Ohayo gozaimas! Good morning from Ms. V! As I look out the window I see the skies clearing. We hope for a day without rain so that tonight's baseball game proceeds as planned. We will try to switch our tickets so that we can "experience" Japanese baseball. We see Japanese baseball fans in our hotel with bandanas around their heads and T-shirts with the Hiroshima Carps emblem emblazoned on their chests. Besides baseball we have come to this city to reflect on the past. The day will be an emotional one as we will spend time at the A-Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park reflecting on how the dropping of the first atomic bomb has impacted this city.

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I must reflect on the trains here in Japan. The trains ...mode of transport, communal experience, symbol of Japanese ingenuity and precision, baby's cradle that lulls all to sleep. You step on the train two minutes prior to departure, place your bag on the carry on rack above your head, slide into your cushioned seat, the train departs and the Japanese countryside flies past you: water-filled rice fields, concrete buildings, and glorious green mountains. Then, you go to sleep. You just cannot help it.

The train to Hiroshima was filled with more Western travellers than we have seen thus far, all going to visit this dynamic, industrial city and reflect on the destruction of war. Bullis juniors have already discussed this question in their U.S. history classes: was it necessary to drop the atomic bomb? Freshman and sophomore will ponder this question in the coming years. History allows us to learn from the past as we face the future. I hope this day in Hiroshima will allow students to do just that.