Shipping lanes link Hiroshima Port with Kyushu and islands in the Seto Inland Sea, and there is a regular jet service between Hiroshima Airport and Tokyo, and also Kagoshima.
Hiroshima took place in 1889, two decades after the abolition of Jananese feudalism by the Meiji Restoration. The Sino-Japanese War (1894) and the Russo-Jananese War (1904-5) that followed made Hiroshima an important military base, a fact which ultimately led to its becoming the target for the A-bomb, as Hiroshima had thenceforward catered to the huge military operation of Japan.
August 6, l945 marked the beginning of the drastic change that has been taking place ever since. From the ashes there emerged a new-born city yearning for peace and it is steadily growing.
After the war, Hiroshima City developed as an administrative center in the Chugoku and Shikoku area. Its economic development was also remarkable, and various kinds of office dealing with such activities as transportation, communications, construction, real estate, agriculture, forestry,fishery finance and insurance, increased each year. In addition, the production of automobiles and shipbuilding rapidly progressed and modern industries, such as metalworking, machinery plants and chemical concerns were established, leading to a constant rise in employment. The population of the city cantinues to increase; shopping streets are always busy and lively and the nightlife quarters of the city are always crowded.
There are many landmarks and places of interest to visit in the city. They include the Peace Memorial Park where the Atomic Bomb Dome, A-Bomb Memorial Cenotaph, Peace Memorial Hall and Peace Memorial Museum are located. Adjoining the park is the Central Park where the Hiroshima Museum of Art is located. Paintings by Picasso and other famous artists are displayed in the museum. There is also the Hiroshima Cinematography and Audio-visual Cultral Library.
In the outlying areas are Miyajima, one of the three major scenic attractions in Japan, Sandankyo Gorge and Kintai Bridge in Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture.
Hiroshima is also famed for its festivals, especially the Citizens Festival held along Heiwa-odori on May 3,4 and 5 where an aggregate total of well over a million people gather to celebrate the nationally famous flower festival.
The city has sister-city affiliations with Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii, Volgograd in Russia and Hanover of Germany.