Orizuru Tower Observation Deck Ticket in Hiroshima

Orizuru Tower and its rooftop deck

Orizuru Tower opened in 2016 in a renovated office building on the east side of the Atomic Bomb Dome. Its name comes from the folded paper crane, which in Hiroshima has become a symbol of the wish for peace. The top of the building was turned into an open-air observation deck with wooden decking and gentle slopes, designed as a hill above the city where you can sit, rest and look out.

From the deck you see the Dome directly below, the green axis of the Peace Memorial Park beyond it, the rivers that divide the delta into islands and, in clear weather, the mountains that ring the city and the Inland Sea. Is Orizuru Tower worth visiting? It is the only place where the layout of the park and its link to the Dome become fully clear at a glance.

The Orizuru Wall and paper cranes

Paper cranes are connected in Hiroshima with the story of a young girl who fell ill years after the bombing and folded cranes while hoping to recover; today children around the world send cranes to the Peace Memorial Park. At Orizuru Tower you fold your own crane with simple instructions, write a wish if you like, and drop it into the Orizuru Wall.

The wall is a tall glass shaft along the side of the building that is gradually filling with cranes from visitors of every nationality, a slowly growing collective message. Folding takes about ten minutes and children enjoy it greatly. Interactive displays nearby introduce Hiroshima's past and present, and a slope decorated with artwork leads you gently down through the building.

Views of the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome

Seen from the tower, the planning of the Peace Memorial Park makes sense: the Cenotaph, the Peace Flame and the Dome sit on one straight line, with the Peace Memorial Museum at the southern end. The Dome, completed in 1915 as an exhibition hall and preserved after 6 August 1945, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, and from above you appreciate how close it stood to the centre of the city.

We suggest visiting the tower either before walking through the park, to understand its layout, or afterwards, as a calm place to reflect. The best time to visit Orizuru Tower is late afternoon, when the light over the rivers is soft; in winter you can watch the sunset before closing time.

Opening hours and how to get there

Orizuru Tower opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00, with last admission a little before closing. Your ticket is valid for one day, so you can choose any time within those hours, and most visitors spend about an hour. The tower is at 1-2-1 Otemachi in Naka Ward; the Genbaku-Dome-mae tram stop is right in front, about 15 minutes by tram from Hiroshima Station.

The ground floor has a shop and café with products from around Hiroshima Prefecture. The building has lifts and is wheelchair accessible. If you are continuing to Miyajima, boats on the river route leave from the pier nearby, and the tram line to Miyajimaguchi also passes the tower, so it fits naturally into a day in Hiroshima.