Peace Memorial Park & Genbaku Dome
UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the only structure near the bomb's hypocenter to remain standing; adjacent museum and cenotaph.
Open in Maps ↗Prefecture profile · 都道府県
Hiroshima 広島県
City rebuilt from the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing; today the western Honshū capital of car manufacturing (Mazda), naval shipbuilding (Kure), oyster farming, and the floating torii of Miyajima — a UNESCO-listed island shrine.
Capital
Hiroshima City
Population
2.76 million
Area
8,479 km²
Region
Chūgoku
History
On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped 'Little Boy' on Hiroshima — the first wartime use of a nuclear weapon. The Genbaku Dome was the only standing structure near the hypocenter; it has been preserved unchanged as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
Itsukushima Shrine on Miyajima island has stood since at least 593 AD; the iconic vermilion torii that appears to float at high tide was last rebuilt in 1875. Designated UNESCO in 1996.
Mazda, founded in 1920 as Tōyō Cork Kōgyō, is one of the few automakers headquartered outside the Tokyo-Nagoya corridor. The company famously rehoused 30,000 staff and restarted vehicle production within months of the bombing, and remains Hiroshima's largest private employer.
Economy & business
Hiroshima's prefectural GDP is around ¥11.9 trillion (US$82 billion) — the largest economy in the Chūgoku region. Mazda anchors the automotive supply chain; the Kure shipyards build LNG carriers and once built Battleship Yamato; coastal oyster farms supply ~60% of Japan's domestic oysters; food companies like Otafuku, Calbee, and Tombow Pencil are headquartered here.
Key industries
Automotive
Mazda's Aki and Hofu plants. Mazda alone accounts for roughly a quarter of Hiroshima's manufacturing output, with a deep network of regional Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers.
Shipbuilding & defense
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kure builds LNG carriers and supports JMSDF; Kure was the IJN base that built Battleship Yamato during WWII.
Aquaculture (oysters)
Roughly 60% of Japan's domestic oyster harvest comes from Hiroshima Bay rafts — a 400-year-old farming tradition.
Food & beverages
Otafuku Sauce (Hiroshima okonomiyaki sauce), Calbee (founded 1949 in Hiroshima), Tombow Pencil, Aohata (jam), and Saijō's 'sake town' — one of Japan's three great sake brewing districts.
Citrus
Setouchi lemons — Hiroshima produces the largest share of Japan's domestic lemons (~60%), especially from islands like Ikuchijima and Ōsakishimo.
Notable companies
MazdaMitsubishi Heavy Industries (Kure)CalbeeOtafuku SauceTombow PencilAohataEdionAndersen BakeryFukuya (mentaiko, founded Hiroshima)
Trade partners
ChinaUnited StatesTaiwanSouth KoreaAustraliaThailand
Tourism highlights
Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima)
UNESCO Shintō shrine on Miyajima island whose vermilion torii gate stands in the tidal flats — visible from the ferry approach.
Open in Maps ↗Hiroshima okonomiyaki alley (Okonomi-mura)
Stacked layered okonomiyaki — Hiroshima-style is layered with noodles and grilled, unlike the mixed Osaka version.
Open in Maps ↗Onomichi & Shimanami Kaidō
Hillside temple town and the 70-km Shimanami Kaidō cycling route across six islands to Imabari in Ehime.
Open in Maps ↗Saijō sake brewing district
Eight working sake breweries within a 1-km walk of Saijō Station; tour with sake-tasting flights.
Open in Maps ↗Tomonoura
Edo-period fishing port that inspired Studio Ghibli's 'Ponyo' (the director rented a house here for the film's preparation).
Open in Maps ↗Did you know
The Atomic Bomb Dome is the only structure preserved as it was on August 6, 1945 — the building was directly below the airburst, which is exactly why parts of its skeleton survived.
Mazda is one of only two automakers to ever ship a rotary-engine production car (the RX-7 / RX-8); the engineering work was done at Hiroshima's R&D center in Fuchū.
Hiroshima Toyo Carp baseball team is one of two clubs in Japanese pro baseball that is not corporate-owned — it is community-supported, and its red Carp jerseys are a Hiroshima civic symbol.
About Hiroshima — Frequently asked
What is the capital of Hiroshima?
The capital of Hiroshima is Hiroshima City.
What region of Japan is Hiroshima in?
Hiroshima is part of the Chūgoku region of Japan.
What are Hiroshima's main industries?
Hiroshima's key industries include Automotive, Shipbuilding & defense, Aquaculture (oysters), Food & beverages.
What are the top tourist attractions in Hiroshima?
Top attractions in Hiroshima include Peace Memorial Park & Genbaku Dome, Itsukushima Shrine (Miyajima), Hiroshima okonomiyaki alley (Okonomi-mura), Onomichi & Shimanami Kaidō.
What major companies are based in Hiroshima?
Notable companies headquartered in Hiroshima include Mazda, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Kure), Calbee, Otafuku Sauce, Tombow Pencil.
Map
Scroll to zoom, drag to pan, tap a prefecture to open its chapter.