A Visit from Okinawa Kai

August 7, 2026September 24, 2026Leave a comment

From the Program Director: Our final program of the summer was a real treat for all our students. On Tuesday, August 4, Japan in DC for the first time welcomed members of Okinawa Kai of Washington, DC, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the beautiful traditions of Okinawa and increasing understanding of the Okinawa culture. The group’s large membership consists of a diverse group – many from Okinawa; others 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation Okinawan; and still others who aren’t Okinawan but simply love Okinawan history and culture.

Our guests for this program were Akiko Clifford, Vice President; Eriko Meneses, and Anne Statland. Akiko-san and Eriko-san presented engaging information on the unique history and culture of Okinawa. We learned about the devastating Battle of Okinawa in 1945 that killed over 200,000 Americans and Okinawans, both military and civilian, and we learned about how this tragedy is remembered today, through “IREI NO HI” (Okinawa Memorial Day) and Peace Education Month commemorated in June in Okinawan schools. Anne-san, an American whose parents arrived in Okinawa one year after the end of the war, and who was born a few years later in 1949, shared personal memories from her childhood in Okinawa. Many tears were shed during this memorable presentation. Then the fun began with a workshop creating origami cranes and Akiko-san played the sanshin, a traditional Okinawan three stringed instrument, similar to a banjo. Very special thanks to Kristen Luck, from the Okinawa Collection and Japan Resource Center at George Washington University, and Lisa Ball from Okinawa Kai for helping to arrange this very special visit.

We invite you to read our students’ personal reflections below.

Honesti:
The Okinawa Kai visit was a wonderful experience that I loved. The speakers – Anne, Eriko, and Akiko – were so sweet and lively during the visit. It was so lively throughout except for when they talked about the battle of Okinawa. It shocked me for how easy it was for these kids after the war to be able to go to the caves on the war site and find bullets or other remnants from the battle. That made me feel so hurt for the people involved and all of the lives lost. The video with the song from the elementary kids was so heartwarming and sweet, especially hearing that most of them had grandparents who lived through that time and how much the kids felt for them. Afterwards at the presentation, being taught how to make cranes was so fun even if I struggled with it. It makes me want to know more origami besides just cranes.

Lauren:
The short video of elementary school kids singing peace songs made the biggest impact on me. Watching the video made me feel bad but made me realize these kids have so much empathy. There were two kids crying about their great grandmother’s siblings. I admire their empathy and sadness for someone they never had the chance to meet in life. A life lesson I would take away is to always advocate for peace.

Aston:
The part of the program with the biggest impact on me was Anne’s story because of how emotional it was. I felt curious to learn more about Okinawa. Life lesson: Keep your family close even during hard times.

Blessing:
The biggest impact was the music that the kids sing. It was so emotional and had so much impact. I feel so sad about the kids who lost their parents and brother because of the bombs during World War II. I learned about the musical instrument made with a snake – the sanshin. Life lessons: Make people feel better after the storms. Find something to bring people together to feel better and find peace.

Zaevior:
Learning about the song that Okinawan kids sing on the Japanese Memorial Day from Eriko left a mark on me. In America, there is no real “ritual” we have for Memorial Day. During this visit I felt a slight sense of unease learning about the Okinawa war, since one of the images depicted was a young child waving a white flag. This relates slightly to Iwo Jima, another battle fought in Japan by American and Japanese forces.

A lesson to be taken away is to make sure you remember the past and those who fought for you.

Morgan:
The biggest impact of the presentation to me was the song of peace that a teacher from Okinawa composed 20 years ago. Its message of peace not only spread through schools in Okinawa, but also all over the country. That was also a very fun presentation. The sanshin performance was very beautiful. I learned how to fold a paper crane. It was certainly not easy. Also, I learned that folding 1,000 of them allows for your heart’s desires to come true, and that the crane is a great symbol for peace. Also June is recognized as Peace Education Month in Okinawa.

Life lesson: Spread the message of peace so that the world may not know war.

Kiya:
The parts that had the biggest impact on me were about the film mainly. Mostly because of seeing the kids cry and talk about how war affected them. I can kinda relate to it. Also I loved the crane origami workshop. I learned that kids in school learn a peace song to remember the day of the finishing of the war as a sign of peace. The message I always take away from programs like this is violence is never the answer.

