Comments on: Anniversary of Hiroshima http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima Living in Los Angeles and Tokyo Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:44:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.3 by: Noriko http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-16 Sun, 27 Aug 2006 16:57:21 +0000 http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-16 Oh, gosh! I had never thought that the Anniversary of Hiroshima is Aug. 5th in America! Most of Japanese think it was only the tragedy for Japanese. So, I reckon that the Anniversary date must be known Aug. 6th in worldwide. But if to have dropped bomb is a burden for some American people, the date must be rememberd in Aug. 5th in America. It's a good example that each side thinks about only its own side, isn't it? Interesting. Oh, gosh! I had never thought that the Anniversary of Hiroshima is Aug. 5th in America! Most of Japanese think it was only the tragedy for Japanese. So, I reckon that the Anniversary date must be known Aug. 6th in worldwide. But if to have dropped bomb is a burden for some American people, the date must be rememberd in Aug. 5th in America.
It’s a good example that each side thinks about only its own side, isn’t it? Interesting.

]]> by: cloudysunshine http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-14 Sun, 27 Aug 2006 14:41:06 +0000 http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-14 You\'re right that it happened the morning of August 6th in Japan. America is one day behind, so it was August 5th for us. I got in the habit of remembering it as August 5th because that\'s the B-Day of someone in my family. I always remember her being sad that her birthday\'s the same day as Hiroshima. But as the bomb was dropped in Japan, I feel the Japanese date should be the one used, so I edited my post to include both. Thanks for pointing that out! Your story about visiting Pearl Harbor is an interesting one, and I like what you said here: \"We tend to remind only our side pain. But, I think, to put oneself in the opposite situation, and try to imagine the other side’s pain is important.\" That\'s so true. I saw this really good documentary awhile back where they brought Japanese and American WWII veterans together to share their memories of the war. All had lost good friends and some of them seemed like they could never forgive their enemies. But many did, and actually ended up becoming friends. I\'ll never forget seeing a Japanese pilot, who flew in the Pearl Harbor mission, meeting with a sailor from the USS Arizona. Wow, that was an emotional moment! You\'d think it would have ended in a fight, but after they talked, it ended in tears...and a hug! The two guys ended up talking for hours about the war, and their lives after it. I guess seeing the war from the other\'s perspective helped them not only to heal their own pain, but also to forgive. It was really interesting. You\’re right that it happened the morning of August 6th in Japan. America is one day behind, so it was August 5th for us. I got in the habit of remembering it as August 5th because that\’s the B-Day of someone in my family. I always remember her being sad that her birthday\’s the same day as Hiroshima.

But as the bomb was dropped in Japan, I feel the Japanese date should be the one used, so I edited my post to include both. Thanks for pointing that out!

Your story about visiting Pearl Harbor is an interesting one, and I like what you said here:

\”We tend to remind only our side pain. But, I think, to put oneself in the opposite situation, and try to imagine the other side’s pain is important.\”

That\’s so true. I saw this really good documentary awhile back where they brought Japanese and American WWII veterans together to share their memories of the war. All had lost good friends and some of them seemed like they could never forgive their enemies.

But many did, and actually ended up becoming friends. I\’ll never forget seeing a Japanese pilot, who flew in the Pearl Harbor mission, meeting with a sailor from the USS Arizona. Wow, that was an emotional moment!

You\’d think it would have ended in a fight, but after they talked, it ended in tears…and a hug! The two guys ended up talking for hours about the war, and their lives after it.

I guess seeing the war from the other\’s perspective helped them not only to heal their own pain, but also to forgive. It was really interesting.

]]> by: Noriko http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-12 Sun, 27 Aug 2006 13:46:52 +0000 http://www.la2tokyo.com/anniversary-of-hiroshima#comment-12 First of all, I want to pick up one thing. Anniversary of Hiroshima is Aug. 6th. After 3 days, then, Nagasaki. It's just a tiny information. Anyway, "...expecting people to still be pissed for what America did 60 years ago,..." It's funny to hear about your experience. But don't worry. I also have a similar one. When I traveled to Hawaii with my mom, who was a high school student during WWII, she eagered to see Pearl Harbor. So, we joined the harbor cruising tour. When the ship arrived in front of the wreck of Battleship ARIZONA, there was an announcement; it said "Let's pray silently for a while". All of the people on board stood up and praied for the ARIZONA. I hadn't realized until that moment...we were the only Japanese! I felt small and guilty, and was nervouse about the situation, dispite nobody on board looked at us with evil eyes or cursed out Japanese. I praied toward it not like others but Budish way. It was my style to show my feeling. We tend to remind only our side pain. But, I think, to put oneself in the opposite situation, and try to imagine the other side's pain is important. I think it helps to pull up people's cultur level. First of all, I want to pick up one thing. Anniversary of Hiroshima is Aug. 6th. After 3 days, then, Nagasaki. It’s just a tiny information.

Anyway,

“…expecting people to still be pissed for what America did 60 years ago,…”

It’s funny to hear about your experience. But don’t worry. I also have a similar one.
When I traveled to Hawaii with my mom, who was a high school student during WWII, she eagered to see Pearl Harbor. So, we joined the harbor cruising tour. When the ship arrived in front of the wreck of Battleship ARIZONA, there was an announcement; it said “Let’s pray silently for a while”. All of the people on board stood up and praied for the ARIZONA. I hadn’t realized until that moment…we were the only Japanese! I felt small and guilty, and was nervouse about the situation, dispite nobody on board looked at us with evil eyes or cursed out Japanese.
I praied toward it not like others but Budish way. It was my style to show my feeling.
We tend to remind only our side pain. But, I think, to put oneself in the opposite situation, and try to imagine the other side’s pain is important. I think it helps to pull up people’s cultur level.

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