on the same day

Naka, Hiroshima

📍Nearby

•Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (Across the Motoyasu River, a few minutes on foot): The free, always-open memorial park in central Hiroshima, with the Cenotaph, the Peace Flame, the Children's Peace Monument and the National Peace Memorial Hall. The Atomic Bomb Dome stands across the river and the ticketed museum at its southern end.
•Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (About 10 minutes on foot through the park): The city-run museum in Peace Memorial Park that documents the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945, through victims' belongings, photographs and survivor testimony. Adult admission is 200 yen, and the museum recommends buying a web ticket in advance.
•Okonomimura (About 10 to 15 minutes on foot east): A building in Shintenchi, central Hiroshima, where about two dozen independent Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki counters fill the 2nd to 4th floors. Each stall sets its own menu, prices and hours.
•Hiroshima Castle (About 15 to 20 minutes on foot north, or by streetcar): The site of the castle begun in 1589, with moats, original stone walls and free reconstructed Ninomaru buildings. The 1958 keep closed to visitors in March 2026 and is seen from outside only.

A morning in the Peace Memorial area

The Dome, the park and the museum make one half day. This order starts with the museum while it is quiet.

Museum first, then north to the Dome

Morning
Peace Memorial Museum with an early web ticket, about 1 to 2 hours
Late morning
North through Peace Memorial Park: the Cenotaph, the Peace Flame and the Children's Peace Monument
Midday
Cross the river to the Atomic Bomb Dome
Afternoon or evening
Shukkeien Garden and Hiroshima Castle, or Miyajima, then dinner at Okonomimura

See the full Off the Beaten Path: 14 Days Beyond the Golden Route itinerary →