From Hiroshima to Hope

Today is August 6th, the day that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945. I went to Seattle's annual traditional Japanese lantern-floating ceremony tonight. "From Hiroshima to Hope" is Seattle’s annual peace event honoring the victims of the bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all of the victims of war and violence. In Hiroshima, they float paper lanterns down a river, the same river that carried bodies out to sea. Thousands of people showed up at Greenlake tonight to make wood-and-paper lanterns and fold peace cranes. There were all kinds of traditional Japanese flute music and men and women dressed in komonos. The Toro Nagashi lantern floating ceremony on Green Lake is the largest lantern floating ceremony outside of Japan. The evening emphasized peace and the hope that nuclear weapons would never be used again.