Sylvio Roy and Lori Sweet at tea ceremony

 

Syvio, Lori, Pete and Carol from the Rotary Club of Kingston recently participated in an ITHF trip to Japan, to experience the culture on Osakakimajima Island and participate in the Hiroshima based Oleander Peace Program.

Carol Cartier and Pete Burrell with Sadae, an A-bomb survivor

 

Our hosts, Steve and Noko Yoshida, gave us the transformative experience of a lifetime. We appreciated the island's extreme cleanliness, order, politeness, and peace culture. The Japanese people are very organized and tech-savvy. We loved their toilets, especially once we had figured out the Japanese characters for big flush, little flush, and the accompanying washes.

 

Ray Matsumi and his team inspired us with the message of peace in Hiroshima through the Oleander Peace Program. We toured the city and, through lectures, discussions, and reflections, learned about the continuing efforts to promote peace worldwide. We met Mrs. Sadae Kasaoka, a Hibakusha (atomic A-bomb survivor), and heard her very moving story, which brought many of us to tears.

 

We also met survivor trees and learned about the efforts to spread their seeds worldwide. Plant the seeds, and they will grow.

 

We visited Miyajima and the famous Torii gate, a world-class UNESCO heritage site that appears to be floating at high tide and is ranked as one of Japan's best views.

 

The second part of our journey took us to Osakikamajima Island for a unique and educational cultural experience.

Here, we were greeted by Hiromi Nagao, or Sensei as we called her, a coach, mentor, and scholar. Many of our meetings took place in a traditional merchant's home. We made sushi rolls and bean-paste buns, tried our hand at calligraphy, fashioned brooches, hair clips, and key chains using traditional Japanese silk cloth, and experimented with natural plant dying. We visited a woodworking workshop, a soy sauce brewery, participated in Zen meditation, and toured an organic farm where we had a delightfully tasty local meal under a tent in the citrus fields. Each evening, local speakers who inspired us were featured.

 

We participated in a tea ceremony and were shown how to calm our souls and enjoy the taste and sweetness of the tea.

 

Meeting Sensei's team was awe-inspiring. Nonoka aspires to be an astronaut, Nobuki is a monk who is working on his master's degree, and Sora is embarking on a career facilitating tourism on the island. All three were under 25 years of age and interested in sustainability, peace, and improving the education system in Japan. Imagine what they will achieve.

 

Near the end of our trip, the spirit and determination of the Hibakusha were recognized by a well-deserved Nobel Peace Prize.

 

This trip was not just a sightseeing tour but a way of engaging in a peaceful, happy life that was unique and inspiring.

 

Together we can change the world. No matter how small, every action contributes to our global impact and goal of achieving worldwide peace.