How did you become involved in the U.S. Catholic Pilgrimage of Peace to Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

I met Professor James Nolan in Tokyo two years ago while participating in a peace symposium where he was a guest. I was there through my involvement with the Takashi and Midori Nagai Association. Professor Nolan and I became friends. His grandfather had been part of the Manhattan Project and worked closely with Oppenheimer. He shared a beautiful, and what seemed to be a divinely inspired, plan to help commemorate the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Professor Nolan had met a Japanese Catholic in Urakami who proposed that American Catholics bring a bell to replace one of the bells in the Cathedral that was destroyed in the bombing. As he shared the details of the plan, we both started to cry. I started to support this Nagasaki Bell Project because it was very close to my heart, though the path was unclear, I had the conviction somewhere in my heart that it would be guided, and it was an immense honor to become a part of this project.

This Nagasaki Bell Project was a separate initiative from the Pilgrimage of Peace initiated by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe and the Archdiocese of Seattle. That said, last summer, Professor Nolan and I went to Los Alamos. Nolan gave lectures at both Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the town's only Catholic church. He met with Archbishop Wester soon thereafter, on August 15, and then, several months later, visited Seattle to share this story there, so the two initiatives dovetailed. Ultimately the pilgrimage was organized by Archbishop Wester of Santa Fe and Archbishop Etiennne of Seattle, who co-partnered with Archbishop Nakamura of Nagasaki and Bishop Shirahama of Hiroshima. The pilgrimage included many university students and young people. I was added to the delegation by Professor Miyazaki, a Japanese professor from Northwestern that I know, he was one of the principal organizers. We ran into each other at Mass in Tokyo early in the summer and he shared the details of the initiative, inviting me to participate.

Why are you personally interested in peace work related to Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

I am Japanese and grew up in Japan. I first went to Hiroshima when I was just four and half years old. I will never forget what I saw. As a child, I couldn’t believe what human beings could do to one another. I knew that I wanted to work for peace, but didn’t quite know how. All of this has been part of a journey: moving to the United States, becoming Catholic, encountering Takashi and Midori Nagai during my own personal pilgrimage to Nagasaki in the summer of 2017 and later joining the Association after it had formed in 2022, a few years before becoming involved in this project. In fact, Communion and Liberation selected the book Song for Nagasaki as its book of the month soon after I met the Movement in 2018, which also became part of this story. It has been providential and a series of connecting events that has made my work even more interesting.

What were some of the highlights of the Pilgrimage?

I was there as a pilgrim, but also on assignment with The Catholic Standard, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Washington D.C., so I was following Cardinal McElroy and the other bishops, cardinals, and clergy, including Japanese bishops, all of whom were accompanying students from both the United States and Japan throughout their itinerary. We all arrived in Hiroshima on August 4. The following day the clergy and leaders of the U.S. and Japan Universities met with the mayor of Hiroshima and then celebrated a Peace Mass alongside the bishops of Japan at the Cathedral that afternoon. This was an important part of the pilgrimage. Cardinal Cupich, from Chicago, explained to the mayor that the university students and leaders were attending, highlighting the importance of education for young people about what happened and the road to peace.

The morning of August 6, which is the day of the bombing in Hiroshima, started with a moment of silence at 8:15 a.m. the precise moment the first atomic bombing against humanity was dropped over the city of Hiroshima. In fact, they observed a moment of silence throughout all of Japan. I ended up being in the Cathedral at that moment. The Cathedral is significant because Pope Saint John Paul II visited there; he was the first pope to travel to Japan. At 8:15 a.m., the church bell rang, followed by sirens sounding, and then everyone observed a moment of silence. This took place within the celebration of an 8:00 a.m. Mass for the victims of the atomic bombing.

From there we attended a symposium, which included the bishops and cardinals. What I noticed taking pictures was that Cardinal McElroy was really attentive and listening. All participants were really there to listen and understand what the Hibakusya (the survivors of the atomic bomb) were trying to say. Many participants noted that encountering the survivors was one of the most striking events of the trip.

On August 6 there was another symposium as well as a lantern lighting ceremony at the epicenter of the bombing, which I photographed.

Early in the morning of August 7, we went to Nagatsuka, a suburb of Hiroshima where Fr. Pedro Arrupe and other Jesuits and women religious ran a rescue operation following the atomic bombing on August 6, 1945. We celebrated Mass there. Then we traveled to Nagasaki in the afternoon by Shinkansen, the high-speed rail in Japan. All the U.S. bishops participated in an interfaith peace symposium along with bishops from Nagasaki and Hiroshima in the evening. There were other Christians, Buddhists, Shintos, and many others present. One of the Buddhists there was very touched by the presence of the American Church leaders, saying “I will never forget this day for the rest of my life.”

On August 8 there was a special event at the epicenter of the bombing in Nagasaki. People gathered to pray, to reflect, and to bring flowers. There were even people from Gaza there, praying for peace. Archbishop Nakamura of Nagasaki gave a very heartfelt address to the crowd, asking us to hold hands and reminding us that hands can be used for either peace or for violence.

The next morning, on August 9, I went to the 11:00 a.m. Mass at the Urakami Cathedral in Nagasaki. This was very special because the Bell of Hope, which had been brought from the United States through the Nagasaki Bell project led by Professor Nolan, rang for the first time at precisely 11:02 a.m.- the exact moment marking 80 years since the atomic bombing was dropped over the Urakami district. It was a very emotional experience when the new bell rang alongside the old bell, which had been discovered by Takashi Nagai. It had survived and continued to ring as the Bell of Nagasaki over the past 80 years. I was so aware of the presence of the Church there before the atomic bombing. At 6:00 p.m. that day, Archbishop Nakamura of Nagasaki and bishops from across Japan celebrated a Peace Memorial Mass, concelebrated by four bishops from the United States. Mass was celebrated in all the Catholic churches in Nagasaki at the same time. It was so beautiful for me to pray the Lord's prayer in Japanese with music altogether, especially people from the United States. We then walked in a torchlight procession to the epicenter. American and Japanese people walked together. It was a very powerful experience.

What did you want to capture as a photographer?

I was so nervous for this trip and I don’t get nervous! I felt I was not ready for this trip, knowing that it would be a very personal and emotional experience. I had been to Hiroshima and Nagasaki a number of times before, I even covered Pope Francis' visit to Nagasaki and Tokyo in Fall, 2019. My biggest concern was that I would be so focused on taking pictures that I would not be fully present. I always want to capture moments of emotion and moments that are beautiful. The itinerary was so physically and emotionally demanding, which added an additional challenge. But I decided to go with the flow, to follow, to stay with people, and to try to capture all that I could.

What do you want viewers of your picture to learn or see?

I hope my photos can convey a story, I am very mindful when I edit a photo gallery. I was privileged to be there. My job is not only to provide a record, but to help people experience what I experienced. That is my biggest desire while taking photos. Someone can read what the Cardinal said and know about the events that happened there, but the photos convey something more.

What are your reflections on the pilgrimage, several months later?

The peace pilgrimage was so important personally; it has always been a challenge for me in interacting with Americans because I could not empathize with their point of view about the events that happened with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Listening to Cardinal Cupich from Chicago, he mentioned that people are changing their mind about using nuclear weapons. The pilgrimage was not the end of the story, but the beginning of a journey, especially for the American students who went. It provided a source of hope for me.

You can visit Mihoko’s digital photo galleries from the pilgrimage and learn more about the trip by following the links below:

Photo Gallery from Hiroshima
Photo Gallery from Nagasaki
Article on the Bell of Nagasaki Project