Hotels near Hiroshima Castle

Mori Terumoto built Hiroshima Castle in 1589 on the river delta, and the city grew up around it. The five-storey keep survived until 1945, when it was destroyed by the bomb. The current structure is a 1958 concrete reconstruction of the exterior, housing a museum of Hiroshima's history as a castle town rather than a restored interior.

The grounds are more rewarding than the keep. The moat, stone walls and reconstructed Ninomaru gate complex are free to walk, and a eucalyptus and a willow inside the grounds survived the blast and are marked as A-bombed trees. Admission to the keep is JPY 370 and the top floor gives a clear view over the city towards the mountains.

Pro Tip: Combine the castle with Shukkei-en Garden, which is a 15-minute walk east along the Kyobashi river. Cherry blossom fills the moat banks in early April and the castle grounds stay open and floodlit into the evening during that period.