Welcome Everyone!
For the next several months, from August 2018 until the new year starts in January 2019, I'll be traveling to places I've never been to before, as part of a quest to learn more about the culture of peace in Japan and the history of civil rights in our own country.
To start, I spent two weeks in Japan, traveling to Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, and Hakuba. All the pictures and videos you see on this blog were taken by me, with the exception of the ones I'm in. Also, please make sure you visit often. I will be updating the posts from time to time.
The highlight of the trip was attending the peace ceremony in Hiroshima which commemorates the use of the first atomic weapon on August 6, 1945. I attended not only the morning peace ceremony which commemorates the exact time the bomb was dropped - 8:15am - but also the lantern ceremony which memorializes all the human beings killed.
Itsukushima Shrine and the Torii Gate on Miyajima, near Hiroshima. There is a replica of the gate at the Epcot Japanese pavilion.
Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
The highlight of the trip was attending the peace ceremony in Hiroshima which commemorates the use of the first atomic weapon on August 6, 1945. I attended not only the morning peace ceremony which commemorates the exact time the bomb was dropped - 8:15am - but also the lantern ceremony which memorializes all the human beings killed.
In the picture below, you can see the Atomic Bomb Dome in the background. I'm holding the official ceremony program and a flower that was handed out by the youth participating in the day's events. The city of Hiroshima is devoted to building a culture of peace in many ways.
Paper lanterns were available for a small donation of 600 Yen or about $5.50 in US dollars. After buying one, participants went through a long line that finally brought them to the river's edge so they could place lantern in the water. Many people wrote and/or drew messages of peace and love on the lanterns.
I sat just above the river's edge where people were placing their lanterns in the water. Loud speakers played music while the ceremony took place. Check out the video below:
Some view Japan's turn away from violence as evidence that overwhelming destructive power brings about peace and that nuclear weapons have a place in our world. Others make the point that because nuclear weapons allow for the potential destruction of all life on this planet, they need to be abolished for ever. No matter the perspective, I hope all can agree that innocent human beings dying in such horrible ways is not acceptable. I mention this because the larger debate about aggression, responsibility and regret in the Pacific theater during WWII was also included in the news of the day - Last Surviving Crew Member Has No Regrets About Bombing Hiroshima.
A few more of my favorite pictures and videos from Japan
Great blog! So informative, authentic, and interesting!
ReplyDeleteSteinbeck said this...
ReplyDeleteIn every bit of honest writing in the world… there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.