How We, the 'Unknowing Generation,' Can Pass Down Stories of War | As an Extension of Our Own Narratives

A slightly special holiday where sake is lined up from noon
It should have been a lively dinner table, but before I knew it, the topic turned to memories of our grandparents
We, who do not know war, were talking about the war

✨Snack An Pictorial, now open
Thank you for coming by today as well✨

Here are today's snacks
Don't they look delicious?

・Dried firefly squid
・Sukiyaki-style dish with red konjac, wheat gluten, green onions, maitake mushrooms, and beef
・Herring roe
・Candied sweet potatoes
・Kazuchi and Shibachi
Also, Hino vegetable pickles, and a miso-dressed dish of firefly squid and udo greens
To finish, homemade hand-kneaded udon

Sake galore from noon
And the person in charge of the cooking is my husband! Applause👏

Yesterday, my husband's friend came over to visit
Surrounded by delicious sake and food, the conversation naturally turned to stories of the past

Stories about our grandparents
And then, to stories about the war

We are a generation born about 20 years after the war
Our parents experienced the war

I had heard stories about evacuation from my mother since I was a child
But I had never heard a single word from my father

According to my friend,
how his father returned to Japan from near the 38th parallel
with his grandmother,
and why his grandfather did not return

Also, a story told by a neighbor,
about his experience in the Northern Territories before the attack on Pearl Harbor

None of these could be found in textbooks,
they were living,"family histories"

Three people who don't know war,
talking about the war experiences of people close to them

Opportunities to hear stories directly from those who actually experienced it
are definitely decreasing

Learning about war through television and books is also important
But the words of grandparents and neighbors
resonate in the heart

I believe that we surely have a role
as "those who have heard"

Even if we didn't experience it directly,
as a generation that received these stories,
to pass them on to our children and grandchildren at some point

It doesn't have to be a topic only for August
Like yesterday,
while drinking sake,
maybe it's okay to say, "By the way..."

I am generally a cheerful person.
I want to believe that war will never happen.

But at the same time,
I also know thatit is not a given.

That is precisely why
we, the generation that has not known war,
must ensure we do not drop the baton.

Perhaps over a drink sometime🍻
would you like to have a conversation like this with me?

If you haveany stories about war from those close to you,please do share them in the comments.
I would be happy if you just stopped by or left a brief comment too.🍶

If you have written an article about it, links are also very welcome.
Ann-Mama will be sure to come and read it.

Next time, I will bring you the magazine, Ann Gahou.
And I also want to introduce a very wonderful video.

May there be gentle conversations happening somewhere tonight as well.🩷
With love from Snack Ann Gahou.