The Western Japan Study Tour continues!
On Day 9, we bid farewell to our wonderful host families in Minamata and began the long journey to Hiroshima. Unfortunately, traffic jams delayed our progress, and we arrived too late to join Baikou University’s chapel hour as planned. Despite this, we received a warm welcome from ARI friends at the university, who expressed their hopes of deepening ties with ARI and sending more students in the future. After navigating additional traffic within Hiroshima, we finally arrived for dinner, ending what was a very tiring travel day.
On Day 10, we visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in the morning, where we listened to a testimony from a legacy successor. She shared the powerful message of A-bomb survivors: a hope for a world free of nuclear weapons, which exist only to be used. Participants then toured the museum and later had lunch in the peaceful surroundings of the park.
An ARI staff member guided us through the Peace Memorial Park, highlighting significant sites such as the hypocenter, the bridge, and the peace bell. At each location, a participant offered prayers on behalf of ARI for the souls of those who lost their lives. In the afternoon, participants enjoyed some free time before gathering for dinner. With this, the study portion of the WJST came to an end, marking a reflective and moving conclusion to the program.
On Day 11, we began the journey back to ARI, driving all day and stopping overnight in Nagoya at new accommodations. The next morning, we departed on the final leg of our journey, with a brief stop by the sea before continuing to ARI, where we arrived in the evening, bringing the Western Japan Study Tour to a close.
