Fuso and Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture and Kakamigahara, Gujo, and Mino, Gifu Prefecture
Text and photos by Galileo De Guzman Castillo
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Newfound family
Of friends, brothers, and sisters
Kasamas for love, for peace
When I am lost, you
Give me light and direction
When I am low, you
Give me strength to carry on
Dreaming, marching, and singing
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Artists, musicians
Of love, of peace, and of hope
Beaming faces, thumping hearts
The sound of footsteps
Amplified by drumbeating
Resonating in
The land of the rising sun
Across borders, boundaries
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Cultural workers
Tirelessly, relentlessly
Inspiring, motivating
Streets full of color
With songs, chants, and pounding feet
Reverberating
Throughout the communities
Intertwining, uniting
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Grand orizuru
Glorious and majestic wings
Flying freely in blue skies
Be liberated
But also liberating
As a first-timer
In an onsen, courageous
Break walls and transcend cultures
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Random supporters
Passersby on the streets, and
In their homes, communities
Your smiles and cheers soothe
Weary souls and tired feet
Generous, indeed
Together, we march forward
Under aoi sora
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Aichi peace marchers
Twelve days seemed to pass us by
And here’s Gifu, within reach
Bridge of connection
Of temporary endings
And new beginnings
Walk towards the conclusion
But never the cessation
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Gallant activists
Shouting heiwa koshin desu!
Bringing messages of peace
Sweat stained brows and shirts
Callused feet and sunburned skin
Only reignite
Unyielding and resolute
Grassroots solidarities
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Seven thousand folk
Companions and allies, for
Life is good and beautiful
Deepest gratitude
For all the support and love
Two thousand shomei
Three hundred fifty thousand
Kampa and orizuru
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Youth, our hope and strength
New blood and fresh ideas
You are the agents of change
Lay the foundations
For a just and lasting peace
Handover the torch
To the future peace builders
Next generation’s children
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Aichi Prefecture
My first home, my first welcome
To Japan, I will be back
Flow like the river
Stand tall as the Northern Alps
Fill up the air of
Kakuheiki nakuso!
Kakuheiki iranai!
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Japanese movements
And civil society
Rooted in peoples’ struggles
Wasurenai!
Justice for Hibakusha
Imagine a world
Of no more Hiroshima
And no more Nagasaki
There are no goodbyes
But take care and see you soon
Newfound family
Of friends, brothers, and sisters
Kasamas for love, for peace
Heiwa ga ine?
Let’s keep walking together
This is not the end
So long and farewell, for now
Otsukaresama desu!
