Port of Call LAST UPDATE July 1, 2010
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May 17, 2010 Piraeus – A message of peace
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Kajiyama Takayoshi answers a question from a girl in the audience, telling her why peace should be valued.
"I saw many dead people lying on the ground." The school hall in Athens is packed with people who have come to speak with Kajiyama Takayoshi and the other Hibakusha travelling on the 69th Voyage. These survivors of the atomic bombings of Japan are travelling with Peace Boat to spread their stories around the globe as part of a worldwide campaign calling for the abolition of all nuclear weapons. Mr Kajiyama says he was just a toddler when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. "I didn't know what was happening, but suddenly everything became black in front of me, and I still remember the sound of the bombing," Mr Kajiyama says. His horrific account as a witness and victim of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 silences the audience. Mr Kajiyama is one of the few living reminders of why nuclear weapons should be banned.
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The Hibakusha gave the school dozens of paper cranes with messages of hope and peace.
The Second Opportunity School of Kalithea is for 18-80 year olds who missed out on formal education when they were children. Greek students, as well as other members of the local community, are in the crowd. "Our aim is to not only provide standard education, but also to widen our understanding about the world," says Elena Sofianon, the school's principal. "This is why this kind of discussion with atomic bomb survivors is so important," she says. The peaceful message of the Hibakusha is particularly important for those living in Athens. While Greece itself might be far from the threat of war, the capital is a volatile city which suffers from acts of severe violence. Peace Boat was forced to consider cancelling its planned stop in the port of Piraeus, next to Athens, because of riots which gripped the city just days before the 69th Voyage docked there.
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Mr Kajiyama puts up posters that explain the effect that the nuclear weapons had on civilians caught by the blast.
Mr Kajiyama's mother was at home when the bomb exploded over Hiroshima and she was badly burnt by the wave of hot air created by the blast. Thousands of injured people were bundled into trucks for treatment, many of whom died from exposure to radiation. "I think my mum was one of those who was taken and she died somewhere, I am not sure where," Mr Kajiyama says. He describes his life after the bombing to the audience, saying that it was tough because he had to work as a child to help support his family. Mr Kajiyama's father died on the battlefield, so he and his brother lived with their grandparents. Like countless others, he was orphaned when his grandparents died a few years later, but was lucky enough to be adopted.
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Greek actress Eleana Gergouli reads a few pages from the novel Flowers of Hiroshima, which is part of the school's curriculum.

The aim of the “Global Voyage for a Nuclear-free World: Peace Boat Hibakusha Project” is to spread the experiences of the survivors of the atomic bombing, and their message for nuclear abolition, with different communities throughout the globe. The 69th Voyage is Peace Boat's third Voyage for a Nuclear-Free World.

During the event in Greece, other Hibakusha travelling with Peace Boat also gave their own testimonies. All of their stories are linked by similar experiences of how their lives were devastated by the atomic bombings. Mr Kajiyama says that no country should be allowed to launch a nuclear strike against another. "The effect of the bombings continues to affect many people," he says. "These people don't know when they are going to die and are facing the fear of death continuously."
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Locals whose parents were killed during war in Europe share their stories with the Hibakusha.
Audience members are eager to use the opportunity to ask the Hibakusha many questions about their lives. "What does Hiroshima look like today, are there flowers, are people happy there?" asks Paul Zalonis, a student at the school. The Hibakusha tell him that many people who live outside of Japan are surprised that the city has been so well reconstructed. But they also say that they cannot forget the day of August 6, 1945 when the bomb was dropped. Other audience members ask what they can do as Greek people living in Greece. "I want to ask you to stand up and speak up to abolish nuclear weapons from the world," Mr Kajiyama says.