Hiroshima — Miyajima

In Hiroshima, two streams of time intertwine.

The first is the time forever frozen at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945. The Atomic Bomb Dome still preserves the memory of that moment. It was neither restored nor hidden from view—the city has consciously kept this trace of history as a reminder to future generations of the value of peace.

The second stream has flowed for over a thousand years. Twice a day, the tides of the Seto Inland Sea rise and fall along the shores of Miyajima, transforming the appearance of the famous Itsukushima Shrine. Since Taira-no-Kiyomori built it above the water in the 12th century, the sea has continued its eternal rhythm. At high tide, the shrine appears to float above the water’s surface; at low tide, you can walk right up to the base of the great torii.

Traces of these two eras meet in the Shukkeien Garden. Created in the 17th century as a miniature vision of the ideal Japanese landscape, it survived the atomic bombing and was restored. Among its trees, ginkgoes still grow—having withstood the blast, they have become symbols of rebirth and hope.

When the panorama of the Seto Inland Sea opens before you from the summit of Mount Misen, the uniqueness of this place becomes especially palpable. Here, memory and renewal, history and eternity, human destiny and the unchanging rhythm of nature coexist side by side.

A journey through Hiroshima and Miyajima is an opportunity to touch two dimensions of time: a memory that must never be forgotten, and a beauty that endures through the centuries.