Madisen:
The Okinawa school children singing about peace and crying for their grandparents impacted me the most because despite not being present in the war they still mourn for their family. I find it heartwarming that at such a young age they are able to understand complex ideas and understand the significance of peace. I noticed that for a lot of the Okinawa Kai members, talking about the war on Okinawa is very emotional for them. However, the presenters seemed happy to teach us about Okinawan culture and the events that they had to honor it.

A life lesson I would take away from the Okinawa Kai presentation is to preserve the stories of the past to always choose peace.

Pippa:
I think it was nice how we got to learn about Okinawa in different ways, first with the informational slide show, then the videos about war, and then first hand experience from Anne-san. It gave us a comprehensive view of Okinawa. Learning about the war in Okinawa showed that war affected many different people in Japan, not just Hiroshima/Nagasaki. What made the greatest impact on me was the video they showed about the kids singing in honor of peace. I was stricken by how even though they hadn’t experienced war themselves, they were very passionate about carrying the message of peace. Also when the little girls started crying when talking about their grandparents/relatives that had died, the fact that they still cared so much about more distant relatives was very touching.

Life lesson: Never forget or stop caring about the past.

Demetris:
I enjoyed how the speakers from Okinawa Kai explained the history of their nation and people and how different major things were made in Okinawa, like karate, and eisa, a dance that celebrates and honors ancestors during the Obon festival, as well as having the most long living people in the world. I also learned that the Battle of Okinawa, which didn’t end until June 23, 1945, had about 200,000 lives lost (a mix of US & Japanese soldiers and Okinawan people).

Jaylen:
The part that made the biggest impact on me was the crane making because now that I learned once, I can do it 1,000 more times and if I do, I hopefully get my heart’s desire. I observed that a lot of people need to be a lot more zen because they were getting mad at a piece of paper.

Finding Inspiration at All Souls Church

July 17, 2026September 23, 2026Leave a comment

NOTE FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR: A visit to All Souls Church Unitarian on 16th Street, at the intersection of Mt. Pleasant, Adams Morgan, and Columbia Heights, is the experience we look forward to in each Japan in DC program. All Souls is a historic DC church with a strong social justice tradition. After World War II, the children of All Souls collected art supplies to send to the surviving children of an elementary school in Hiroshima, Japan, devastated by the atomic bomb dropped on their city by the United States. This gesture of support from the All Souls community was reciprocated when they much later and unexpectedly received a box of children’s drawings from these same children as a gesture of appreciation. During our visit on July 14 our students were able to view this extraordinary exhibit of Hiroshima Children’s Drawings. We were welcomed by Rev. Rob Keithan, Charles Wooldridge, and peace activist Mel Hardy who shared information on the church, the history of this project, and the church’s ongoing Heiwa Peace Project.

This incredible history is documented in the film Pictures from a Hiroshima Schoolyard, which our students watched the day before our visit to the church. You can find the film streaming on a number of platforms. We highly recommend it.

We were also joined by Karl Tan, a Public Affairs Officer at the Embassy of Japan, who spoke to our group over lunch about his experiences as a JET teacher in Nagasaki, as well as his own interest in Japan and career trajectory.

Here are some of our students’ reflections on the visit:

Kiya:
The biggest impact was how kids have so much imagination. Also the impact kids can have to bring two nations together even though they were in deep hatred with each other. My feeling mainly was how much I loved that the church is doing their best to preserve the memory and the history of the beginning of the peace between Japan and America. The lesson I learned was that after a fight you don’t have to hate that person after. Happiness and peace is always a choice and it’s a matter of if you choose it or not.

Demetris:
I felt a lot of an old feeling, not because we were in a church, but because it seemed old with a lot of historic things inside and it was really quiet too, so it made it more peaceful than anything. The part of the program that had a big impact on me was that All Souls Church had the drawings of kids’ artwork from Hiroshima, Japan but not only that. It was mostly on how old and how long ago it was, mostly how the drawings were made only two years after the bombs but somehow were full of color and talent. It showed the optimism of the kids and we can learn from this by seeing even in time of despair we can still see the beauty in what life has given to you.

Life lesson: “Even after devastation, they chose to see beauty in life and create it for others to see.”

Kamaya:
Seeing all the kids’ drawings made it emotional to know that the kids still had the creativity. Visiting all Souls Church taught me that there are worship communities that do so much.

Madison:
Seeing the drawings of the Japanese boys and girls in Hiroshima was the most important to me because of the nature of the art pieces. Despite facing a traumatizing experience and losing their homes and all their connections and belongings, the drawings these children drew were not negative and gloomy, but bright and colorful. This shocked me, especially with how grateful they were when receiving colored pencils from the country who bombed them and sending gifts back to the church. I enjoyed seeing the drawings of the children. Not only were they beautiful and well drawn, but they are artifacts from real people. Aside from the drawings, I enjoyed hearing about the church’s history and what they do to honor it.

