In the previous years our Summer Camps were held at the JCCC, but this year, we have it right in at our Nursery. Many students and families regard the Ringo Class as the continuation of our tradition after they graduate, and it is nice to have the current students and the graduates together at the Nursery, and that the current students and the families can see the “Ringo Class” in action.
It also reminded me of the importance of keeping things going and continuing, in order to keep the Japanese language that the students acquired.
“Keeping the Japanese language and the tradition going in Canada”. It sounds so simple, but we all know it is not as easy as we would like it to be and knowing the complex history of the Japanese Canadians in this country, I feel that it is almost a promise that I need to keep, a promise that I made with all Japanese Canadians before me who went through all kinds of hardships.
As we all know, August, especially for Japanese Canadians, is a month that we cannot, and must not forget.
Nowadays we can easily watch Japanese programmes on television, and at this time of the year we see many WWII related programmes and footages aired. It is something that we must not forget.
65 years ago on 1945, on August 6th in Hiroshima and subsequently on August 9th in Nagasaki, the US Army dropped the Atomic Bomb, which killed approximately 140,000 civilians in Hiroshima and 74,000 civilians in Nagasaki.
Even those who survived suffered permanent disabilities and aftereffects, and many could not lead an “ordinary” life that they did prior to the bomb.
Year after year the WWII is fading in our memories.
And even now in 2010, there are wars in many parts of the world.
We Japanese, as the only country that suffered from the atrocious nuclear attack, must not let our experiences of and the lessons from the WWII be forgotten; we must continue to raise our voices for the abolition of nuclear arms, and not only of nuclear arms but to say no more war.
I think Japan must, as the only country that had the A-bombs dropped, and not only one but two, continue to tell our stories and the meaninglessness of war.
I too, would like to start from something small, something that I can do to contribute to world peace.
To realize the peace one day.
For our children, and for the children of our children, that they can live in a peaceful world…
Yukari Ikebata, Principal
August 29, 2011