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 has b ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, 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. 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
Atomic may refer to:
* Of or relating to the atom, the smallest particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties
* Atomic physics, the study of the atom
* Atomic Age, also known as the "Atomic Era"
* Atomic scale, distances comp ...
, due to the blast and fire. Shimomura Jewelers, located in a
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...
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 (
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 (street cars) stop at the
Hiroden Hondori Station. The
Astram Line also serves Hondori, with the
Hondōri Station as a terminal station.
Okonomi-mura, located near the east end of Hondōri, was the top
food theme park destination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.
References
External links
Hondori(ja)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hondori
Hiroshima