A valuable lesson that could be taken from the visit is to help others no matter who they are, and you shall be rewarded.

Zaevior:
At the All Souls Church, the biggest impact for me came from the Hiroshima children’s drawings in the basement. Knowing those drawings came from preteens following their homes being bombed breaks my heart. Before going to the Church, we watched a film about it. In the film, we learned that the church had created a Heiwa Peace Project to help after the war. After the visit, an idea that stuck with me was that art can tell many stories.

Lauren:
The thing that made the biggest impact on me was seeing how the kids were able to make such happy drawings full of color after a tragedy. This impacted me deeply because I could never imagine drawing such things after losing loved ones. The visit to the church felt so wholesome because Honkawa didn’t have to send anything back after receiving the supplies from All Souls, but instead of sending a thank you card they sent beautiful drawings which shows how kind Honkawa Elementary was to a nation that killed so many of their people.

A life lesson I would take away is to not let anything dim your happiness and kindness.

Aston:
The most impactful part of the program to me would be the pictures that the kids made since they could show how life was for them or even a symbolic reflection of their current life situation. I felt amazed because of their artistic abilities.

DeVonte:
The part that surprised me the most was how the paintings weren’t bad, like they showed colorful and heartwarming paintings. They didn’t show war and the chaos that just happened. I didn’t even know that a school survived and their kids drew amazing paintings that leave an impact on the world. It shows how, because of something, it didn’t affect the peoples’ minds. They could still find a way to have fun.

Christian:
The biggest impact left on me was the pictures. How they weren’t war kids’ pictures but instead colorful, bright, and of people in places stuck in time. It made me feel a great sense of calm and impressed. I liked how much history and things were inside the Church – from Austrian organs to the Japanese kids’ pictures.

Life lesson: Colors make everything better.

Blessing:
The part of the program that made a big impact on me were the children who were innocent but had to face something so terrible. So young and beautiful. All of this because of the bombs that killed their family and their home. That’s not a good thing to do to children so innocent because of their parents. I feel so bad for the baby who died on the back of his brother. That was so much pain for a kid to lose his brother so young. This experience is related to all of the things that all countries cause each other. There are people who did not even talk but yet were killed just like that.

The life lesson is to not try to fight someone who has more power than yours or you could lose your family and your peace on one day, and also learn how to rebuild what has been destroyed.

Honesti:
The program left an impact on me because of how colorful and vibrant they were able to make their drawings despite the things they saw and lived through. I was deeply hurt after the bombing and how they progressed through the horrible situation they were in. I love how they were able to visualize things in such a beautiful light even through the mess and destruction of their Hiroshima.

Jaylen:
I think the thing that stuck with me the most was the fact that the children still remembered the times before the bomb, and also the fact that they could still keep moving forward after such a devastating attack, because I feel like if my whole city was bombed and thousands of people died, I would really struggle to keep on going. Also the fact that they forgave America so easily despite how devastating the attack was. Beyond the content, I noticed that people talked about the drawings and how just little kids made them, and I think that that view is not good because I feel like anyone can do anything as long as they really want it.

Pippa:
The part that had the biggest impact on me was just looking at all the kids’ art and seeing that even though they were not given any prompt about what to draw, all of them ended up drawing something related to life before the bomb or nature. It showed that in a time like this, most people’s desire was simply to return to a normal state of things and nothing more. I thought it was really nice and it was very cool to know that most of the originals had been reunited with those who made them. It helped with providing a human story to go with what we were learning about the bomb, which helped me feel the event on a deeper level.

Life lesson: Keep creating, even when in difficult situations.

Symbol of Friendship: The Cherry Blossom Tree

July 15, 2026July 26, 2026Leave a comment

By Honesti Miles

Cherry blossom trees are an important gift for many people from all across the states and the world to enjoy the beauty of, but cherry blossoms are more than just a beauty. They are a great symbol of friendship between the United States and Japan. In my opinion, cherry blossoms are a great show of growth from the tensions of the U.S. and Japan into their blooming friendship. Even after a brutal war. Before that, we need to know the story behind the trees. Who and what helped to bring these here?

