Life in Japan Traveling Home BGSU-HJU Links History Transportation Hiroshima Home Important Events Places to See City of Peace Prior to my arrival in Hiroshima, the one thing I worried the most about was how I would be received as an American. I was quite apprehensive that because of my country’s association with the city’s infamous suffering that I would be excluded, abhorred, even feared. In packing, I tried to choose clothing and styles that would keep me from ‘looking’ American, attempting instead to appear more Canadian or even British. However, I soon discovered that I had worn myself out for nothing. Interestingly enough, in the time I have spent in Japan, the only place I ever felt unwanted or ill at ease was in Ise, a beautiful town in Mie prefecture that is home an important shrine to the Shinto faith. Hiroshima on the other hand was home to some of the friendliest people I met, not just among the youth but the actual victims or hibakusha themselves. Although they could have hated me, cursed and shunned me, all of the victims I met did quite the opposite. One of the most memorable incidents in this regard occurred when my family came to visit at Christmas time. I had excitedly dragged them all over the city with which I had become quite familiar, eventually reaching the Peace Memorial Park. We were gazing at the Genbaku or A-bomb dome when we were approached by a well dressed elderly lady of about 60 years old, who we guessed was a hibakusha. Bowing to us she asked if we would pray with her, not a Christian prayer but a Japanese recitation that would bring us good fortune and peace. Typical Americans, my family was quite suspicious, figuring she was mentally ill, wanted money or something of the like. However, she shook her head and smiled. No, there was no money involved; she simply wanted to pray for us. The woman obviously participated in this activity frequently seeing as she had been carrying a card expressing her unusual desire in many languages for the millions of guests who visit the park annually and finally we decided there would be no harm in her desire. Thus, although a bit disconcerted, one by one my family members closed our eyes and permitted her to brush our foreheads with her hand, muttering quietly in Japanese beneath her breath. When we had all been subjected to this ritual, she smiled, thanked us, and went on her way leaving us confused but calm. A few days later I asked the adults in my English Conversation Class about this strange occurrence and was told that she was probably a member of a particular Buddhist sect that believes in a sort of faith healing that can purify minds and hearts. At that moment it struck me that the friendly stranger was simply working on a personal basis for peace and happiness of all people, and this despite having certainly been among the victims of the bomb. The majority of efforts for peace in Hiroshima however are not made by single individuals in this manner. The protests, marches, and petitions that take place in all seasons depending on the political climate and developments are usually held by a variety of large anti-war, anti-nuclear organizations. Peace Park, as was its purpose in creation, has become a meeting ground for these activities. It quickly becomes clear too that most every concert, show, or event in the area is somehow connected to the pursuit of a nonviolent future or international relations that might later promote those goals. Meanwhile, the city itself runs and organizes a number of public events with the goal of encouraging peace, most famously the annual Peace Festival commemorating the souls of victims of the bomb. Also, the mayor himself traditionally writes a letter protesting every nuclear test in the world. However, despite all the efforts, wars and nuclear development continue. Japan itself under Prime Minsiter Koizumi has sent the Special Defense Forces to the Iraq conflict and there has been much talk of changing the constitution to allow the troops to participate in actual combat, not simply as reinforcements on the backlines. The people I met in Hiroshima were disgusted by these developments, and horrified by the reelection of George W. Bush. In fact, I believe that the question I was most commonly asked, second to my nationality, was whether or not I had voted for the bellicose US head of state. The inquirers would invariably smile with relief when I told them that I was a devoted liberal. The next question frequently was why did so many Americans support the war. I cannot claim to know the answer to their inquiry as it baffles me as well. However, I do believe that the solution is just as the people of Hiroshima have long desired: education. A seminar I attended in the spring, using Hiroshima as a common example, discussed the meaning of peace and ways to achieve it. All of the participants arrived at this conclusion that teaching the public, particuarly the children, was probably the most effective long-range way to go about the task. Afterall, the the pictures we had seen, the first hand accounts we had read and heard had reinforced the desire for a peaceful tomorrow in us. What was there to lose in trying to instill the same values in others by continuous study from elementary school onwards? Change of course is not going to come immediately: it will take years of such education to create a generation that because of their background is likely to be supportive of peaceful political solutions. The task also will have to become global, which although intensely difficult has become more feasible in the light of modern technology. After all, Hiroshima has done the hard part, providing the examples that the people living there have painstakingly collected the stories. These stories are available all over the internet, in books, on tape, translated. They are there for anyone who would listen. Hiroshima has lit the torch of hope. It is up to us though, the conscientious individuals, to bear its light into the future.