Remembrance day November 11th vs August 15th

Last weekend was a Remembrance day long weekend.


It made me think of my town, Nagasaki.


Todays story will be a bit heavy, but I hope people appreciate to see a part of history.






I joined the Remembrance day assembly at my children's school.  I grew up in Japan, so it was the first time in my entire life to join the Remembrance day assembly!

school children practice for the Remembrance assembly

Oh my goodness, it was beautiful and touching!

I asked my husband, he is Canadian, if he had a Remembrance day assembly when he was in school, and his answer was, of course, Yes.


OK, so it is just "me" being so fascinated by this ritual at the school.

That's OK.

This event reminded me the assembly we had in Japan.


Just like a Halloween and Shoro Nagashi, we have a ritual in Japanese way for the war on

August 15th

I thought,
"How do the world think of August 15th."

I googled it.

Surprisingly, I did not find the information that I was looking for.

It is the day of the World War II was ended, 1945.

If my understanding is correct, 
November 11th the day of the first world war was ended. But the Remembrance day is to honor the souls of soldiers who had fought in the wars in the history,  not only the first world war.  

I found that the ritual for August 15th is a bit different, yet, has similarity to the Remembrance day.  I think it is specific for the World War II, and and it is specific for Japanese people not only for soldiers but also people who died because of the war.


I think it is because of Japan had to surrender after all.

I grew up in a small town called "Nagasaki".

For Nagasaki people, August 9th then August 15th is one of the most unforgettable day in the history, because of the atomic bomb.




I was listening to the CBC radio on November 11th, and at 11:00am I heard the trumpet and my children told me to stop my hands from LEGO.
We went right up to the Radio and joined in standing in silence.




Until my oldest child really understands what is all about Remembrance day, and explained to me, I actually did not know what is really all about.

It was so beautiful to be 

"ONE..." 

with the world by standing in silence.

Every year, August 9th, 11:02am, entire town of Nagasaki stand in silence.  


Not only the radio, but every fire places turn the siren on, VERY LOUD SIREN that every people can hear inside and outside of the building.

Why 11:02am?   

It is the time when the atomic bomb hit city of Nagasaki.


One of the display in the Peace Park Museum that stays in my memory is that every clock in the display are stopped at the 11:02.

When I was born, 1971, Nagasaki had recovered. Japan actually became one of the fastest growing country.


I only heard about how awful it was during the war from grand parents.  


For me, its in a past.  Let's move on.




But I remember in my childhood, maybe around 1981, we were playing hide-and -seek.  We were actually using "bokugo", the hiding cave as a hiding spot. 

When American fighter airplane flew over the town,
people ran into these kind of cave.

I also remember when I had a check up with Homeopath doctor, and she said
" You have awfully large amount of radiation in your body. Just the X-Rays here and there from hospital or dentist check ups would not create this amount of radiation. What happened?"


I said,
"I have not done so much X-rays. SO I don't know why."


She checked up all my medical history and said'
"Oh, you are from Nagasaki, that makes sense, because of the atomic bomb."


I said,
"It can not be.  My family moved to Nagasaki in 1976 and the war had been over 30years before. It is now 2004, so it has been over 60 years."


But I researched about it.


Amazingly, what I found out was that unlikely Hiroshima, the radiation from the atomic bomb could not escape from the land because of the shape of Nagasaki city being surrounded by mountains.  People live on the land can absorb the radiation from the land.

Even 60 years later!!!

Please do not feel offensive about I am bringing up this subject.




But what I wanted to tell to the world is that,

"The scar from the history can pass down emotionally 

and also physically to generation after generation.

If we can stop hurting each other right now, 

small fight between friends, 

big wars between countries, 

and be kind to each other,

we can create more peaceful world in 30years.

I teach Jikiden Reiki.

Reiki's most important teaching is

to live in Gokai, the five principle.

Kyo dake wa

Ikaruna

shin pie suna

kansha shite

gyo o hageme

hitoni shinsetsu ni

Just for today,

do not be angry,

do not worry,

be grateful,

do your duties fully,

be kind to others.

 I really think the world peace is THAT simple.