JPCS Major

Emi Oda, senior

I traveled during the summer of 2007 in southern Japan as a peace ambassador for the World Friendship Center as an American PAX Team member.

My trip with the team covered a total of three locations -- Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kyoto. In Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we presented our experiences with peace and different things we have been involved in at various locations.

In return, we listened to stories about the horrors of the atomic bomb from survivors of the A-bomb (called "hibakusha") on a daily basis and also had many opportunities to meet different groups of people who are contributing to peace in their own unique ways.

Some thoughts about my experience…

I know I have had an incredible experience when I find myself struggling to write about it. I’ve wracked my brain to figure out how to communicate my experiences correctly. I can tell you this much: if you have never been to Hiroshima or Nagasaki, plan a trip to both locations as soon as possible.

The world needs to hear the stories of the survivors of the A-bomb while they are still alive. The hibakusha have stories. If you listen to them, you find yourself baffled. You tell yourself over and over again, “I had no idea….” You feel overwhelmed and guilty, ashamed and embarrassed.

Emi with a member of the 'hibakusha,' the Japanese term for survivors of the A-bomb.

Then it happens. You see the treasure of the person to whom you are listening. Granted, the hibakusha may be missing an ear or a number of fingers, they may have scars all over their bodies, they may be deformed in a way that may be difficult to look at, or they may look completely unscathed externally but suffer internally from nightmares, guilt, horror scenes that they cannot escape from decades ago, or radiation-induced cancer.

Despite all of this, I guarantee you one thing: hibakusha are some of the most beautiful, courageous people you will ever meet. You treasure their stories in your heart and feel empowered to carry them with you. By doing this, you are be changed forever. At least this is what happened to me. I am not the same person.

Love for Japan rekindled...

During the course of two amazing weeks, as I was on the move from place to place, forming relationships with people who have committed their life to work for peace, my love for Japan was rekindled.

Emi leads a presentation that includes slides of her family.

I discovered that I had never given Japan a chance. She is a gem. Seeing tens of thousands of colorful peace cranes at the two Peace Parks are images that I will never forget, nor will I ever forget the pain I felt as I forced myself to leave one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen in my life -- thousands of lanterns bearing messages of peace from all around the world, afloat on the gentle current of the river that runs through the Peace Park in Hiroshima.

Japan ’s desire for peace in the world and its denunciation of war through its constitution are two valuable pieces of information that have been branded in my heart. I am honored to share them with anyone who is willing to listen.

The journey that is behind me was the beginning of something big in my life.

'Citizen of the world'

My encounters helped me to find myself more fully as a citizen of Japan and my responsibility as a citizen of this world. I have also gained more confidence as a spokesperson for peace.

Emi and friends outside the World Friendship Center.

The people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki seemed to have a heightened sense of being alive. I think that it rubbed off on me. Because both Nagasaki and Hiroshima share a story of death, their will to share their story of rebirth and life are probably the most powerful in all of the islands of Japan. I would return to Hiroshima and Nagasaki any day to see my brothers and sisters, my aunts and uncles, my mothers and fathers. Their home is my home. My home is their home. My heart is theirs.

What I haven’t figured out is how people who have experienced hell could come to a place where they can laugh, grin widely, be kind and generous and so humble, be interested in my life and my small-scale experiences, treasure me like a little chick and send me off with a thousand blessings.

I saw God in the eyes of many men and women. I thought that I was already in love with the human race before this journey, but I fell into a deeper love with my brothers and sisters of Japan and the world at large. For the first time in my life I saw the true beauty of peace work with my own eyes and I desire for it to be part of my destiny.

Emi will graduate in 2008.