Cherry blossoms were first introduced by Eliza Scidmore. Eliza was a writer and photographer who was also the first woman on the Board of Directors for the National Geographic Society. She had been to Japan before and had developed a big interest in the cherry blossom trees. Amazed by these trees, Eliza proposed the idea to the President and every Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds over two decades to get the trees into D.C. After the many denied proposals, she turned her efforts into gaining traction with the trees. Eliza went on to host a cherry blossom viewing party in 1905. By doing this, it happened to catch the eye of botanist David Fairchild.

Though Eliza was the first to actively make an impact to get cherry blossoms to the U.S., David Fairchild played a very key role in the story of the cherry blossoms. Fairchild was a pioneering American botanist and plant explorer who also grew a liking to these trees. The following year after Scidmore’s party, in 1906, Fairchild did a test of planting cherry blossoms to see their ability to survive in other soil, leading to a success. He would later go on to promote the trees and later in 1907 ordered 300 trees. Afterwards, in 1908, he would share his plans at the Franklin School in downtown D.C. He would go to give a speech at the school on Arbor Day and gifted seeds to the children to have them plant in their school yards and at Franklin Park with Mrs. Scidmore in attendance.

After the many successes of getting cherry blossoms around D.C., in 1909, Eliza decided to try to raise money to purchase and donate the trees to the city, proposing her idea to First Lady Helen Taft. Mrs. Taft had lived in Japan before and had a fondness of the idea and decided to plant them along the “speedway” near the Potomac River instead. The day after, Japanese chemist Dr. Jokichi Takamine heard of Mrs. Taft’s idea and went to help with a donation of two thousand trees with the help and approval of the Mayor of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki.

After months of shipment, the cherry trees had finally arrived on January 6, 1910. Sadly, on January 19, after a deep inspection, the trees were deemed to be infested and diseased and it was concluded they needed to be burned to protect the other trees around. Despite this unfortunate act, after the Secretary of State delivered the news to the Japanese ambassador, Mayor Ozaki and others decided to make another donation of specially selected trees and also increased the amount to 3,020! This made me feel as though they could understand and realize how and why they made this decision and not feel offended for their gift being thrown away.

After that, the trees were then planted around the Tidal Basin with the remaining going to East Potomac Park. The first few trees were planted with a ceremony with Mrs. Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador.

Only a while after the trees were mature, many photographers and artists all around were drawn to the trees. Quickly, after the news of the trees spread, it became a very popular place for people all across America to come witness the gorgeous pink hues across the trees with people of all cultures and backgrounds coming to celebrate the blossoms. In 1915, President William Howard Taft (Helen Taft’s husband) sent a gift of dogwood trees to Japan in appreciation of the generous gift of cherry blossoms to D.C..From the impact of the trees, I feel that this shows the way that the friendship of the U.S. and Japan grew bigger and improved from gift giving between them.

Cherry blossoms even had so much of an impact on the people around that even the attempt to remove some had people in protest. In 1938, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved to clear the grounds near the Tidal Basin to construct the Jefferson Memorial, people were outraged at the thought of their precious trees being removed causing people to go as far as to tie themselves to the trees to stop the removal. Ultimately, the construction crew had to resort to removing them during the dead of night as the only way to go around this roadblock. Even after the impact of World War II and the high tensions, they still continued maintenance and improving the cherry blossoms and the US’s and Japan’s unity. This had shocked me seeing how quickly friendly relationships between the U.S. and other countries can change, but I feel it just shows how much of an impact gift can make and how special the trees had become.

Not long after, in 1954, Japanese Ambassador, Sadao Iguchi, presented a 300 year old Japanese stone lantern to continue the celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the first treaty of peace between the United States and Japan. Pushing along the tight friendship between the United States and Japan with the love and appreciation of Japanese culture in the States.

Clearly as seen, cherry blossoms were a highly loved and celebrated thing in the US as well as Japan with their many Hanami festivals consisting of music, cultural performance, traditional food, artwork, etc. And just like them, we too celebrate cherry blossoms with similar tastes. One popular event is the Bloomaroo, hosted at the Wharf with many places to watch and listen to many talented artists, to enjoy painting on canvas or on faces, and of course to explore many places to catch a break to eat the wonderful food around. I myself have gone with some family of mine and have loved the fun and lively experience from going, I enjoyed getting to see how decorated everything was from buildings to street stands as well as people. I overall enjoyed how people dressed for the occasion and the welcoming atmosphere of everything.

To this day, cherry blossoms are still a highly celebrated symbol of unity between Japan and DC. Both places share the joy of celebration with this shared tree. A beautiful display of a culture exchange that can come out of friendship.