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Ann Van Hine
a book bubble about
Pieces Falling
Biographies & Memoirs
Author Insight
Japan - foreign but familiar
Five years ago at this time I was in Hiroshima, Japan with friends. We had added a few days before our scheduled 9/11 to 3/11 outreach trip to visit Hiroshima. Our band of four travelers were planners by nature so we had reached out to a translator friend to accompany us, scheduled a tour of the Peace Park/Museum and even been able to arrange a private meeting with a survivor. We arrived ready to learn and experience the unimaginable except our translator couldn't get to Hiroshima because of rain and more rain that lead to flooding. But we were determined so we bought those clear tourist raincoats for over our regular raincoats, we did the walking tour in the pouring rain, visited with the survivor and basically figured it out as we muddled through. To quote my friend, Jeanette "to spend a joyous time with friends in such a historically horrifying space that is now peaceful is one of the highlights of my life's adventure." I couldn't have said it better myself.
Book Excerpt
Pieces Falling
"Mom,” Emily said excitedly, “most people don’t get their once–in–a–lifetime trip twice!”
I had to agree.
In July 2014 I was invited for the second time to join an outreach to Japan sponsored by United States - Japan Foundation, Mount Sinai Hospital, Japan Society, and Tribute Center. The first of these annual outreaches had taken place in 2012.
The outreaches had begun in response to the tremendous suffering caused by the Great East Japan tsunami, earthquake, and nuclear disaster of March 11, 2011. The Tohoku earthquake had triggered the tsunami that had destroyed entire villages and caused the loss of many lives. And miles away, the tsunami caused the meltdown of the reactor at Fukushima nuclear power plant, which led to mass evacuations. Those evacuees still had their homes but due to radiation levels couldn’t live there.
The concept of the outreaches was simple: the survivors of 9/11 bringing hope to the survivors of 3/11.
The Tribute Center’s connection to Japan went back to 2007 when Japan showed their support by donating 10,000 paper cranes to the newly opened Tribute Center.
The inspiration for the cranes had come from the true story of a twelve–year–old girl who had leukemia due to radiation exposure after the Hiroshima bombing. Shortly before her death in 1955, Sadako set a goal of folding a thousand paper cranes as a way to cope with her illness and share her hope for peace with those around her.
In 2007, among the 10,000 origami cranes donated to the Tribute Center was one red paper crane folded by Sadako and donated by her brother, Masahiro Saski.
After the earthquake in March of 2011, the Tribute Center donated a Sadako–style crane made from World Trade Center steel to Japan. Tribute Center docents, Mount Sinai doctors, and Rotary Club members traveled to Japan to deliver the crane. The Soaring Crane was installed in Kaisezan Park, Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture. Mounted on a beautiful marble pedestal, the crane was positioned to face toward New York.
During that trip, the docents, doctors, and Rotary Club members visited schools, temporary housing facilities, mental health programs, and other gatherings with a message of support and hope.
It was the first of what would become an annual outreach.
At the time of this writing, I’ve been invited to go on four of these trips—and counting.
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