Living with Hiroshima

Wind from Myanmar
In July 1997, Ms. A., the vice president of a seminary in Myanmar, visited Hiroshima, escorted by my friend, Ms. Noriko Kadota, who lives in the Kansai region. I took the opportunity to ask Ms. A. to deliver a lecture at the Hiroshima YWCA. However, she could only speak on the condition of anonymity, because the people in Myanmar are under the jurisdiction of its military regime, and there is a possibility that her behavior abroad would be subject to scrutiny.

The following is what she said in the lecture: “In Myanmar, Buddhist monks are given special treatment. Even so, they have to make a living by asking for alms. Maymyo, where I live, is in the northern heights of Mandalay, which was the old capital of Myanmar. It is so far away from the present capital, Yangon, and for better or worse, is paid little attention by the central government. Furthermore, as there was once a British military base here, there are many Christians – some of them understand English. Most of the people are poor. Daily goods are widely available in the markets, but meat is a luxury item, and seafood is hard to obtain inland, so many people contract rickets due to protein deficiency. Students don’t even have enough stationery, but they have a passion for learning because they long to escape their current situation.”

After Ms. A.’s lecture, there was a question from the audience regarding the attitude of the Myanmar people towards Japan. Ms. A. answered as follows:
“During the war, Japanese troops committed robbery, rape and murder, so there are elderly people who have anti-Japanese sentiments. But many young people, who are jobless, aspire to go and work in Japan, though they don’t like Japan. As an educator, I am making the effort to take an impartial view of the world. I would like to see Hiroshima, which was destroyed by a nuclear bomb, with my own eyes, and convey to my students how this matters to mankind.”

During the tour of the Peace Memorial Museum, and in front of a number of monuments in the Peace Park, she stopped many times to put her hands together in prayer. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Then, she put her arm around my shoulders, and said, “Keiko, you’ve come so far, in spite of being exposed to the atomic bombing. Please speak out on behalf of those who perished.”
After Ms. A. left Hiroshima like the wind, a fund-raising campaign began at the Hiroshima YWCA. It was decided that I would visit Ms. A.’s school with Noriko the following spring to deliver the money and daily necessities.

I received a letter from Ms. A., asking me to talk about my A-bomb experience to her students. Noriko translated my A-bomb experience into English. Practicing my A-bomb testimony in English became a part of my daily routine.
Only God knew that this was to be the first step in my peace pilgrimage.

Constant visitors from abroad to the Peace Memorial Museum