Members of Japanese-language theater group from Indonesia visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park
Apr. 19, 2016
by Eriko Shintani, Staff Writer
On March 31, the members of ENJUKU, a Japanese-language theater group from Indonesia, visited the Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima and learned about the history of the A-bombed city. The group has come to Japan to perform a show in Hiroshima and other locations.
Fifty members of the group laid flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and, in the park, sang an original song called “SAKURA yo” (“Dear Cherry Blossoms”), which expresses their wish for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. They also toured the Peace Memorial Museum. Hario Bintang Achda, 28, who oversees the staging of the group’s shows, said in Japanese, “Though I learned about Hiroshima in history class at school, during this visit to Hiroshima I’ve begun to think about how the A-bomb survivors have felt. We want to help build a peaceful world through our performances.”
The group was established in Jakarta in 2009 by Sugako Kaikiri, 58, who was born in Kure, Hiroshima. It offers the opportunity for university students in Indonesia to put the Japanese they study into practice. The group has been visiting Japan since 2014 to give public performances. Tickets for the first performance in Hiroshima, on April 2, have been sold out.
(Originally published on April 1, 2016)
On March 31, the members of ENJUKU, a Japanese-language theater group from Indonesia, visited the Peace Memorial Park in Naka Ward, Hiroshima and learned about the history of the A-bombed city. The group has come to Japan to perform a show in Hiroshima and other locations.
Fifty members of the group laid flowers at the Cenotaph for the A-bomb Victims and, in the park, sang an original song called “SAKURA yo” (“Dear Cherry Blossoms”), which expresses their wish for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake. They also toured the Peace Memorial Museum. Hario Bintang Achda, 28, who oversees the staging of the group’s shows, said in Japanese, “Though I learned about Hiroshima in history class at school, during this visit to Hiroshima I’ve begun to think about how the A-bomb survivors have felt. We want to help build a peaceful world through our performances.”
The group was established in Jakarta in 2009 by Sugako Kaikiri, 58, who was born in Kure, Hiroshima. It offers the opportunity for university students in Indonesia to put the Japanese they study into practice. The group has been visiting Japan since 2014 to give public performances. Tickets for the first performance in Hiroshima, on April 2, have been sold out.
(Originally published on April 1, 2016)
