MHC Students Bound for Japan
This week, students Oscar Gorrie and Joseph McHugh joined MHC librarian Stephanie Tantau to
make cranes. Mount Hutt College students are aiming to make 1000 cranes commemorating the
81st anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Cranes are a powerful symbol
of peace, recovery, and hope for a world without nuclear weapons.
While the crane has been a Japanese symbol of longevity and healing for centuries, its connection
to Hiroshima and Nagasaki is tied to the story of a young girl named Sadako Sasaki. Sadako was
two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. Although she survived
the blast, she developed leukemia ten years later, often referred to as "atomic bomb disease”.
According to tradition, anyone who folds 1000 paper cranes will be granted a wish by the gods.
Sadako set out to fold 1000 cranes, wishing not only for her own recovery but for world peace so
that no other children would suffer from war. Sadako passed away in 1955, and her classmates
were so moved by her spirit that they campaigned for a monument. This led to the creation of the
Children’s Peace Monument in Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park.
After a long two years of planning and fundraising, the time has almost come for Oscar and Joseph,
and the rest of the small group of MHC students to head to Japan. The group will spend 19 days in
Japan in June. The trip will include homestays with Japanese families, staying with students from our sister
school Yumegaoka Junior High School, north-west of Osaka. Yumegaoka has been a sister school of MHC for
almost 20 years, and they are very excited to host us again after our successful 2024 exchange. Students
from Japan will return to stay in New Zealand later in 2026.
Highlights of the trip will be the amazing sights of Tokyo city, Mt. Fuji and Hakone, the bullet train south to
Osaka and Kyoto, paying our respects at the Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima (and seeing
the Children’s Peace Monument mentioned above), and a trip to Miyajima - a scenic island in Hiroshima
Bay, famous for its UNESCO World Heritage Itsukushima Shrine and "floating" red torii gate. Attending
school and participating in the homestay experience will also be an amazing learning opportunity.
At this time, we wish to sincerely thank the Methven Community and our families for their support during
the past two years. Look out for further updates on our trip in future issues of Snowfed.