Is This The Home I Had Been Dreaming Of Coming Back To For So Long?

My family moved to Manchuria when I was five years old. Until then I had been living in Urakami which was a very beautiful town, like a dreamland. There was glass of five colors, such as red and blue, sparkling on the windows of the high red cathedral. Every day we could hear the beautiful sound of the bell. On Sundays we went to worship with white veils. On holidays we used to have a big dinner.

The town of Manchuria was also beautiful. All of the houses were made of concrete, and there were asphalt streets running in a grid. There were beautiful avenues of willows and acacias, and at night they looked even more beautiful under the light of the street lamps. There were also many parks in the town. Around the town there was a vast plain as far as the eye could see, and it made me feel good. I cannot express in words how beautiful it was when the evening sun, losing its light, hid itself as a red circle after a day's journey. In June we began swim in the pool and we got sunburned. The water was so cold and tasted good. In winter it was so cold that the water froze within five minutes to become a nice skating rink. I would never forget how I enjoyed skating on it. It was tun to see people fall down and then keep sliding without standing up again.

The war was over! When I heard the news I felt that I was having a nightmare. Hadn't it been said that the Japanese would fight to the last soldier? In Manchuria we had never felt the atmosphere of Japanese fighting. Since the end of the war the Manchurians changed their attitude toward Japanese people. The Russian soldiers came into Manchuria. We could do nothing but watch fear fully as the heavy tanks moved noisily around. At night we could always hear shooting nearby and far away, and many people were killed. We Japanese people blocked up all the windows of our houses and locked all the doors. We spent many days inside our houses under these circumstances and whenever we heard guns, we were afraid that it would be our turn to be shot next. I heard that the town was ruined and the things at the factories and the public offices had been taken away. Manchuria, the peace land, had been ruined.

Fortunately, about 10 months later, on July 13, my family was able to come back to the interior of Japan. I was really thankful to the Creator when my ship arrived in Japan, and I could see many beautiful mountains and houses.

We are finally out of hell! We are now safe! We will never hear guns! We will never hide fear fully in our house! Here we are in Japan, a land of peace!

We escaped dirty and hungry with barely our lives. If only we could go back to Nagasaki; if only we could reach my uncle's house. There is a beautiful cathedral in Urakami. Everybody is singing cheerfully. There are carrots, taroes, lotus roots, fish paste, Konnyaku and well cooked pork. In the fields people can grow potatoes, wheat, and cabbage. We would want for nothing. If only we get to Urakami! With such a hope we got on a crowded train to the interior of Japan. However, we heard in Isahaya that Urakami had been completely destroyed. I was surprised and in despair. "It is not true!" I said.

But when my train was coming into Urakami I realized that it was true. It was so destroyed by the atomic bomb that I would not walk around there. Is this the home I had been dreaming of coming back to for so long?

"Our house used to be here," said Father. There were only broken pieces of roof tiles and a few burnt pieces of wood scattered around. Though we inquired at every likely place, we found that all of my relatives were dead. Urakami, where we had finally arrived, had been damaged much more than Manchuria. All of my family sat down on the ruins discouraged. However, there was no other place we could go. We had to begin our life there and there was no other way than rebuilding our house, getting a job and becoming good citizens. Soon Father leaped to his feet. Then Mother. then we, the children, also stood up cheerfully. We suddenly began to clean the ruins.

Under the roof tiles we sometimes found some bones. Isn't this Emi's? When big bones appeared, we wondered if those were our aunt's and gathered them carefully.

Finally the hut was made. Mother sowed some seeds around the hut. In the neighborhood many huts were being built. Father could get a job at the factory, and there he could use the skills which he learned in Manchuria. As my family settled ourselves and build a house, our neighbors did the same. Urakami as a whole was gradually reconstructed. The crops are growing where weeds used to be. People have cleaned up the place where the cathedral was and now a wooden building is being built.

Indeed, it is very different from the Urakami where I lived when I was young and which I sometimes recall, but I am sure that the Lord, the saints and many Christians in heaven would be pleased to help us reconstruct Urakami if we pray and work hard with courage. Recently I often think that it was Providence that the atomic bomb was dropped in Urakami. Seeing Urakami being reconstructed, I can not help thinking it is the reality of the Providence of God's Love.

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