Number of requests for peace volunteers tops 2000
Jun. 11, 2010
by Junji Akechi, Staff Writer
The number of requests for Hiroshima Peace Volunteers, who provide tours of Peace Memorial Museum, among other sites, has topped 2000 for the first time. The total for fiscal year 2009 is 13 times higher than that recorded in fiscal year 1999, when the activity began, and twice as high as fiscal year 2005. The museum believes this is due to increasing numbers of people learning about the guide program.
At its inception, there were 58 volunteer guides. Today, 197 people, from the ages of 21 to 82, have become registered as guides. The volunteer guides are divided into groups corresponding to each day of the week, and offer tours of such places as Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park to students on school trips and other visitors at no charge.
The total number of requests for peace volunteers for fiscal year 2009 increased to 2135, a rise of 660, or nearly 45%, from the 1475 requests in fiscal year 2008. The total of 2135 requests consisted of 1326 requests for Peace Memorial Museum and 809 requests for Peace Memorial Park.
Analyzing the figure, the Outreach Division at the museum noted, "In addition to the increasing requests, the effort to inform travel agencies of the peace volunteers since the end of fiscal year 2008 is bearing fruit." Yuriko Tanaka, 66, one of the peace volunteers, is pleased with this development, saying, "Since President Obama's speech in Prague last April, I feel there are a growing number of people interested in learning about the damage caused by the atomic bomb. For one thing, more people are actively telling me their impressions of the tours I've given them."
(Originally published on June 11, 2010)
The number of requests for Hiroshima Peace Volunteers, who provide tours of Peace Memorial Museum, among other sites, has topped 2000 for the first time. The total for fiscal year 2009 is 13 times higher than that recorded in fiscal year 1999, when the activity began, and twice as high as fiscal year 2005. The museum believes this is due to increasing numbers of people learning about the guide program.
At its inception, there were 58 volunteer guides. Today, 197 people, from the ages of 21 to 82, have become registered as guides. The volunteer guides are divided into groups corresponding to each day of the week, and offer tours of such places as Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park to students on school trips and other visitors at no charge.
The total number of requests for peace volunteers for fiscal year 2009 increased to 2135, a rise of 660, or nearly 45%, from the 1475 requests in fiscal year 2008. The total of 2135 requests consisted of 1326 requests for Peace Memorial Museum and 809 requests for Peace Memorial Park.
Analyzing the figure, the Outreach Division at the museum noted, "In addition to the increasing requests, the effort to inform travel agencies of the peace volunteers since the end of fiscal year 2008 is bearing fruit." Yuriko Tanaka, 66, one of the peace volunteers, is pleased with this development, saying, "Since President Obama's speech in Prague last April, I feel there are a growing number of people interested in learning about the damage caused by the atomic bomb. For one thing, more people are actively telling me their impressions of the tours I've given them."
(Originally published on June 11, 2010)
