COMMUNITY NEWS
On the eve of the 75th anniversary of World War II, Clifton Truman Daniel, grandson of President Harry Truman and Los Alamos-Japan Institute Director Judith Stauber are leading a tour to Japan to dialogue with Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors and discover new perspectives on the decision to drop the atomic bomb.
According to Stauber, the Atomic Witness Experience Tour from Oct. 27 through Nov. 6 offers an immersive itinerary which will include travel by shinkansen train from Tokyo to Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kyoto. Participants will have the opportunity to hear eye-witness accounts from atomic bomb survivors, explore Japanese atomic culture, museums, memorials and peace parks, and dialogue with survivors and leaders at the Kyoto Museum for World Peace. They will also meet with Japanese artists, educators, peacemakers and policymakers.
The tour costs $7,575.00/per person double occupancy, which includes 10-nights hotel, daily breakfast, Japan Rail travel, small group guided experience, speakers, site fees, ,cultural programs, extraordinary dialogues, pre/post tour resources. It begins in Tokyo and ends in Kyoto and airfare is not included.
Daniel is the oldest grandson of President Harry Truman who ordered the only use of atomic weapons in wartime history. In 2012, Clifton visited Japan with his family after his son learned about Sadako Sasaki and origami paper cranes in middle school. In collaboration with Sadako’s surviving brother Masahiro Sasaki, Daniel works to share stories of hibakusha with world. He serves as Honorary Chairman of the Truman Library Institute and Chairperson of the Los Alamos-Japan Institute Advisory Board. He also plays President Truman in ongoing productions of Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!, a play by Samuel Gallu. His humorous depiction is the first time in history a U.S. president has been portrayed on stage by a direct descendant.
Stauber is Director of Los Alamos-Japan Institute where she works to bridge communication between places of conscience that share history but little mutual understanding. An advocate for bearing witness to history so that it is never repeated, Stauber negotiated and delivered proclamations of understanding to Hiroshima and Nagasaki on behalf of Los Alamos County in 2017. She served as Los Alamos History Museum Director from 2011-2018. Her expertise in intercultural communication supports the cultural heritage tours she has guided around the world to places that include Cuba, Israel, and Japan.
For more information on the tour, email Judith@laji.usJudith@laji.us.