− Hiroshima Weekly −
Obuchi First
When the Prime Minister, Mr. Keizo Obuchi, visited Hiroshima to attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony, he also visited the Monument for Korean A-Bomb Victims, which had been newly transferred inside the Peace Park from its old position on the other side of the Honkawa river. The Prime Minister arrived at the Peace Park by car shortly after midday, accompanied by Mr. Tadatoshi Akiba, the Mayor of Hiroshima. He read the inscription, offered some flowers and stood with head bowed for a few seconds. His sudden appearance caused some surprise to the people who were in the vicinity, but his visit greatly pleased Korean residents in Hiroshima. Mr. Obuchi was the first Japanese prime minister to visit the monument since it was built in 1970.
English Guide Book
If Mr. Obuchi had been an English tourist, he would have needed a guidebook to the Peace Park and a local group have recently supplied this need. HIP is short for Hiroshima Interpreters for Peace and the 35-member group have produced a 20-page A4 size booklet with Japanese and English on facing pages. The Guide to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park covers the Peace Museum, the A-Bomb Dome, and 15 monuments inside the park. It also gives information on wheelchair access and the whereabouts of shops and toilet facilities. The guide costs \300 and can be obtained by calling HIP on (082) 845-6565.
A-Bomb Earrings
A set of earrings on sale at the US National Atomic Museum, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has caused some anger here in Japan. The earrings are miniatures of Little Boy and Fat Man, the nicknames for the two atomic weapons which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively. The jewellery was apparently advertised on the museum's Internet Home Page at the end of July. On the grounds that the earrings are in grossly bad taste, antinuclear groups have asked the US and Japanese governments to bring pressure to bear to stop the sale.
Monumental Preservation
Late last month, Hiroshima City announced a plan for the permanent preservation of the Atomic Bomb Dome in its damaged state. The Dome is both a World Heritage Site and a national monument and this is the first case in Japan of a building being preserved in a damaged state. The fact that the structure is damaged is the main reason for its decay, since it is open to the elements, and also the main reason for the need to stop any further deterioration.
旬どころ ごはん屋さん
The name of this restaurant, which is situated in Miyauchi, Hatsukaichi, is quite straightforward. Shun dokoro gohanya san is a 'food shop serving food in the right season'. There are 13 set meals (teishoku) to choose from, including saba no shioyaki T. (cooked salted makerel), tori no kara-age T. (fried chicken), both costing \700, and for \780 yakiniku T. (cooked meat). The chef's special menu is gohanyasan T., with tempura (\980). There is also a separate evening menu.
Tel. (0829) 38-3033.
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inscription 碑文
offer 捧げる
in the vicinity 周囲に
short for ... 〜の省略形、略語
respectively それぞれ
on the ground that... 〜という理由で
preservation 保存
decay 腐食
open to... 〜を受ける、さらされる
the elements 風雨
deterioration 悪化、劣化
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「小渕首相が初訪問」
小渕恵三首相は、平和記念式典に出席するため広島を訪れた際、本川対岸から平和記念公園内に移設されたばかりの韓国人原爆犠牲者慰霊碑にも訪問した。首相は正午すぎ、秋葉忠利広島市長らとともに、車で平和記念公園に到着。碑銘を読んだ後、献花して数秒間頭を下げた。首相が突然現れ、碑の周辺にいた人たちを驚かせたが、広島在住の韓国人は非常に喜んでいた。小渕氏は、慰霊碑が１９７０年に建てられて以来、初めて訪れた首相だ。
「英語のガイドブック」
小渕首相が英語を話す外国人だったら、平和記念公園のガイドブックが必要だっただろう。地元の市民グループがこのほど、このようなニーズにこたえてくれました。ＨＩＰは「平和のためのヒロシマ通訳者グループ」の略語で、メンバー35人が、英語と日本語併記のＡ４版、20ページのガイド冊子を作製した。「The Guideto Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park（広島平和記念公園案内テキスト）」は原爆資料館や原爆ドームをはじめ、公園内の１５カ所を取り上げている。売店やトイレの場所、車いす利用者に配慮した情報も盛り込まれている。ガイドの定価は３００円、購入の問い合わせはＨＩＰ：電話０８２（８４５）６５６５。
「原爆ピアス」
米国ニューメキシコ州アルバカーキの国立原子博物館で販売されているピアスが、日本で波紋を投じている。ピアスは広島と長崎でそれぞれ投下された、原子爆弾「リトルボーイ」と「ファットマン」をかたどったもの。７月末、同博物館のホームページに宣伝されたようだ。反核団体は、道徳に反するという理由から、米国と日本政府に販売中止を求めている。
「記念碑の保存」
先月末、広島市は原爆ドームを破壊された状態で、永久保存する計画を発表した。ドームは世界遺産で国史跡でもあり、日本では破壊状態で保存される初の建造物だ。建物が傷んで風雨にさらされているのが、劣化の主な理由。また、この傷みようからして、さらなる悪化を防ぐ必要にも迫られている。
