The Success of an Elementary School Student and Volunteer Guide ～Peace Through the Eyes of an 11-Year-Old～
Peace Memorial Park was built to commemorate those who lost their lives to the atomic bomb and to pray for permanent world peace. In the hopes of participating in activities that promote peace, countless volunteers serve as guides for the many people who visit this park from Japan and overseas. Among these volunteer guides is Sasaki Shun, a fifth -grade student (at the time of the interview) who offers guided tours in English. He says that he began serving as a guide around the time he was in second grade.
He first took an interest in Peace Memorial Park when he was in first grade. While visiting the city center of Hiroshima, he saw Hiroshima Peace Memorial and asked his mother why the building was left standing despite its heavily battered appearance. His mother responded, “Then why don’t we go find out together?” This is what led to him gaining a deep knowledge of the history of the bombing and recovery of Hiroshima.
Having entertained himself with English learning materials for infants even before his first birthday, Shun had gained mastery over the English language to the point where he could hold casual conversations around the time he turned five. He has had a proactive personality since his younger days, as demonstrated by the fact that he would approach and start conversations with foreigners he came across while out and about. In his own words, Shun felt that, “I want to share with tourists who visit Hiroshima the history of Hiroshima that I have learned.” Another sentiment he expressed was, “I want to try communicating more with people from overseas.” Accordingly, her mother is said to have suggested to him, “Then why don’t you try serving as a guide in Peace Memorial Park, where many people come to visit?”
Guiding overseas tourists around Peace Memorial Park using handmade documents
When he first started, his activities as a guide were an extension of his casual conversations with foreigners. He says that he would go on to explain the background behind Peace Memorial Park and the Memorial Cenotaph after beginning with trivial questions such as, “What did you come to see in Hiroshima?” He walks around holding a notebook emblazoned with “Free Guided Tour by a Kid” in large letters, along with documents that he gathered himself. Not only does he explain the history of Hiroshima and Peace Memorial Park, he also encourages people to think about peace as an issue that affects them personally by speaking about the life of his great-grandmother, who was a victim of the atomic bomb. Ever since he began these activities, he visits Peace Memorial Park roughly twice a month and offers guided tours to at least five groups during each visit.
He says that the origami cranes that he folds himself are received with great joy as gifts to the foreigners he gives guided tours to
Shun says that there have been foreigners who are very impressed and moved by his activities, with some giving him a group hug or offering him words of praise such as, “What you are doing is truly wonderful.” The cap and training bib that he wears as his uniform while serving as a guide are covered with messages of gratitude and support written by these overseas visitors. This uniform was supplied by the distributor of the English learning materials, and perhaps because foreign tourists are able to recognize him more easily as a volunteer guide, Shun says that he has received more requests for guided tours since he started wearing it.
His training bib is completely covered with messages from tourists who joined his guided tour
Shun explained, “Moving forward, I might become busy with studying and club activities for school, but I would like to continue these activities for as long as I can.” When asked for his thoughts about peace, Shun responded, “I believe that wars are started in the first place due to an unwillingness to seek mutual understanding or accept the opinions of others. I myself want to be able to accept anybody’s personality and am convinced that the world would become a more peaceful and wonderful place if everybody could do the same.”
Furthermore, he touched on the fact that Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2024 by mentioning, “I would be happy if this could lead to nuclear disarmament.” He passionately explained, “As I discovered new historical facts and conducted research on things I could not answer when asked questions while continuing to offer guided tours, I was struck again by how many people have been killed and forced to suffer by wars. I believe that war is something that truly must be eradicated, as it consumes massive amounts of time and money just to kill large numbers of people in the end. I cannot comprehend at all why wars take place.”
Shun said with a firm gaze, “War is something that must be eradicated.” As adults who have tread this path before him, perhaps we must think more seriously about the sentiment that he has expressed through these words.
