In the absence of violence there is peace...

Konnichiwa! In this first posting of a multi-part blog series, I will attempt to convey what Sarah and I experienced during her visit...First up: Hiroshima (ひろしま). This was Sarah's first time in Japan...she was here for 3 weeks and we had the opportunity to spend time together and share some pretty amazing experiences in the "land of the rising sun." So please, sit back, relax and enjoy the sensations of Japan...

Some housekeeping first...Sarah had quite the trip in getting to my home in Suzurandai...it all started with a 9 or 10 hour flight from PDX to Narita, then a 1 hour train ride from Narita to Tokyo, then a shinkansen (high speed train) from Tokyo to Kobe (about 3 hours) and then a 25 minute taxi ride to my apartment in Suzurandai...a true, plane, trains and automobile story. The trip home was tiring, but it had been 9 weeks since we saw each other last, so we just enjoyed sitting next to each other. Pictured here are two of my friends from Tokyo (Mari and Kaoru) who helped me remember how to get to Narita Airport to pick up Sarah.

On to Hiroshima - located on the Western end of Honshu, the main island of Japan, about a 1 hour 10 minute shinkansen ride from Kobe...that`s about $130 USD per person round trip. We had a fantastic trip to Hiroshima...from history refresher in the Peace Park to a beautiful Japanese garden to Hiroshima-yaki (so yummy) to wild monkeys and deer (on Miyajima island)...here is a taste...remember, there is more to come!

I always knew I wanted to visit Hiroshima, but I did not really know what to expect. I was told "oh, you must go...there is this, that and the other." Well, like most things, it is totally different when you see "this, that and other other" for yourself. Hiroshima is a city with much historical significance...it was the first city ever bombed w/ an atomic bomb (Nagasaki was the 2nd). A history refresher...On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was devasted by the a-bomb...Nearly 200,000 people died within the first year after the bombing due to the immediate impact of the bomb and the effects of radiation poisoning...The impact of radiation poisoning are still not fully known. One of my teacher`s father (who is now in his 80s) lived in Hiroshima during the bombing and suffers from radiation poisoning today. This is a sad story, but it is also one of hope. Sarah and I were in awe of the peace felt in Hiroshima...it permeates the entire city.

We walked through the epicenter of the bombing...what was once a war zone, has become a memorial built to promote peace. Peace infused the air and we got absorbed into its warm embrace. To say this experience gave us pause is an understatement. Among the many sites are: the A-bomb Dome (only structure still standing from the bombing), the Peace Park (pictured above), the Peace Museum and the Children`s Peace Memorial (see video below).

As we took in the experience, we were accosted along the way by a few groups of Jr. High School kids on a school trip...all they wanted was to practice their English - which was quite good. Sarah and I became instant celebrities...and 15 seconds later we were on our own again.

The most impactful and lasting memory will be the stories told on behalf of those who died from the bombing. One story in particular was of a little girl who by all accounts was living a healthy life, but 9 years after the bombing she developed leukemia from the radiation poisoning. Her name is Sadako Sasaki and her story, while sad, was one of hope. Paper cranes, made from the ancient Japanese tradition of paper folding (origami), are known to be signs of peace around the world. Well, Sadako new of this tradition and began folding cranes and did so until her death 8 months after diagnosis...her story set of a storm of activity by schools in Japan to promote peace by building a Children`s Peace Memorial - for all children who perished from the bombing. Now, this is a global story and every year about 10 million cranes are offered up for peace. It all started with a little girl`s dream.

Video of Children's Peace Memorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvB-51k7m0g

The message we took away from this experience was that peace is possible...it may sound hokey, but when you stop and think about it, what good are all these atomic and nuclear weapons if all they are going to do is destroy our most precious resource - people.

So, if you get the chance...go to Hiroshima and experience what peace feels like. You won`t want the world any other way.

Note: future blogs will be more light-hearted...i promise.