Also known as the ‘Tower of a Thousand Cranes’, the Children’s Peace Monument stands as a testimony to the tragic effects the atomic bombing of 1945 had on the children of Hiroshima. A toddler by the name of Sadako Sasaki was exposed to the bombing only to contract leukaemia a decade later and die a painful death. During her tragically brief life, she believed in the Japanese legend of being granted a wish upon successfully folding a thousand paper cranes. As fate would have it, Sadako fell short and died while her friends completed her goal for her. The shock associated with her demise led students to build a monument that mourned all of the children who lost their lives to the atomic bomb explosion. Designed by Kazuo Kikuchi, a professor of Tokyo University of the Arts, this 9 m high bronze statue represents children holding cranes that in turn symbolise the need for bringing peace into our world.

An array of colourful paper cranes wonderfully adorn the Children’s Peace Monument, brightening up the otherwise solemn atmosphere. However, the intention behind the same remains as beautifully heart-breaking as ever. Anybody with a desire for peace can place a paper crane to the monument in the Peace Memorial Park. All they have to do is fill out a registration form and send in their crane along with a message to the park authorities.