Lanterns being dropped in the river...
...the Peace Circle before, and the lanterns heading upstream.
Some people also made paper Crane birds, which they either hung from the trees by the river, or floated downstream along with the lanterns.
As always, this was a very elegantly poignant reminder of all those who perished in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs, numbering in the hundreds of thousands - those also affected by the fallout notwithstanding.
It is also worth bearing in mind that Depleted Uranium shells have been used in both Gulf Wars - the radioactive debris from these still litters both the deserts and outskirts of many Iraqi cities, proving that nuclear material is still in use even today in warfare, albeit on a smaller scale, but no less horrific in it's effects on the civilians and soldiers who come into contact with it.
Most countries have moreorless ignored Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaties over the last ten years, so, it's fair comment to say that the Nuclear Arms Race is not over yet, meaning that we still have a long way to go.
While we live in the age of the Nuclear Weapon, vigils like the one that happened last Sunday will continue to be both relevant and timely reminders of the kind of world we're passing onto our children.
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