a moment in Nagasaki

Peace in Nagasaki.

I was given an amazing opportunity to visit the picturesque city of Nagasaki last weekend. It had remained on my list of things to see in Japan for quite some time. Traveling there, I anxiously anticipated my visit to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial, the final location I had wanted to visit that held strong ties to the Pacific War (Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki). It was almost like obtaining that final baseball card that completed a dream team collection for me; a check waiting to be placed on my sheet of folder paper. I had no idea what lessons God had waiting for me in Nagasaki...


I found myself on a park bench at the Atomic Bombing Epicenter Monument at just after 11:30am. Some peaceful Chris Tomlin music was playing on my ipod. I ever so carefully began to fold a paper crane out of some scratch paper I found in my purse.  I noticed a pack of Japanese tourists following their guide around the park. Two European men posed for a picture as their friend shouted to them in French. An older man bent down to clean up a mess his dog left for him by the water fountain. I looked up at the bright blue sky; the brilliance of autumn leaves caressed the young day. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine how, amidst the beauty and peace that surrounded me, such a disaster could have devastated such a place, at just around the same time of the day, almost 65 years ago. Just as I looked up to the black monument, Chris Tomlin's words sounded through: "I will rise on eagle's wing, no more suffering, no more pain." That moment was enough to trigger the waterworks.

I look back at all the pictures I took of Nagasaki during the trip and my mind can't help but wander. I ask myself what someone who experienced the atomic bombing on that day would say if I were to show them one of the pictures I took. If I were to somehow travel back in time and, amidst the chaos and sorrow following the explosion, show a picture of today's Nagasaki and say, "this is what Nagasaki will look like in 65 years." Would they believe me? How could one see past such turmoil and destruction? How do you even begin to rebuild a city that has seen so much devastation?

The view of Nagasaki's city lights from Mt. Inasa.

The beautiful Nagasaki skyline.

The pictures and videos in the museum paint the picture, in my mind, of hell on Earth. People whose bodies are charred with scalding burns, wanting to die but not being able to, searching for loved ones amongst mountains of debris. Today I see junior high school students on a school trip touring the same location with cameras in hand, old Japanese couples feeding birds under the cooling shade, and children laughing as they chase each other through the soft, green grass of the park. Peace lives in Nagasaki. I tucked my checklist away in my pocket, almost ashamed, ashamed of my attitude coming to the park. I came with the intention of getting some nice snapshots for my album and I left with a new understanding of the word peace.

When I grow up, I wanna be a fox...

Me pretending to help carry the big, heavy omikoshi shrine ;)

In Japan, November 3 is National Culture Day. I found myself at the Kudamatsu Fox Wedding Festival, which is a celebration for a successful rice season. Food and game vendors lined the narrow streets of Kudamatsu's small town of Hanaoka. There was a bunch of festivities, including a parade of omikoshi hand-carried shrines (which I was blessed to be a part of), Japan boy scout performances, a kid marching band, handmade floats, and finally, the Fox Bride and Fox Groom, signifying good fortune. Every year, two people are picked in secret, and their identity is kept hidden from the public throughout the festival.

The couple of the hour! The Fox Bride and Fox Groom! Do you know who it is?

I've heard a bunch of different versions of the story upon which this festival is based. One of my teachers I teach with said that long ago, a priest found a pair of white foxes in the forest. He raised them as his own children and in return they brought good fortune to his village. And so every year there is a festival in their honor.

The amazing people who let us join in the parade.

It was really cool to have the chance to actually participate in the omikoshi-carrying down the street. Kyle's friend from City Hall, Nakamura, invitied us to take part in the tradition with a group of his friends. We all hoisted this heavy wooden structure up on our shoulders (well, not me really because I'm so much shorter than everyone else) and yelled out "washoi!" in time with a whistle. They even let me have a chance at riding the shrine! I will admit, it was quite scary being up that high, while being carried by a bunch of drunk and happy men :) I had an amazing time laughing and chatting with the other omikoshi carriers. Many people drank lots of sake before the actual parade (and even DURING!). I don't know how we managed to carry that thing all the way to the end. We even got hoppi coats to wear...and FACE PAINT! We were true Japanese foxes :)

Kyle and me in our "fox" outfits.

During the festival, I took a step back and watched the festivities around me. There were hundreds people around me, both young and old, who were gathered here to celebrate their culture, my culture. I am Japanese afterall. Never before had I felt such a strong tie to my Japanese roots. It was an indescribable feeling. I was almost moved to tears as I watched a traditional dance team perform in front of the Hanaoka Shrine. This is stuff my ancestors must have done a long time ago, I thought to myself. Finally, I've begun to feel like a part of the Yamaguchi family, and a part of Japan.

I am proud to be Japanese.