- The inscription on the stone block under the monument reads:
"This is our cry. This is our prayer.
For building peace in this world."
On the surface of the bell hung inside the monument, the phrases
"A Thousand Paper Cranes"
and
"Peace on Earth and in the Heavens" -
Born from the horrific events of August 6th 1945, something beautiful rose from the razed ground: walking throughout the peace parks in Hiroshima, everywhere you turn are displays of thousands upon thousands of multicoloured paper cranes, launched in the name of peace and of harmony, most from Japan, many from foreigners and schools and day to day visitors.
As part of my ongoing gratitude to Japan, and as a marker to myself, I'm going to be launching my own crane every day during my stay here, each dated with a thank you note. I may not make it to one thousand (according to Japanese legend, the creation of a thousand paper cranes will grant the maker one wish), and maybe my gesture will never be enough to this country, but if someone picks up just one of these cranes and sees it as something more than simple littering, then that's a smile on one person's face. And that's good enough for me.
Day 1: Hiroshima - Children's Peace Monument
Day 2: Osaka - Umeda Sky Building
Day 3: Tokyo - Starbucks in Shinjuku
