Memoirs translated into 18 languages
Run by the national government, this memorial hall was built to commemorate the atomic bomb victims; it is located within the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park which was opened in 2002. There is no entrance fee. The display includes the belongings of the victims and videos showing the conditions at the time of the war and the damages caused by the bombing. Also, visitors can view data and images of their interest by using the museum’s computers to search memoirs of victims, videos of testimonies by victims, pictures of Hiroshima before and after the dropping of the bomb, and videos of Hiroshima immediately after the bombing. The memoirs are translated into 18 languages, allowing many visitors to read them in their native language to discover the reality of the suffering caused by the atomic bomb. Also, an English reading session of the memoirs of the atomic bomb victims is held monthly from 14:30 to 15:10 on the second Sunday. No reservation is required to participate in this session.
Efforts to preserve the voices of the atomic bomb victims
When you approach the basement floor by walking through the facility counterclockwise, passing by the display in a reversed order back to August 6, 1945, there is the Hall of Remembrance. Displayed at this hall is a panoramic image of the burnt-out ruins of Hiroshima City following the bombing; the image consists of tiles of the same number as the number of the victims who passed away (approx. 140,000). The basin at the center indicates the time the bomb was dropped, 8:15 a.m., and contains water to be offered to the atomic bomb victims who died craving for water. It is a space for commemorating the atomic bomb victims and for contemplating on peace. In the back of this hall is the Victims’ Information Area where pictures and names of the perished victims are displayed. As the surviving victims who tell the story of their experiences after the atomic bombing have become considerably older in recent years, one of the many purposes for building this memorial hall was to preserve the voices of the victims for succeeding generations.