Hiroshima Castle

The castle museum is a reconstruction of the 16th century, 5 storey Dionjion, well worth a look if you are interested in a bit of culture. There are amazing relics and armor to see as well as read about the history of the castle and hiroshima. There are English guides and information inside the castle too, the view from the top is worth the entrance fee.

The castle is a fun place to walk around or jog around- there is a 1.5km running path that circles the castle grounds outside the moat. There is a small kids playpark on one side and its a nice place to sit and relax for a while. Kids have fun spotting the fish that swim in the moat as well as turtles. It is just across the street from the Chuo park if you need more space to run around.

The grounds of the castle and the banks of the moat are great places to view the 350 or so cherry trees that come into bloom in early April.

Entrance into the castle museum:
Adult: ¥320
Child: ¥160

Prime Viewing: Early April

Access:
Take the street car from Hiroshima Station to Kamiya-cho. Walk 10 min north from Sogo department store.

"Ri Jo Carp Castle"
Anonymity Personified.Tue Nov 2005
Hiroshima castle is also called RIJO castle, or "Carp" castle because of all the carp fish in the moat surrounding the castle. It was made by Terumoto Mori in 1589, but was destroyed in the Hiroshima bombing. In 1958 it was reconstructed and now it is used as a museum where you can learn about life during the Edo period and see artifacts of how the Samurai lived. The fee is a very reasonable 320 yen.