Hawaii/Korea/Jordan/India/Australia

Junior writers venture abroad during summer vacation

Five of our junior writers visited other countries during their summer vacation to do volunteer work or take part in other interactive programs. By touching other cultures and sharing Hiroshima with the people of other nations, they returned home with valuable experiences that have broadened their perspective.

Hawaii, The United States

Ringing a bell presented by Hiroshima

Yusuke rings the replica of the "Hiroshima Peace Bell" at the Izumo Taisha Shrine in Honolulu.

On the morning of August 6, I took part in a peace memorial ceremony held at the Izumo Taisha Shrine in Honolulu, Hawaii. (It was August 5 in Hawaii.) It was part of an international exchange program organized by the Hiroshima YMCA and, as one of the participants, I was in Hawaii for two weeks.

The ceremony began with a priest reciting a Shinto prayer, followed by prayers from various other faiths, such as Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. At the shrine is a replica of the "Hiroshima Peace Bell," which was given to the city of Honolulu by the city of Hiroshima. After the ceremony, I rang the bell to pray for the victims of the atomic bombing.

The next day I visited Pearl Harbor with my host family. I saw photos of the sinking U.S. ships that had been attacked by the Japanese Imperial Army and the names of the American victims engraved across a wall. After learning only about the damage caused by the atomic bombing, I had come into contact, for the first time, with Japanese aggression during the war. I felt strongly that war is a foolish act that costs a lot of lives and leaves only suffering behind. (Yusuke Suemoto, 15)

Korea

Using English in a peace and cultural exchange

I took part in a "Peace Camp" with children from Japan, Korea, and China. The camp was held in Inju County, located in northeastern Korea, and for one week, from August 7, we reflected on the idea of peace.

About 30 participants, from elementary school students to high school students, came together each day to discuss peace and culture in English. In our discussion about the question "What does peace mean to you?," I responded, "All creatures on earth feel happy." Other participants stressed the importance of smiling and joining hands, and I came to think that small actions like this could help lead to peace.

For a cultural exchange event, I performed Rakugo [a traditional form of comic monologue in Japan] dressed in yukata [a casual summer kimono]. My performance was interpreted into English, and I think my gestures helped the audience enjoy the flavor of Rakugo. Some Korean and Chinese participants played musical instruments while wearing traditional clothing from those nations.

One girl from Korea said, "Making friends from other countries is the first step towards peace." No one wants to wage war with a country where friends live. I want to make friends with people all over the world. (Miyu Sakata,15)

Jordan

Filming the plight of refugee sisters

Daichi (left) interviews the sisters who fled from Iraq.

I visited Jordan, a country in the Middle East, for 10 days at the end of July as a reporter for the NGO "Children without Borders" [based in Tokyo]. Jordan is home to many refugees who have fled Iraq, to the east, and Palestine, to the west. In order to convey the plight of children there to Japanese children of the same generation, we made a film with eight children, aged 14 to 18, who come from refugee families or poor families.

I interviewed two sisters from a refugee family through an Arab interpreter. They now live in Amman, the capital of Jordan. Their mother is Iraqi and their father is Jordanian. But their parents are living apart, and the sisters live with their mother.

Their mother works, but Jordanian law prohibits employment for foreign nationals, so this means she's working illegally. Their mother's income is small and unstable, but they can't return to the dangerous conditions of Iraq. "I'm very worried about our future," the mother said. Her words brought home to me the anxiety they feel for their lives, unable to see what the future holds for them.

The film will be screened in Tokyo in November. (Daichi Ishii, 15)

India

Marching for the abolition of nuclear weapons

Reina (front, right) prepares for the peace march.

Invited by the City Montessori School (CMS), with students from kindergarten age to university level, I went to Lucknow, located in northern India, to take part in their annual event in August called "Hiroshima-Nagasaki Day."

On August 8, we staged a march through the neighborhood of the school. It was an overwhelming experience to be among 3,000 students and teachers, holding signs calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and shouting "No more Hiroshimas! No more Nagasakis!" The demonstration was longer than 1 kilometer. I felt that the Indian youth were showing me how we can help change the world if our will is strong. I chanted along with them at the head of the march.

After the demonstration, which lasted about 40 minutes, we went into a hall and I talked about Hiroshima. I was happy that everyone there listened seriously to my speech. In India, when I asked, "Do you know Hiroshima?," the usual reply involved "the atomic bomb." But the next time I go to India, I hope people will respond to the same question with "peace," so I want to help change Hiroshima in order to make that impression. (Rena Sasaki, 14)

Australia

Conveying the earthquake to junior high school students

I stayed with an Australian family in Melbourne for two weeks from the end of July as part of a study-abroad program organized by my junior high school.

I gave a presentation to about 20 local junior high school students on the big earthquake that struck eastern Japan on March 11. I showed photos of the damage caused by the earthquake and the tsunami, and I told them about a girl I saw on TV who was crying for her parents amid the wreckage of homes. I said, "Here we are, happy, but there are people now suffering under the same sky" and I asked that we pray for the victims of the disaster.

I also made a silent prayer at 8:15 in the morning on August 6, Japan time, with my host family. I showed a picture book about the atomic bombing, "My Hiroshima," to my 8-year-old host sister, and she looked keenly at the pictures of the burnt ruins of Hiroshima.

I enjoyed my homestay in Australia, but I regret that I wasn't able to clearly ask my host family for their thoughts about the atomic bombing and peace. (Yumi Kimura,15)