Hiroshima City Museum of History and Traditional Crafts

Hiroshima City Local History Museum is a history-focused museum in Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture. Its red-brick building was originally a former Imperial Army facility built in the Meiji period, and it is also an atomic-bombed structure that withstood the atomic bombing. The building is designated as an Important Cultural Property of Hiroshima. Hiroshima is strongly associated with the atomic bomb, but the city also has a long history of everyday life, and this museum focuses on the history connected to how Hiroshima’s people have lived. Of course, there are preserved and displayed items such as steel frames bent by the bombing, showing that the atomic bomb is inseparable from Hiroshima, but the museum also offers a look into Hiroshima’s distinctive local life, including a millstone corner where children can experience old-style daily living. As a local history museum, it also serves as a place to learn about local industry history. Exhibits also include Hiroshima-specific themes such as oyster farming and wooden boats, making it easy to understand the history of people living in Hiroshima. To get to Hiroshima City Local History Museum, it is about 25 minutes by streetcar from Hiroshima Station. There are also several days each year when admission is free, so be sure to check them.