2023 'From Hiroshima to Hope' Annual Floating Lantern Ceremony-Honors Victims of Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki & All Victims of War (Video)NEW

Honoring Victims, Promoting Peace.
The mission of From Hiroshima to Hope Event is to commemorate the victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and all victims of war and violence. We educate for peace, non-violent conflict resolution and nuclear disarmament through a public outdoor event on August 6th featuring music, speakers, and a lantern-floating ceremony.

Every year since 1984, we have held an annual event in Seattle, with the hope that we can resolve international conflicts without violence and learn the habit of living in peace with all our neighbors on this earth.

Event Description
Seattle - Candle-lit lanterns will spark hope at From Hiroshima to Hope, Seattle’s annual lantern-floating peace ceremony, on Sunday evening, August 6 at Green Lake. The event includes music, poetry, dance, speakers and candle-lit lanterns floating on the lake. Marking the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, From Hiroshima to Hope honors the bombings’ victims and all victims of war and violence. This year also marks the 81st anniversary of Executive Order 9066, which led to the incarceration of Japanese Americans on the U.S. West Coast.

The event begins at 6:00 PM with lantern preparation. With Stan Shikuma as emcee, the family program gets underway at 7:00 PM with the popular Japanese American drum performance group, Seattle Kokon Taiko. Rev. Dr. Kelle Brown, Senior Pastor at Plymouth Church in Seattle, will give the keynote speech with a social justice focus. Rev. Dr. Brown facilitates conversations on dismantling oppression through reflecting on privilege, bias, prejudice, and bigotry. A unique element this year is a dance performance by Gabrielle Nomura Gainor, a dancer/choreographer whose group will present a piece titled “Sadako and the Cranes.”

Performers also include the Seattle Peace Chorus Action Ensemble, and poetry and prose from Seattle writers Carole Okamoto, Dee Goto, and Liz Murata with the Omoide Project, a program of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Washington. Hatsune Matsudaira and Laryn Young, with Koto no WA, will play traditional and contemporary music on koto. The candle-lit lantern ceremony begins at 8:00 p.m., with lanterns floating on the lake at dusk. Patrick Johnson will play shakuhachi at the dock, the traditional flute music accompanying the floating lanterns.

From Hiroshima to Hope is one of the largest commemorations of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9 held outside of Japan.

The event has been held every year since 1984, except for the cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a shift to a film, “75 Years & Counting.” The event is created annually by the non-profit organization, From Hiroshima to Hope, and is sponsored by local community organizations, with grant support from The Abe Keller Peace Education Fund. It is held just south of the Bathhouse, on Green Lake’s northwest shore near West Green Lake Drive North and Stone Ave North, and is free and open to the public. For more information: call 206-928-2590.

Event Date
August 6, 2023, Sunday

6:00 pm
Starting at 6 pm
• Picnicking, Music, Meditation
• Lantern Preparation
• Sculpture, "Little Boy (folded)" Yukiyo Kawano

7:00 pm - The program begins, including:
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Dr. Kelle J. Brown

Participating Artists & Speakers
• Emcee: Stan Shikuma
• Seattle Kokon Taiko
• Gabrielle Nomura Gainor, Dance
• Seattle Peace Chorus Action Ensemble
• Carolee Okamoto, Poetry
• Dee Goto and Liz Murata, Story
• Omoide Project
• Patrick Johnson
• Shakuhachi Hatsune Matsudaira
• Laryn Young
• Kota no WA and more

8:00 pm - Lantern Floating Ceremony

Event Location
Green Lake, 7312 W Green Lake Dr N, Seattle, CA 98103

Event Title
2022 From Hiroshima to Hope - Annual Event in Green Lake, Seattle (Lantern Ceremony..)