Today was an incredibly eye-opening and important day for me in Japan. I visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with Masako, an interpreter whom has worked with the Lawrence SET-J teachers for many years. She has such a wealth of knowledge about Hiroshima and the atomic bombing. I was both emotionally and mentally overwhelmed, in a good way, during today's visit. First, Masako took me on a walking tour of the park. She told me the history of Hiroshima and the bombing in great detail. This is the memorial that holds the names of those killed in the atomic bombing. The stone on the inside reads, "Let all the souls rest in peace, for we shall not repeat the evil." Masako told me it was very important to understand that "we" in this writing means "human race." Through the arch, you can see the peace flame and the a-bomb dome. I was so moved by everything around me. For those that know me well, you know I love to talk and make conversation! I found myself very quiet when in Hiroshima, really taking in my surroundings and listening carefully to Masako. The A-bomb dome. This is the ruins of the Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall. It is the building closest to the hypocenter of the bomb that remains somewhat standing. Masako taught me that after the war, there was a divide between the people of Hiroshima about whether or not to keep the building or to knock it down so as to not have to see the visual reminder of such a horrid time. The city decided it was important to have it remain standing to share the message that we must find peace throughout the world. After walking through the park, I spent an hour in the memorial museum by myself while Masako went to get flowers for us to donate as well as the Lawrence School paper cranes. I did not feel comfortable taking pictures inside the museum. I felt like I really needed to be present and, again, take everything in slowly and thoroughly. The museum so clearly shares the details and timeline of everything significant that happened before, during, and after the atomic bombing, including President Obama's visit last year. The last exhibit I walked through was artifacts from the atomic bomb. It was very hard, but very important, to look through them. I will not go into detail here, but would be happy to talk about it further with anyone reading who is interested. Masako told me that she visited the museum as a young girl and was so affected by what she saw that she could not return again for a long time. I understand that now completely. She said giving tours and interpreting at the Peace Memorial Park is her way of healing. After going through the museum, we donated flowers on behalf of Lawrence School to the memorial. This was a much happier moment for me, being able to share the message of peace. Next, we walked to the Children's Peace Monument, which was created in honor of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki, who died from the radiation from the bomb. In Japan, it has been a belief for a long time that if you fold 1,000 paper cranes, you will be granted a wish. Sadako folded over 1,300 cranes before she passed away. I felt so proud and honored to represent Lawrence School and deliver our 1,000 paper cranes. KG: Do you remember when we made so many cranes with the SET-J moms back in January? Click here to see the post from when we made the cranes. After hanging up the cranes, I filled out a registration form that shared who we are, where the cranes came from, and a message of peace from the Lawrence School. The last part of our visit was meeting with and hearing from an atomic bomb survivor, Hiroko Kishida. Her story was powerful, and her memories extremely vivid. She was only 5-years-old when the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima. When Hiroko mentioned her age at the time, I immediately felt moved as I spend the majority of my days loving and caring for 5-year-olds. She told of how she, her mother, and her brother fled north and of all the troubled times they had during the aftermath of the bomb. Her story was extremely moving, and left me speechless. Now as a 77-year-old woman, she decided she needed to start sharing her story so people will understand why we all need to be kind and peaceful. She only started speaking about her experience 5 years ago. After sharing her story, Hiroko gave me a big hug and said, "Please spread the message of peace." Thank you to SET-J and Masako for arranging and making possible this very important and meaningful day. It was an experience I will never forget.
I am currently on the Shinkansen on my way to Tokyo. Tomorrow will be a different vibe: cooking class and a baseball game. I am SO excited to see former KG moms tomorrow and to meet Toshi's aunt for a baseball game! I'll have to be sure to get some rest tonight for my busy day tomorrow. Comments are closed.
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Jessica
Kindergarten Teacher traveling to Japan in June 2017. |
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