Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum begins announcing A-bomb talks over the public address system on August 23, hoping to increase the number of listeners
Aug. 21, 2024
by Minami Yamashita, Staff Writer
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward) will start making announcements over the public address (PA) system in the museum building on August 23 to inform the public of regular talks by the A-bomb Legacy Successors. While the museum had a record number of visitors in fiscal 2023, the number of people listening to the talks remains low. The museum will focus on publicizing the lectures with the hope of improving the situation.
According to the museum’s Outreach Division, announcements will be made in both Japanese and English, mainly on the first floor, about 15 minutes before the start of each lecture scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and1:30 p.m. (in English), and 2:30 p.m. on the basement level 1. The announcement will include the time and location of the lecture, as well as information noting the lecture is free and no reservations are required. It will not be played in the permanent exhibition areas of the Main and East buildings to avoid disturbing visitors viewing the exhibits.
The division said it refrained from making announcements over the PA system because “it is not appropriate given the nature of this museum, where people take their time to focus on the exhibits.” However, on average, only 30 percent of the seats were filled in fiscal 2023, and there were times when not a single person was in the room. To improve the situation, they reviewed their method of publicity and decided to try the PA system, saying, “We want people to learn firsthand the reality of the destruction wrought by the atomic bombing.”
Akiko Kai, 68, Higashi Ward, joint representative of the citizens’ group composed of A-bomb Legacy Successors, requested the museum make the announcement over the PA system. She said, “As the number of A-bomb survivors who share their accounts is dwindling, this would be the first step in respecting the inherited legacy. I hope the announcement will be continued.”
(Originally published on August 21, 2024)
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (in Hiroshima’s Naka Ward) will start making announcements over the public address (PA) system in the museum building on August 23 to inform the public of regular talks by the A-bomb Legacy Successors. While the museum had a record number of visitors in fiscal 2023, the number of people listening to the talks remains low. The museum will focus on publicizing the lectures with the hope of improving the situation.
According to the museum’s Outreach Division, announcements will be made in both Japanese and English, mainly on the first floor, about 15 minutes before the start of each lecture scheduled for 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and1:30 p.m. (in English), and 2:30 p.m. on the basement level 1. The announcement will include the time and location of the lecture, as well as information noting the lecture is free and no reservations are required. It will not be played in the permanent exhibition areas of the Main and East buildings to avoid disturbing visitors viewing the exhibits.
The division said it refrained from making announcements over the PA system because “it is not appropriate given the nature of this museum, where people take their time to focus on the exhibits.” However, on average, only 30 percent of the seats were filled in fiscal 2023, and there were times when not a single person was in the room. To improve the situation, they reviewed their method of publicity and decided to try the PA system, saying, “We want people to learn firsthand the reality of the destruction wrought by the atomic bombing.”
Akiko Kai, 68, Higashi Ward, joint representative of the citizens’ group composed of A-bomb Legacy Successors, requested the museum make the announcement over the PA system. She said, “As the number of A-bomb survivors who share their accounts is dwindling, this would be the first step in respecting the inherited legacy. I hope the announcement will be continued.”
(Originally published on August 21, 2024)
