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@54 days until Hiroshima Summit: Inn closest to A-bomb Dome

by Mitsuhisa Ogawa, Staff Writer

Located near Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima, Hiroshima-no-Yado Aioi is a long-established Japanese-style inn that claims to be “the inn closest to the A-bomb Dome.” In 1946, the year after the atomic bombing, parents of the inn’s current proprietress Fukiko Oda, 79, opened the inn near the Aioi Bridge. In 1954, a new two-story wooden building was built at the current location, and in 1970, a seven-story reinforced concrete building was constructed.

The inn has been hosting many students on school trips over the years. Before the novel coronavirus pandemic, students from 150 to 160 elementary, junior high, and high schools stayed at the inn each year. When requested by schools, Ms. Oda herself tells them about the history of the city’s reconstruction and her thoughts on peace. The number of guests has been recovering this year, and many children have begun their peace studies again staying at the inn.

(Originally published on March 26, 2023)

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