The Hiroshima Peace Park (known as Heiwakinen in Japanese) is the first place most visitors to the city aim for when they arrive. Whether you're making an intercity day trip or intend to base yourself in Hiroshima for a few days you're unlikely to come to town and not visit this site which serves as a prayer for peace, a memorial to the lives lost in the atomic bomb attack on the city during WWII, an important piece of Japans history and a gathering place for the local community.