August 5 Tokyo to Hiroshima

 

We got up early on the morning of August 5 to board a bus for the train station.  We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) with a change of trains in Osaka.  I didn't take this picture, but pulled it off the internet.  I never saw the train other than in the station and it would whizz by too fast for a picture.  At Osaka, I met a very interesting English couple, David and Agnes Porter.  It was one of those chance encounters that clicked and I gave them my Japanese/English business card.  They were going to Nagasaki and then Hiroshima.  Since then, we have shared our impressions by email, which has been very rewarding to me.  The bullet train was very comfortable and fast.

When our group arrived in Hiroshima, we were met by a delegation and escorted to our bus, which seemed nice.  Little did I know that was just a prelude to an amazing welcome at the RKK Dharma Center in Hiroshima.  It was raining, and we had a canopy of umbrellas to walk through from the bus  into the Dharma Center.  When we were inside, we were escorted (after taking off our shoes, of course) into a big reception room with lots of clapping and cheers and a very warm welcome.  It was truly unbelievable.  I found myself crying a lot.  It was very emotional.  We had a little ceremony, led by Reverend Robert Hardies and Reverend Kataro Suzuki.  After that, we met our homestay families.  My family were the Itos, and they were so nice, and made me feel welcome.   I got a beautiful lei made of origami cranes at the luncheon.

We didn't have much time to visit then as the Pilgrimage Group was going to Honkawa School for a Memorial Ceremony there.   Before the ceremony, we had a bento box dinner in a classroom.

It was one of many bento meals we had and they all were good.  This one was especially tasty.

 Going to Honkawa School was another emotional experience.  The School was very close to the hypocenter of the a-bomb explosion.  The principal, ten teachers and about 400 students died there.   At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, the time of the explosion, the students were mostly on the playground.  The School reopened in February 1946, but the conditions were grim.  There were no windows, and just make-shift desks and chairs.  In the museum, there is a very touching picture of children playing in the schoolyard in 1947--it's the same schoolyard where so many children died.  Today, it is a vibrant place with lots of beautiful children.  Here is a picture of some of the children I saw:

These adorable girls were about 12...very "kawai," or cute.  This school has a special relationship with All Souls Church. Shortly after the School re-opened, members of All Souls Church sent school and art supplies to the children. In return, the children sent drawings to the church.  Those drawings were displayed, but then put away in a box and not discovered until many years later.  They were restored and a delegation from the church returned them to Honkawa School a few years ago, finding many of the people who recognized their childhood drawings.  The originals were displayed in the Peace Museum at the School.  All Souls Church retains copies of those drawings, which are marvelous.   The history of these drawings are documented in the movie, Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard.  Just being in that school was comforting to me.  There were ceremonies and gifts.  All Souls Church gave 1,000 cranes and a carved wooden chalice with the inscription,
"Building a world in which all children will grow old surrounded by beauty, embraced by love, and cradled in the arms of peace."

There was a Bon festival, which is fun.  It is a celebration to honor ancesters, but was a very fitting way to bring some fun for the children (and others) after the solemnity of the memorial service.

We then returned by bus to the RKK Dharma Center and were re-united with our host families to go home with them.   I was very tired, and my family very thoughtfully understood that. We agreed that we would get to know each other better the next day, after the ceremonies at Hiroshima Peace Park and at the Dharma Center.  I was happy for a short shower, a comfortable bed and for staying in the home of a lovely family.