Why was Aioi Bridge selected as the target for the atomic bomb?

The distinctive T-shape was recognizable from aircraft, and the crossing was situated close to the urban center.

Did Aioi Bridge collapse in the atomic blast?

The structure remained standing despite sustaining severe damage, and it continued to serve traffic after postwar repairs.

What gives Aioi Bridge its unusual configuration?

The layout forms a junction where separate bridge spans meet, connecting northern riverbanks with the island district.

Where can visitors view surviving pieces of the original bridge?

A preserved floor girder recovered from the original crossing is exhibited at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.

Which waterways are crossed by Aioi Bridge?

The bridge spans the waters of Honkawa and Motoyasu rivers, with its main section crossing Ōta River.

Hiroshima · Japan

Aioi Bridge: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

Residents living north of Nakajima-cho cross this branching river deck alongside streetcars every morning, treating the historic junction as an ordinary neighbourhood commute.

Aioi Bridge · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Hiroshima Big Arch≈ 30 min

About the place

A branching streetcar deck connects urban transit corridors directly to Nakajima-cho.

Built to accommodate municipal streetcars, the crossing features a distinct T-shaped junction where separate bridge spans converge, which provides the foundation for its name. The broader span crosses the river divide, while the downward spur forms the northern entrance to Nakajima-cho and the Peace Memorial Park grounds. Daily transit riders and neighbourhood commuters share the deck alongside visitors heading to the memorial.

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Aerial visibility made this distinctive layout the primary aiming point for wartime bombardment, though the detonation veered off course over a nearby hospital. The blast lifted the deck without collapsing the piers, and the reinforced structure subsequently survived severe typhoon floods that destroyed downstream wooden bridges. Modern reconstruction replicated the original framework, and a salvaged girder now rests in the peace museum.

Associations

T-shaped junctionBranching design links northern roads directly to the island park entrance.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial ParkThe southern spur serves as the main walking entry to the commemorative grounds.
Streetcar networkActive tram rails share the bridge lanes alongside daily bicycle and vehicle flows.
Wartime hypocenter targetSevere historical associations draw steady tourist crowds across the commuter paths.

Facts

The original bridge structure was selected as the aerial aiming point for the atomic bomb.
A surviving floor girder from the original crossing is preserved inside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
The bridge name originates from the meeting point of its connecting spans.
The southern branch of the bridge functions as the northern entrance to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

Updated September 9, 2026Source: Wikipedia

Aioi Bridge: what's nearby, how to get there and when to go · 2026

What is around33

A branching streetcar deck connects urban transit corridors directly to Nakajima-cho.

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