Roving Japan

Day 32 Photoset

Mrs. Kanou took us to a cool mountain shine this afternoon, but before we left we were talking with her about the noisy motorcycle gangs that drive around Japanese highways. We’ve experienced several nights where the kids drive around in circles making tons of noise for the sake of making noise. It’s pretty annoying when you’re trying to sleep. Damn kids! Get off my lawn!

The conversation took an interesting turn when Mrs Kanou said, “Kids today are too bored. They don’t really have things to do. When I was a kid people just were trying to survive. There wasn’t a lot of crime.”

Then she said, “I’m 66. I was born in 1943 in Hiroshima.”

At first I didn’t connect the dots, but after a few seconds it clicks. 1943… Hiroshima… When did we drop the bomb? 1945! Does that mean…?”

An inquisitive look from Risa and I, and her story continues.

On August 6th, 1945 two year old Mrs Kanou was in her house with her mom, dad and sister when the first atomic bomb detonated 1.5km from their house. The building was lifted from its foundations while glass flew sideways. When the house landed, the floor broke, creating a pocket that saved little 2yr old Mrs Kanou from falling debris. Her head was cut up from the glass, but otherwise she was fine. Her mother got a piece of glass in her ear destroying her ear drum, but she was still alive. Her sister and father were also spared. Her dad heared Mrs. Kanou crying in the house, so he ran in and saved her. Then the whole family escaped to a small boat and fled up the river. Despite a leak in the boat that forced them to sit up to their chests in water, they made it to a small town not far away in the mountains.

Her family was incredibly lucky. That morning was her mothers turn to go downtown to get potatoes. But when a neighbor saw her with two young kids, she offered to go in her place. That neighbor didn’t survive.

Mrs Kanou said that she doesn’t remember anything from that day. She was too young to really remember, so everything she told us was just what she had been told. Her family went back to Hiroshima for a year, then left for the next 12 years before returning again. By the time they got back, the city was completely rebuilt and functioning, so the only thing she remembers from the destruction was a melted factory that she thought looked like a monster. She also remembers the black rain. Back then no one really knew that the rain was toxic, so she just remembers thinking, “this rain is weird”.

In the end, her entire family survived not only the blast, but also the radiation. Even her uncle who came to the city shortly after the bomb to look for relatives is now 101years old and likes working on computers.

Hearing a first-hand account of the bomb was an interesting experience. She was worried since I’m an American, but I think it’s a fascinating story and I’m glad she shared it with us. Even though we’ve been to the dome, and seen the museum, it still makes it much more real to meet someone who actually experienced the bomb first hand.

This evening Mr. Kanou made our day when he took Risa and I out to catch firefly’s by the river! Oregon doesn’t have any firefly’s, so I was pretty excited. We took a net and a jar and walked around the neighborhood singing the Firefly song. “Ho-ho-hotaru koi! Atchi no mizu wa nigaizo! Kotchi no mizu wa amai zo! Ho-ho-hotaru koi!” The song is simple. “Come here firefly! That water is bitter! This water is sweet! Come here firefly!”

Firefly’s are really cool. Walking by a river filled with them is amazing. It’s a lot like floating Christmas lights. Catching them is also a blast. Using the net on the end of a long stick to grab one that’s flying is very gratifying. Mr Kanou was a great guide. He was like a big kid, climbing down to the river level then getting down on his knees to reach some hard to get firefly’s. He grew up here, so he has been catching them in this area for like 50 years. He’s a pro.