is a commercial area in
Naka-ku,
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, which centers on the Hondōri street which today is a shopping arcade. Hondōri, which means "Main Street", runs from Hatchōbori to the
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
is a memorial park in the center of Hiroshima, Japan. It is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear attack at the end of World War II, and to the memorie ...
. Hondōri was also previously called ''Hirataya-chō''.
Hondōri prospered in the early 20th century, and in 1931, lily-of-the-valley lanterns were installed which allowed shops to stay open late.
Atomic bombing
The entire shopping area along Hondōri was destroyed by the 1945
atomic bombing, due to the blast and fire. Shimomura Jewelers, located in a
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...
building with an iconic clock tower, was severely damaged but like a number of concrete buildings in Hiroshima, it partially survived. The blast caused its side walls to severely tilt over.
The Teikoku Bank building, originally built in 1925, also survived the blast, although its roof collapsed, a wall was destroyed, and it received other structural damages. By May 1950, the Teikoku Bank building had been restored and the
Takaki Bakery
is a Japanese bakery based in Hiroshima, Japan. It was the first company of the Andersen Institute of Bread and Life group of companies.
History
The original bakery was founded in Hijiyama-Hon-machi, Hiroshima by Mr. and Mrs. Takaki in Aug ...
(
Andersen Bakery) opened in the building in 1967.
Present day
In the 1950s, Hondōri was reconstructed and now it is a modern shopping arcade, which connects the Peace Memorial Park, across Rijō-dōri, to
Parco department store and Hatchōbori.
Hiroshima's
Hiroden
is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short.
The company's rolling stock includes an eclectic range of trams manufactur ...
(street cars) stop at the
Hiroden Hondori Station
is a Japanese transportation company established on June 18, 1910, that operates streetcars and buses in and around Hiroshima Prefecture. It is known as for short.
The company's rolling stock includes an eclectic range of trams manufactu ...
. The
Astram Line
, also known as the , is a rubber-tired transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan. Astram opened on August 20, 1994, for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima. The line connects central Hiroshima and Hiroshima Big Arch, ...
also serves Hondori, with the
Hondōri Station as a terminal station.
Okonomi-mura
is a Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki food theme park located at 5-13 Shintenchi in Naka-ku, Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. It is near the east end of Hondōri and has over 25 okonomiyaki restaurants, each with a slightly different style and ...
, located near the east end of Hondōri, was the top
food theme park
A , also called a food museum, is generally a single place with many food shops selling the same kind of food, or a food 'theme'. A food theme park, unlike a conventional theme park
An amusement park is a park that features various attract ...
destination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.
References
External links
Hondori(ja)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hondori
Hiroshima