原爆投下目標は「自宅付近」のはずだった... 96歳女性　桜の名前にもなった亡き友と過ごした青春 ～「嘉代子桜」が繋ぐ記憶

Visiting a deceased friend who has become a cherry blossom... The "Kayoko Cherry Tree" at Shiroyama Elementary School in Nagasaki City, approximately 500 meters from the hypocenter. 81 years ago, this cherry tree was planted by the mother of Kayoko Hayashi, who died in the atomic bombing at the age of 15 at the school where she was mobilized as a student worker. There is a 96-year-old woman who says that when the cherry blossoms bloom, she remembers her friend who died in the atomic bombing. Miyoko Iwanaga (96): "It's beautiful, and so quiet." Miyoko Iwanaga, 96 years old. She was a classmate of Kayoko Hayashi at the former Nagasaki Prefectural Girls' High School. Miyoko Iwanaga: "(Even when I look at group photos) my eyes still go there. I just glance at it, and instead of looking for her, my eyes go to that person." The atomic bombing took the lives of approximately 140 classmates. Letters that still remain: Kayoko was "playful" Nagasaki City, Manyamachi. Iwanaga Hardware Store, a 131-year-old business, stands along the Nakashima River. Ms. Iwanaga was born and raised here and still lives today. Because her mother and two older sisters were graduates of Nagasaki Prefectural Nagasaki Girls' High School, Ms. Iwanaga naturally followed suit. In her first year, she was always standing next to Kayoko Hayashi, who was the same height as her classmate. They both took piano lessons and quickly became close friends. Miyoko Iwanaga: "(Kayoko Hayashi) was a mischievous girl. That's why my mother would often say in a low voice, 'Oh, Kayoko,' and laugh. She was an only child, after all." She still cherishes a letter she received from Kayoko at that time. The letter describes her attending a relative's wedding, revealing her playful personality. The letter reads: "I put on a lot of face powder. And I even put on lipstick, didn't I?" "So I felt sick and couldn't tie my mouth shut. And my obi was tied so tightly it was unbearable. Because of that I couldn't eat any of the delicious food. Oh, how pitiful Miss Kayoko" Swimming, sports day, music concert, tennis club... Youth in the midst of the Pacific War Iwanaga and her classmates entered school in 1942. Japan had already entered the Pacific War, but initially there were English classes, swimming lessons, and sports days. There were also music concerts by student volunteers who played the piano. Iwanaga apparently played Beyer No. 100. There were also club activities, and Iwanaga was in the tennis club. Iwanaga: "There were no shoes, right? They were probably barefoot." Reporter: "Were you pretty good at tennis?" Iwanaga: "Yes. My arms were strong." Reporter: "Arm strength?" Iwanaga: "But I was terrible at pull-ups (laughs)." She envied Kayoko, who wasn't mobilized to the factory. However, her normal life was gradually taken away, and the school building was repainted in camouflage to confuse enemy planes. Student mobilization began in the fall of her third year, and Iwanaga worked in a weapons factory. Iwanaga: "We were making torpedoes. We'd attach parts to something like a big, cylindrical drum. That's the kind of work we were made to do." Meanwhile, Kayoko was mobilized to the payroll department of the Mitsubishi Weapons Factory, located in the reinforced concrete Shiroyama National School. Iwanaga: "The payroll department is nice, you don't get your hands dirty, they said, I remember." The fateful August 9th - After the bombing, the class size decreased from 7 to 5, and then August 9th arrived. Iwanaga, who had been feeling unwell since the morning, went to a hospital near her home, where she was exposed to the atomic bomb. Iwanaga: "It was like the magnesium you see when taking pictures. It flashed with a bright white light. There was no time to think, 'Huh?' It was just a complete mess. From the glass to everything." Reporter: "Were you injured?" Iwanaga: "I wasn't, surprisingly." Iwanaga Hardware Store, located a little over 3 kilometers from the hypocenter, escaped collapse, and her family was safe, but the store's warehouse, which has been there since that time, still bears evidence of the tremendous force of the blast. Iwanaga's eldest son, Kazuyuki Iwanaga: "This is it, this is the iron angle that was bent by the atomic bomb." School reopened in October. Iwanaga's grade, which had 7 classes, was reduced to 5. It was around that time that she learned of the death of Kayoko Hayashi. Iwanaga: "It was the same as having no expression. 'I heard that person died,' 'Oh, really?' They just couldn't grasp the fact that they had lost the war. Because they had worked so hard, saying things like, 'We'll keep fighting until we win.' Sigh. That's how it was." Iwanaga and the other surviving members of the 42nd graduating class graduated six months later without ever regaining their youth. The shock 49 years after the bombing 49 years after the bombing of their home, which may have been the hypocenter, new facts about the Nagasaki atomic bomb are being reported. O...