30th September, 2024

Peace

A thought for your day, with my good wishes …

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it.

And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.

― Eleanor Roosevelt

When planning travel, anticipation can be half the fun. It’s a bonus when your experiences, once you reach your destination, meet your expectations. We travelled to Japan this spring, and our experience surpassed all hopes I had for this journey.

We spent time in Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara and Hiroshima. I fell hard and happily for Ueno Park, and we enjoyed the wisteria, roses and more in the gardens of Ashikaga Flower Park, a train ride away from Tokyo. With our Japan Rail passes, we also saw Mount Fuji from bullet trains while crossing the country.

The country captured me so thoroughly that I’ll be back next spring. In the interim, and with thoughts of peace in mind, this post begins with images and videos from Hiroshima, which struck a place in my heart.

Koshikio is the lady in this photo. Our family had spent time the previous day in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park, which would touch all but the hardest hearts.

I was so moved by the monuments and the feel of this beautiful site that I left our hotel room early the next morning to walk through the park before people began to fill it. You’ll see more of the park, Hiroshima and Miyajma (and one aggressive deer!) in the videos below.

I had seen and touched the Peace Bell the previous day, yet there’s no way Koshiko could have known that. At her initiative, we spent almost a quarter of an hour together as we walked through the park while Koshkio – as well as wanting to learn a bit about me – told me about the park and her city.

While in Hiroshima, we went to nearby Miyajima, which is also known as Itsukushima and as Deer Island. Many in Japan consider deer sacred, and you’ll see them roaming freely in Miyajima – which is across Hiroshima Bay from the city itself – as well as Nara and elsewhere.

Read and learn about Sadako Sasaki, the best known of the Japanese children honoured with this monument, and all the origami cranes she made in pursuit of her wish for an end to nuclear weapons. In this video, you’ll also see cases of origami cranes made by children around the world in tribute to this young girl and her aspirations.

WHILE YOU’RE HERE, AND BEFORE OR AFTER ENJOYING THESE VIDEOS, You’ll want to check out something new I have coming your way …

I’ll soon be launching something special for people who love to learn and perform at a high level. Click here for an advance look at EA Accelerator (EAA) and EA Governance Accelerator (EAGA). You choose which on demand and live learning subscription suits you and your career.

If you’d like to see more of my photography and videos, click here for my Instagram feed or here to follow my travels on YouTube. For the next while on IG, I’m continuing to concentrate on stories (simply click on my headshot within IG to see the stories) rather than posts, and you’ll see plenty of uplifting images from home and afar.

Images © 2024 Shelagh Donnelly. All rights reserved.