A sombre reminder of the devastating atomic bombing of Hiroshima that stole the lives of thousands of innocent children, the Children’s Peace Monument was erected. It specifically remembers Sadako Sasai by name - a child who died from leukaemia, resulting from the radiation in the bomb’s aftermath. She is immortalised on top of the main statue of this memorial. Thousands of paper cranes colour the outside of the monument, as per Sadako Sasaki’s vision - in Japanese mythology, when one crafts a thousand paper cranes, they are granted one wish. Sasaki created a thousand paper cranes before she passed, wishing for a world where nuclear weapons cease to exist.

Today, people continue to fold paper cranes and hang them at the memorial, sharing the same hope of Sadako Sasaki. The Children’s Peace Monument is truly a heart wrenching reminder of the cost of war, as well as a beacon of hope for the future - well worth a visit.