International visitors to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum reach high in fiscal 2017, but total number declines
Apr. 4, 2018
by Kyosuke Mizukawa, Staff Writer
On April 3, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, announced that there were 1,680,923 visitors to the museum in fiscal year 2017. Although this figure is down 3.4% from the previous fiscal year, which received a record-high number of visitors, it is the second highest total since the museum first opened its doors in fiscal 1955. The museum attributes the large number of visitors in recent years to the visit by then U.S. President Barack Obama in May 2016 and the growing interest in the museum after the adoption of the nuclear weapons ban treaty by the United Nations in July 2017. The number of international visitors reached a new high of 392,667, breaking the record for five consecutive years.
As for monthly figures in fiscal 2017, more people visited the museum in April, when the museum’s main building closed for seismic reinforcement work and the east building reopened with new exhibits, and May than in the same months of the previous fiscal year. However, the number of visitors decreased over the remaining months compared to the same months a year ago. The overall number of annual visitors declined by 59,063 from the previous year. The museum says, “The number of people who visited the museum surged right after Mr. Obama’s visit. Although the number of visitors has declined since then, the figure still remains at a high level.”
Meanwhile, international visitors increased by 25,888 to 392,667, accounting for 23.4% of the total or nearly one out of every four visitors. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has been ranked number one for four years in a row by international visitors in the category covering Japan’s museums and art museums at TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site. The museum believes this ranking is part of the reason behind the increase. As for the number of students from elementary school through high school who visited the museum in groups, such as school excursions, the total stood at 321,938, roughly the same level.
At a press conference held at City Hall on this day, Kenji Shiga, the director of the museum, explained that “the high number of visitors seems to be linked to a worldwide movement,” mentioning the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. The museum installed a censor in each exhibition room last January to check crowding conditions in the rooms. To ease overcrowding, they are considering the idea of introducing a feature that can inform the public of off-peak hours.
On the same day, the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward, also released the number of people that visited that facility in fiscal year 2017. A record high was set for the fourth year in a row with 401,892 visitors, a 17.7% increase from the previous year. This increase, they believe, is partly due to the more prominent sign that was placed at the entrance last September. The hall had received feedback that the facility could not easily be noticed because it is situated underground.
(Originally published on April 4, 2018)
On April 3, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, located in Naka Ward, announced that there were 1,680,923 visitors to the museum in fiscal year 2017. Although this figure is down 3.4% from the previous fiscal year, which received a record-high number of visitors, it is the second highest total since the museum first opened its doors in fiscal 1955. The museum attributes the large number of visitors in recent years to the visit by then U.S. President Barack Obama in May 2016 and the growing interest in the museum after the adoption of the nuclear weapons ban treaty by the United Nations in July 2017. The number of international visitors reached a new high of 392,667, breaking the record for five consecutive years.
As for monthly figures in fiscal 2017, more people visited the museum in April, when the museum’s main building closed for seismic reinforcement work and the east building reopened with new exhibits, and May than in the same months of the previous fiscal year. However, the number of visitors decreased over the remaining months compared to the same months a year ago. The overall number of annual visitors declined by 59,063 from the previous year. The museum says, “The number of people who visited the museum surged right after Mr. Obama’s visit. Although the number of visitors has declined since then, the figure still remains at a high level.”
Meanwhile, international visitors increased by 25,888 to 392,667, accounting for 23.4% of the total or nearly one out of every four visitors. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum has been ranked number one for four years in a row by international visitors in the category covering Japan’s museums and art museums at TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site. The museum believes this ranking is part of the reason behind the increase. As for the number of students from elementary school through high school who visited the museum in groups, such as school excursions, the total stood at 321,938, roughly the same level.
At a press conference held at City Hall on this day, Kenji Shiga, the director of the museum, explained that “the high number of visitors seems to be linked to a worldwide movement,” mentioning the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), a non-governmental organization (NGO) which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. The museum installed a censor in each exhibition room last January to check crowding conditions in the rooms. To ease overcrowding, they are considering the idea of introducing a feature that can inform the public of off-peak hours.
On the same day, the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, located in Naka Ward, also released the number of people that visited that facility in fiscal year 2017. A record high was set for the fourth year in a row with 401,892 visitors, a 17.7% increase from the previous year. This increase, they believe, is partly due to the more prominent sign that was placed at the entrance last September. The hall had received feedback that the facility could not easily be noticed because it is situated underground.
(Originally published on April 4, 2018)
