is a commercial area in Naka-ku

Naka-ku, Hiroshima

is the heart of Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Naka-ku is home to Hiroshima's central business district and Peace Memorial Park. Major attractions include the Hondori shopping arcade, a covered mall-like street of shops extending east from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park to Hacchobori...

, Hiroshima

Hiroshima

is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

, 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

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 nuclear attack, and to the memories of the bomb's direct and indirect victims ....

. 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 bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

During the final stages of World War II in 1945, the United States conducted two atomic bombings against the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, the first on August 6, 1945, and the second on August 9, 1945. These two events are the only use of nuclear weapons in war to date.For six months...

, due to the blast and fire. Shimomura Jewelers, located in a reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete

Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...

 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 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

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 August 1948...

 (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

Parco

Parco is a town in Dêngqên County, Tibet Autonomous Region of China.-See also:*List of towns and villages in Tibet*Pak Arab Refinery...

 (shopping center/department store) and Hatchōbori.

Hiroshima's Hiroden (street cars) stop at the Hondōri Tram Stop. The Astram Line

Astram Line

The is a new transit system operated by Hiroshima Rapid Transit in Hiroshima, Japan.-History:*August 8, 1994 - Opened for the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima...

 also serves Hondori, with the Hondōri Station

Hondori Station (Astram Line)

is an HRT terminal station on the Astram Line, located in Hondōri, Naka-ku, Hiroshima.-Platforms:-Connections:█ Astram Line-Other services connections:█ Hiroden Ujina Line*Hiroden Ujina Line Connections at Hiroden Hondori Station...

 as a terminal station.

Okonomi-mura

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 houses 26 okonomiyaki restaurants, each with a slightly different style and set of ingredients...

, located near the east end of Hondōri, was the top food theme park destination for families in Japan according to an April 2004 poll.