Hiroshima Prefecture

Tokyo has Tokyo Tower and the popular Skytree, Osaka has the Umeda Sky Building but what about Hiroshima? Where can you go to get a bird’s eye view of the city? Say hello to the Orizuru Tower! Owned by Hiroshima Mazda Co., the main attraction of the 13-story building is the observation deck at the top. Refurbished and redesigned by the Hiroshima-based architect, Hiroshi Sambuichi, the Tower and deck offer views not only of the Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park below but also the mountains surrounding Hiroshima and the island of Miyajima. It’s a nice place to go for a date and when I visited in the late afternoon, the sunset was spectacular. The location of the tower is somewhat controversial. Located right on the edge of Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, the tower is emblematic of the struggles of both the local residents and commercial developers of the city to maintain the balance between the sacred area and the desire for yet another tourist attraction that will bring revenue. Orizuru Tower opened to the public back on July 11, 2016, and has been pretty popular since its opening although it comes at the relatively steep price of 1,700 yen…