There's a god for that
During Kaburaya’s 2010 California tour, there were two especially memorable performances. The first was at the Yountville Veterans Home. This Napa Valley community is the largest veterans’ home in America; at this time 1,100 veterans of all ages live here. The performance coincided with the 65th anniversary of V-J Day (August 14th 1945), the end of World War II. Kaburaya’s director, Yasuyuki Fujiwara, in his introduction to the veterans, said, “We must never forget the terrible suffering that was endured by the hibakusha, but as a society we have moved on. We hope that members of this generation and the next will join us in making sure we never repeat this same mistake.”
The performance was well attended by the Yountville veterans, who were enthusiastic in their reception. At one point, in the middle of a rowdy piece, the Hiroshima performers were spontaneously joined by one of the older veterans, who danced and clapped and shouted to the tune, spurred on by his compatriots who clearly shared his joy. Here on this small but important stage, the veterans of war and the ambassadors for peace joined for a heartfelt moment of reconciliation.
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