After welcoming ceremony on Wednesday and delicious Japanese food there were not too many hours of sleep when we had to wake up around 5am to catch a bus to Hiroshima city at 5.50 on 6th of August. I never realized how big city Hiroshima is and how beautiful the surroundings are. Hills, green nature, the sun and morning fog were with us when buses full of INU students drove from Saijo, area where our hotel and University are, to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
In the park we had the chance to see the Peace Memorial Ceremony of Hiroshima. Although the ceremony was beautiful the whole park was so crowded and full of people that I felt that realizing in deeper sense what happened in Hiroshima 6th of August in 1945 at 8.15 o’clock is going to happen somewhere else than in there. Later in the evening there was lantern ceremony on the riverside where hundreds of lanterns on river lighted the place, reminding us about the ones who have passed away.
During the day I got to know my country group members better. All participants of the student seminar are divided for country groups for our UN roleplay in the last day of the seminar. Our group was amazing and with the help of the local students it was very easy to navigate around the city. We visited Hiroshima castle and we also got to taste Okonomiyaki, Hiroshiman style pancake with noodles, ham, egg and many other ingredients.
Next day, being almost as busy as previous one, was the second and last one we spent in the Hiroshima centre before starting the seminar workshops. We had a chance to visit Peace Memorial museum in Hiroshima and get information about the A- bomb and the victims of that day in 1945. In the afternoon we had amazing opportunity to listen two survivors who shared their memories and experiences with us. Both of them were young in the time of A-bomb and realizing how much that day affected to their whole life, for all the days in last 70 days, was good reminder how important next days’ workshops about peace are. For us and for everyone.
Sanni