ﾟ･:.｡Elizabeth and Anastasia.｡.:･゜

Speech Contest　‘04

Title :　Past and the Future

Madame Chairman, Honarable Judges,
　　　　　　　　　　　　　And friends.

　Last spring vacation, I went to Kyoto all by myself.
Why? Because I wanted to proove that I could do something
on my own. One day, while I was watching a comercial for JR
Tokai, I started thinking that I needed to do something to
proove to myself, that I can be independent. Kyoto seemed
like the best place for me to do that.

It took me about 10 and a half hours to get to Kyoto Station
from Tokyo Station, and finally, I arrived at a cheapest inn
I could find. There were many foreign people who wanted to
see the spring flowers of Kyoto, and a few Japanese people who
wanted see cherry blossoms.

A girl, who was the same age as myself was there as well.
Her name was Akane. Because both of us like samurai,
especially Shinsengumi, it wasn't long before we became
friends. Soon after, I arrived there, a young South Korean,
Mr.Ahn came to this inn and we talked for a long time till
3 o' clock in the morning.

"I have to ask him!" I thought, this is the best chance to
hear a Korean's vewpoint, and I asked him some questions that
I have always bothered about. I asked him, "Japan and Korea
were involved in a World War, and because of it, many Koreans
still hate Japanese people. If this is true, why have you come
here to study all the way from Korea?"

His answer to my question was like this, "Certainly the Japanese
did terrible things to the Koreans. I'm sorry about the atomic
bombs, but the same number of the Koreans ware killed by Japanese
soldiers." He told me many more things which the Old Japanese Army
did. He said, "The names of the Koreans and Chinese victims of the
atomic bombs are not written on the Atomic Bomb Memorials." I was
shocked...It is natural for the Japanese to be treated with scorn
by them. But then he added,"Now we young people can see the future.
Because we can strive for tomorrow. We can come to Japan, and learn
about Japan's good side."

Akane asked him about the Prime minister Koizumi's visit to the
Yasukuni Shrine. It seemed that he could not accept why the Prime
minister worship there. Nither could I at first, but I had heard
the close cousin of Mr.Koizumi died during the war, and now is
resting at Yasukuni. I told him that, and he seemed to understand.
We were satisfied.

The next day, Akane and I went out together and we talked about
many things, suddenly Akane said to me, "I am so happy to have
met a girl like you here, who thinks about the past." I wanted
to say the same thing to her,too. I was so happy, and we became
true friends.

Maybe, if Akane had not been there the day before, I couldn't
have said anything to the young Korean man, at the same time,
maybe I couldn't have said what I had if I had been with my
parents, either.

I also came to know, how intelectually rewarding it can be to
talk a lot with foreign people in a friendly way. I have come
to have more cosmopolitan outlook and see the world differently.
We must remember the past, but at the same time, we have to open
the door to the future.

I was lucky to have the chance, to take a little step to make a
little bridge over to Korea, in Kyoto. From now on, I hope to
be someone, who can see the past and the future, as a key in
helping to promote mutual understanding between countries.

Thank you.

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