×

News

Obama’s paper cranes are moved to east building of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum before closing of main building

by Kanaoko Noda, Staff Writer

The City of Hiroshima has changed the location for displaying the paper cranes given last May by then U.S. President Barack Obama from the main building of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum to the first underground floor of the museum’s east building. This change has taken place because the main building will be closed from April 26 while the entire east building will be reopened that same day following the completion of renovations there. With this change, visitors are now able to view Mr. Obama’s paper cranes in the museum’s free space.

One of the two paper cranes that Mr. Obama had folded himself and handed to a local elementary school student and junior high school student, and one of the other two cranes that Mr. Obama had placed next to the museum’s guestbook, along with a copy of the message he wrote in the guestbook at that time, were moved to the new exhibition space. Since these items began to be shown to the public last June, they were placed at the very end of the visitors’ route. But now, starting on April 13, they can be seen in a corner of the museum’s first underground floor.

The exhibition period of Mr. Obama’s paper cranes has been extended twice so far, with visitors’ interest in viewing the display much higher than expected. It has not yet been determined how long the cranes will continue to be exhibited in the east building.

On the same floor is “The New Collection Exhibition,” where items related to the atomic bombing and donated during fiscal year 2015 are now on display. A staff member of the museum commented on the effect of Mr. Obama’s paper cranes on this exhibition, saying, “The number of visitors to the exhibition has increased since the paper cranes were moved to the same floor.” In addition, some items that have been on display in the main building, to convey the reality of the atomic bombing, will be exhibited in the east building from April 26.

(Originally published on April 18, 2017)

Archives