Anniversary of the Bombing of Nagasaki

Today is the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki. Baba is from Nagasaki, but was not there that day. She was in Tokyo and her family had escaped to the mountains.

This is the season of o-bon. It is a time when the spirits of the dead return to visit their relatives. It is common for the living to visit relatives and their hometowns, too. Big Sister, Little Brother, and I are usually visiting family in the United States in August. This year we are here.

I bought flowers for the family altar. These are white and yellow chrysanthemums with a red carnation. This is the usual combination sold for the family altar. Every flower shop has at least one bucket full of pre-packaged bouquets like this one.

Kids Web Japan-- anniversaries of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Kids Web Japan-- o-bon

Click on the labels below, too, for more posts.

Anniversary of the Japanese Surrender in WWII

August 15th is the anniversary of the Japanese surrender in World War II. It was the end of World War II in the Pacific. This year marks the 62nd anniversary.

There is always a controversy about the Prime Minister visiting Yasukuni Shrine, the war shrine, to pay respect for deceased soldiers. The current Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, chose not to visit it. Instead, he paid respect for the war dead at Chidorigafuchi Senbotsusha Boen (千鳥ヶ淵戦没者墓苑), a cemetery near the Imperial Palace.

article on Real Time

In Memoriam

1000 cranes are made and placed at the peace memorials in Nagasaki (August 9) and Hiroshima ( August 6) to commemorate the loss of life there. Today was the 62nd anniversary.

In Memoriam

1000 cranes are made and placed at the peace memorials in Hiroshima (August 6) and Nagasaki (August 9) to commemorate the loss of life there. This year marks the 62nd anniversary.

In Honor of Lady Bird Johnson

I have posted this picture in honor of Lady Bird Johnson, who passed away on Wednesday afternoon, June 11th, Texas time. Our rose bushes didn't do very well this year. This rose bush is still blooming. Lady Bird Johnson has a bright orange rose named for her. There are yellow tulips planted at the White House that bear her name.

I was in elementary school when she and her husband were in the White House. She is best known for her work in planting and preserving species of wildflowers in Texas. I remember vast expanses of wildflowers and bluebonnets, our state flower, along the highways.

I'd always wanted to have a field of wildflowers in my hometown. I've ended up in Tokyo taking care of the garden work I inherited from great-grandfather and grandfather. I've heard that my hometown in Texas has fields of wildflowers in the spring. We always miss the blooms because we only visit in the summer.

Lady Bird Johnson will be missed by many. Hopefully, her work and inspiration will live on. It has in me. In my children, too.


Check
Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How A First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt

Death Anniversaries

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago. I am posting it today for the memorial of Great-grandmother and Great-grandfather. He loved flowers. He passed away 13 years ago. I knew him, but never met his wife. She passed away 27 years ago.

We left the house early today to go to their memorial. We went to the Buddhist pastor's house. It also serves as a doujou (both "o"s are long) or meeting place. Baba kept using that word today when talking about going to the pastor's house. Groups or families go there to pray or hold memorials. I didn't take pictures there. It wasn't because they wouldn't let me. I didn't ask. Maybe I will go back someday to take pictures and ask questions.

During the memorial, we sat on the floor on our shins. Everyone chanted. It took a long time! It was really painful for everyone to sit like that. Some of the older aunts sat on very low chairs. After the chanting, tea and cakes and cookies were served.

When it was time to go, Little Brother jumped up, headed for the door, and said, "Quick, Mom, before someone takes your shoes by mistake!" He almost knocked down a few old aunties.

As you might remember from a summer post, my shoes were taken by mistake while we were touring a thatched-roof house. I told him not to worry. Everyone there was family.

We all went to a restaurant. That is the custom after a funeral or memorial. We have a meal in honor of the deceased. At the restaurant, there was a clerk to take our shoes from us. She clipped a number on one of our shoes and then gave us a plastic disc with the same number on it. There was a sign that apologized. The sign said there were many incidents of people taking the wrong shoes by mistake. It also said that shoes have a memory, so please be careful to take your own shoes.

By the way, we didn't go to the cemetery, but we threw salt on one another when we got home. That is a custom. The salt makes spirits go away if they follow you home from the cemetery or memorial.

For some reason, this picture was printed twice so I will leave it. I think this is a Painted Lady.

O-bon

O-bon is a time when Japanese return to their hometowns. It is also a time when deceased relatives or ancestors return. Some people put lanterns outside their homes or inside their homes near the butsudan or family altar to guide them.




Baba and Aunt have a lantern that sits on the floor like the ones in these pictures. It has a painting of a peacock on it. The light spins around on the inside of the lantern. It was used when great grandfather passed away. When Jiji passed away three years ago, the lantern was set up downstairs. It is set up for the anniversary of his death. Baba and Aunt didn't take it out for o-bon though.

I took these pictures at a department store. The clerk said it was okay. Baba didn't think it was a good idea to take a picture of theirs.

For more information about o-bon check Kids Web Japan in the links section.

Flowers for the Family Altar

Later, I went out to the grocery store and bought these flowers for the anniversary of Jiji's death. It was yesterday and I wasn't able to buy them. Flower shops and grocery stores sell these bouquets for the home altar. They sell them daily year round. O-bon, the return of ancestors, is coming up and they are selling out. The bouquets are usually chrysanthemums, but these include summer flowers like dahlias and daisies. I'll tell you more about obon later.