From March 25 to 27, 2017, 8 students and a supervising teacher from the University of Hawaii came to Hiroshima University for Peace Studies.

On the first day, the visiting students met and forged friendships with HU students, who would later join them in their scheduled exchange activities.

On the second day they visited Miyajima together with Mr. Takao Momo, (a graduate of HU School of Letters, Philosophy), an expert on Miyajima. As the students toured the island, which was bustling with people due to the Kiyomori festival, Mr. Momo explained the island’s history and culture, and the students were able to experience Miyajima’s unique charm.

On the following day they gained a better understanding of Hiroshima through Associate Professor Michio Komiyama’s lecture “The History and Culture of Hiroshima”, followed by a Peace Study Program in Hiroshima City. At the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, Mr. Shuichi Kato, vice-head of the museum, briefed them on the highlights of the exhibits before they were able to freely observe the exhibition room.

After that, they listened to the testimony of Mr. Mitsuo Kodama, a graduate of HU Faculty of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry (the current School of Applied Biological Science) in the museum hall. Mr. Kodama survived the atomic bomb attack when he was a first grader in Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Daiichi Junior High School (the predecessor of Hiroshima Prefectural Hiroshima Kokutaiji Senior High School). He talked about his experience then and the after-effects of the radiation. As they listened to the testimonies, the students tried to imagine the actual condition of the bombing, and at the same time  gained awareness that the incident should not be forgotten as a mere problem of the past.

Students from University of Hawaii concluded their Peace Studies Program with the dedication of the orizuru (paper cranes) they had brought all the way from Hawaii. Some of the participants from the University of Hawaii were greatly impressed with Hiroshima and expressed their hopes to come back and work in Japan in the future.