These two tales are both from the Nagasaki blast. Nagasaki has many water ways running through it and uneven terrain; consequently the complete destruction by fire that had happened in Hiroshima was averted, hence the slightly lower death toll. It’s also worth noting that talking openly about feelings and traumas you’ve had is solidly un-Japanese, these guys are only spilling their guts because they hope to ward off future terrors in the same vein. Good on you guys.

Yoshiro Yamawaki

Yoshiro was 11 at the time of the incident and was on summer holidays from school. His home was just 2.2 km from the blast. His mother and four youngest siblings had been evacuated to the countryside which left just him and his twin brother, his oldest brother and his father in Nagasaki. On that fateful day Yoshiro’s dad was at work for Mitsubishi and his older brother was working at the weapons factory as part of the war effort.

Yoshiro and his twin were relaxing in the lounge at home when there was a sudden bright flash and an incredible boom. They hit the deck and covered their eyes, ears and nose as they’d been taught at school. The noise was so loud that they thought their house had been hit, feeling the falling plaster and debris around them they were convinced they would be crushed to death. After a few moments the debris settled. Silence. They were alive, slowly the sounds of screams filled the air from outside their home. There was shrapnel and glass embedded in the walls around them, they glanced up and could see the sky through their roof. They were shaken but alive and ran outside to the bomb shelter.

After an hour their older brother returned home and took them to the larger communal bomb shelter where they were met with hoards of injured mothers and children. Some had been injured from the pressure wave, some from the intense heat of the blast and others from the shrapnel. They knew they had been lucky. But their day was set to get even worse…

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