Fantastic Japanese music with the beautiful lanterns in the foreground
Sorry the quality is a bit lousy, this is just from my 'still' camera, not the proper videocam. But it does give you the amazing music we heard on the banks of the river in Hiroshima on 6 August, at the beautiful lantern ceremony.
Actually, to call it a ceremony is sort of missing the point. It was not - unlike the peace memorial in the morning - in the least bit ceremonial, and all the better for it.
Warm night, lots of people just walking around or volunteering to help, stonking music, lanterns of light on tranquil waters... on the most significant day in Hiroshima's year, these all came together to form thoughts of peace.
In a weird, twisted way (considering the reason for creating this festival was the atomic bombing), it was the sort of event for which one would wish to avoid war in order to preserve such a thing, as it showed people at their very best.
This is my happy Japan memory, of all things, I think.
