Draga Mariko,

Kako si? Kako je Kamegoro? Nadam se da oboje uživate u ovom ljetnom vremenu. Premda čujem da je u Japanu strašno vruće u zadnje vrijeme. Puno ti hvala na linkovima o Hiroshimi i Nagasaki. Atomske bombe su užasavajuće stvari. Osobito me je šokiralo način na koji su se drugi ljudi ponašali prema ozljeđenima. Fizički deformiteti su im, mislim, bili nešto sramotno. Ali to nije nikakva isprika za ponašanje zdravih ljudi. Diskriminacija onih koji su preživjeli bombe, i slično… znaš. Stoga mi je drago da je bilo i onih koji su pomagali ozljeđenima.

Mi smo neki dan imali ogroman požar ovdje blizu Dubrovnika. Tek nakon nekoliko dana su ga uspjeli lokalizirati i ugasiti. Bilo je strašno! Došao je skroz do autoceste. I do kuća u obližnjim selima. Međutim, sad je sve u redu.

Volio bi da ste Kamegoro i ti ovdje. Išli bi na kupanje svaki dan.
Pozdravi Kamegora i piši mi brzo,

Tvoj prijatelj,
Ivan

Fire in Dubrovnik
Photo originally uploaded by kwsdurango

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Dear Ivan,

I’m sorry to say that I don’t know much about Nagasaki. I’ve visited Hiroshima and its Peace Memorial Museum twice, but never been to Nagasaki in my life. Simply because Nagasaki is further away from here, I suppose. But the two cities are equally present in my thoughts especially in August each year.

Hopefully these documents will help you understand what happened in Nagasaki in that August of 1945 and after that.

Testimonies of the Atomic Bombs Survivors:
http://www.nagasaki-np.co.jp/peace…(1)
http://www.nagasaki-np.co.jp/peace…(2)
http://www.nagasaki-np.co.jp/peace…(3)

Those people know what a weapon of mass destruction is truly like. Nowhere in the world is quite safe these days; too many nuclear weapons have been spread, and who knows that you’ll never suffer from one? I think it’s ironic that the country who first created and used atomic bombs is now in great danger of getting one dropped on themselves. I’m praying it won’t happen, because children and innocent people never deserve to be put into a hell by human hands. You see, weapons of mass destruction won’t make you win in the long term. No place should suffer like Hiroshima and Nagasaki again…

Oh Ivan, I should be going to pick up Kamegoro from the beach. Tell everyone I said hello!

Your friend,
Mariko

Nagasaki, Japan (1945)
Photo originally uploaded by Wikimedia Commons

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Hvala ti na pismu, Mariko! Razmišljao sam o Hiroshimi, cijeli dan Kolovoza 6-tog. Da li znaš mnogo i o Nagasaki također? Neum je jedini obalni grad u Bosni i Hercegovini. Mnogo ljudi iz Bosne ide tamo na ljetne godišnje odmore, zbog mora. Čini se da Hrvati iz BiH (skraćeno za Bosna i Hercegovina) radije idu na hrvatske obale.

Spremamo se ići na plažu! Svi te pozdravljaju. Piši mi brzo.

Tvoj prijatelj,
Ivan

IMG_0021
Photo originally uploaded by m123m123

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Dear Ivan,

Thank you for the postcards from Neum! I’m sorry it took us a while to write back. We were both excited to receive them from you. Aquamail is nice, you know, but it’s great to get airmails as well! Your postage stamps look so pretty.

Today is August 6, the day the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima 62 years ago. Have you seen this famous photograph? It was taken by Yoshito Matsushige. I saw him on a TV show years ago, talking about his pictures. He said that the things hanging down from people’s arms were not their clothes but actually their burnt skin melting off. Lots of people were walking with their arms held in front of them. I suppose it would be too painful otherwise…

My cousins and I are going to a store now to buy some ice cream. It’s so hot today! Write back soon and tell us more about Neum.

Your friend in sweat,
Mariko

suffering
Photo originally uploaded by monkeyc.net.

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