“Our generation, people over 60, often heard of Guadalcanal,” said Nakagawa Harumi from Nagoya who had the seat next to mine in our minibus. He placed his hand over his chest and continued in careful English, “Just being here, I am already tearful. People died all over this island. Every place is sad. That mountain is sad. That grass is sad.”

…Volunteers on Peace Boat also considered war and nationalism in light of the visit to Guadalcanal. At an onboard speech-giving event for new language learners, English teacher Ian Kennedy gave a speech in Japanese entitled Why I Don’t Want A Military In My Country. Volunteer teacher Keiko Ono said, “our brief visit gave a renewed sense of responsibility as citizens of Japan and soon to be ambassadors of Peace Boat.”