Our Life, Our Hiroshima is an interview series highlighting individuals involved in various fields of work after relocating to Hiroshima.
With residents from each of the G7 countries—France, US, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada—the series spotlights each individual’s view of Hiroshima’s lifestyle and charms through the lens of their unique background.
Alex Barbara enters junior high school this spring. At the August 6, 2022 Peace Memorial Ceremony, Alex spoke on behalf of all Hiroshima elementary school students when he unveiled their joint Commitment to Peace to the world. We asked Alex, who has Japanese and Italian parents and was raised in Hiroshima, about his thoughts on peace.
Interviewer/writer: Kaoru Nakamichi
Photographer: Kenichi Asano
Editor: Takeshi Maruta (CINRA, Inc.)
Alex: My father is Italian and my mother is Japanese. As we moved from Italy to Japan when I was two, I really don’t remember much from that time.
My mother told me that we were living in Tokyo when the Great East Japan Earthquake struck (in 2011), and just as she was wondering whether we should remain there, a priest she had known in Italy invited her to “come and visit Hiroshima, as there is a Catholic church here and a kindergarten where I serve as director.” That led to our move to Hiroshima.
As we are Catholic, it is vital for us to have a church nearby. My mother discovered that Hiroshima has a good educational environment, which was a factor since my older brother and I were still young. We’ve lived in Hiroshima ever since.
Alex: Yes, I am the youngest of three. My oldest brother lives in Italy, and my other brother and I are here in Hiroshima.
My oldest brother has always lived in Italy, so he seems to view himself as Italian, but I don’t have a particular sense of belonging to any individual country. However, since I don’t speak much Italian and have always lived in Japan, I have a stronger sense of attachment here.
Hiroshima has rich natural surroundings, with the sea and then the mountains to the north where you can ski. The school lunches are also delicious. I love it when they serve local specialties like lemon and fish salad, fried oysters, or Hiroshima greens.
Alex: Yes. Each year, 20 essays on peace written by sixth graders in Hiroshima City are selected. The 20 students gather to create a message to the world, using the essays as the basis for discussion.
When I participated last year, we began in small groups of 4 to 5, summarizing our thoughts on peace and what contributions we could make, on huge sheets of paper. All the presentations were then consolidated into a single Commitment to Peace. And, as I read the Commitment, I remember feeling that those were truly our own words, and not the opinion of adults.
Alex: “Atari-mae” (taking something for granted) was a key phrase we used a lot in our group work. It appeared in the Commitment to Peace too: “We have so many people who are precious to us. Spending time with people you care about. Laughing together. There is so much joy in these ordinary moments that we take for granted.”
Another key phrase was: “We have to carry on these stories.”
Alex: I wrote about Hiroshima and family from an Italian perspective. The title of my essay was: My Message for Pace .*
My mother told me that Italians are very concerned about Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb was dropped, and whenever the subject of Japan arises, they often comment on the damage caused by the bomb, post-war reconstruction, and the preciousness of peace.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum receives many overseas visitors. My older brother who lives in Italy was one of them. He stood in front of the exhibit and cried as he listened to the audio guide.
Alex: I believe it’s important to share the devastation of war in our own words. I don’t know whether I will ultimately live in Japan or overseas, but wherever I am, I will never forget the foolishness of war, and I hope to discuss and share the importance of peace with many people. I am convinced that it will help lead to the spread of “ Pace ” throughout the world.
Alex: I think about it on Sundays at mass whenever the priest talks about the war between Russia and Ukraine. I realize how peaceful my life is, with no inconveniences at all.
Since I naturally take my everyday life for granted, our peace study at school provided an important opportunity for me to stop and think. We visited the Peace Memorial Park and completed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park Walk, which takes participants by church ruins and the Cenotaph, dedicated to victims of the atomic bomb.
In retrospect, when I was little, I did not understand the reality of the bomb, or what war meant. I do have a clear memory of having read Hiroshima Notes* in the fourth grade. It was my first exposure to the experiences of the atomic bomb victims, and my shock outweighed my sadness.
Alex: Even if you wished to work toward peace, it would be difficult to accomplish anything major in your daily life, especially if you are working alone. However, you can begin with small steps, like contributing toward Ukrainian reconstruction through the donation boxes at supermarkets and convenience stores.
In the future, I would like to be a peace ambassador in high school. As one of the 20 finalists in the Thoughts About Peace essay contest, I was invited to a talk by the high school Peace Ambassador who also spoke at the U.N. Since I had the privilege of reading the Commitment to Peace, I don’t want my own peace-oriented efforts to end with that, but share the message of peace many times over.
As I enter junior high school this spring, I’d like to work on gaining an international mindset and study English to enable me to share my opinions and communicate clearly.
Alex Barbara
Currently a sixth grader (as of March 2023), Barbara was born in Italy to an Italian father and Japanese mother, and moved to Japan at age two. He represented local children in the reading of the Commitment to Peace at the 2022 Peace Memorial Ceremony, and continues to focus on peace-oriented activities.
