Ueno Park - Peace, Love and Shamisen

We took a "local day" in Ueno, which includes not bringing a camera with us for a day. Jim and I stumbled upon a path lined with tall iron lanterns, which are used during ceremonies to cleanse the soul. At the end of the path was the Ueno Toshogu temple and a tiny flame. This flame originated when a Japanese man, Tatsuo Yamamoto went to visit his uncle in Hiroshima in 1945 only to find the flame of an A-bomb where his house once stood. The nephew carried that flame with him to his home and kept it burning for years in memory of his uncle. Resentment turned into an effort to eliminate nuclear weapons and promote peace. This same flame was later joined by a flame created by rubbing remains from structures destroyed in Nagasaki, and was carried to different places around the world, including New York City. I can't imagine what it took to keep this tiny torch burning for over 50 years. The sadness of seeing the flame in person was overwhelming - it's something that history books can't portray.

In the afternoon, we listened to an amazing musician play the Japanese three stringed shamisen. Although I didn't bring a camera, I was able to find a video of him playing on YouTube at Ueno Park.