Today is a day that always makes me pause.

Seventy years ago, the Japanese city of Hiroshima was devastated by the first atomic bomb, an explosion 600 metres above the city that claimed at least 140,000 lives. It is often credited with bringing an end to World War II, but its human cost is unimaginable.

Hiroshima is close to my heart. In 2006, it was home for a year while I was completing my Master’s in Architecture as a scholarship student at KINKI University. I lived in Saijo, just a short train ride away. The Japanese culture and the warmth of the people I met captivated me so deeply that I wrote my dissertation on the concept of “home versus house” in Japan. My final project was a cultural centre near the memorial park in Hiroshima, designed to reflect everything I loved about my time there.

Japan gave me more than just academic inspiration; it gave me memories and friendships that have lasted a lifetime. Some of my friends will be in Hiroshima tonight, lighting prayer lanterns and remembering their city.

Every year, hundreds of lanterns are set afloat on the Motoyasu River in front of the city’s only surviving building from that day. I attended the memorial in 2007 with friends. We wandered quietly, listening to stories from past years. Children decorated candles, flowers were placed at the eternal flame, and people prayed together. The atmosphere was not heavy or bitter; it was peaceful, hopeful, and united in a shared message - a world without the threat of atomic weapons.

A symbol of peace in Japan is the origami crane, and the memorial park is filled with them in every colour. That year, a local artist invited people to help create a giant white paper crane in the park’s children’s area. Within an hour, strangers had worked side by side to bring it to life. It became another beautiful symbol - community, collaboration, and the belief that something meaningful can come from working together.

For me, Japan is a calm and spiritual place. Its beauty lives in its people, its landscapes in every season, and its contrasts - ultra-modern Tokyo blocks to the serene Golden Pavilion in Kyoto. I was fortunate to experience both the bright lights and energy of Tokyo, spotting Mount Fuji from the shinkansen, and the timeless charm of Kyoto’s tea houses and pavilions.

If you ever visit Japan, I wholeheartedly recommend a trip to Hiroshima. Walk through the Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum. Let it sink in. Then, if you need quiet space to process, take the ferry to Miyajima. Wander among the deer, explore the temples, and watch the tide rise around the iconic “floating” Torii gate.