Paper Cranes and Peace

You’ve probably seen it all over AFS-USA’s social media: the slogan "Pass Peace Forward." But what does that actually look like in practice?

This month, we’re sharing a story from Meika, an exchange student from Hiroshima, Japan. Driven by curiosity, Meika chose to spend her year abroad in the United States- the very country that played a tragic role in her hometown’s history. In this episode, Meika shares why it was so vital for her to study in the U.S., and what she gleaned from learning about the exact same historical events from a completely different classroom perspective.

She also helps us break down the value of peace education. While it's a concept strongly emphasized in her hometown, it’s also something AFSers actively participate in every single day. By simply sharing your story with someone else in the world, you are spreading a message of peace. Whether you are an exchange student, a host family, or a local volunteer, being open to learning about a different culture- while respectfully teaching others about your own- makes you an active participant in peace education.

Meet the Guest:
Meika from Japan

In this episode, we discuss:

• Meika’s motivations for choosing the United States
• The conflict between Japan and the U.S. during World War II
• The story of Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes
• Peace education in action
• Meika’s volunteer work with Hearts of Hope, and how it ties back to her hometown
• Challenges faced and lessons learned during Meika’s AFS program

More info:

• Check out Hearts of Hope at ourheartsofhope.org.
• Learn more about hosting a student at afsusa.org/host.

More from AFS-USA: 🏠Host a Student | ✈️Study Abroad | 🤝Volunteer | 🏫For Educators | 📧Contact the Show | 🎧Collections

Transcript

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Kate
Hello and welcome to The AFS Exchange. I'm Kate Mulvihill. On this podcast, we share real stories from the AFS community. We're here to explore how exchange programs change lives, one conversation at a time.

Kate
On the surface, this episode could seem like another episode where I interview a student about their experience in the US. I enjoy making these episodes. I’ve interviewed many students, and a lot of that is because I genuinely like hearing everyone’s unique story, and sharing it with our listeners.
But my interview with Meika from Japan ended up leading this episode to a different place. Because Meika’s motivation for coming to the US- it’s different from any other reason I’ve heard.
She wanted to come here so that she could learn more about the country that dropped an atomic bomb on her city in 1945.

Yes, in 1945, the United States dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, Meika’s hometown. Even though she was born about 60 years after the fact, the impact it had on her community and her country absolutely still resonates. She grew up learning about World War II from the Japanese point of view, but she wanted to learn about how it is taught in the United States.

Not for the purpose of starting a debate, or proving anyone wrong, but just to learn. She also wanted to pass along what she’s learned about Peace Education in Japan, to share a message of peace- something that is very important to her community. And… something that lines up exactly with AFS-USA’s mission of creating a more just and peaceful world.

In this episode we’ll hear Meika’s story and learn more about peace education. There will also be a brief history lesson, and certainly some time to hear some of the lighter moments of her program- like new foods and holiday traditions.

[Music]

Kate    
Okay, welcome. Could you please introduce yourself?

Meika   
Hello, my name is Meika. I'm 18 years old, and I'm an exchange student from Japan. I have been in the US here for about nine months so far, and I still have one more month left in my exchange program, and I live in Corning, New York now with my host family.

Kate   
So, how did you first learn about AFS?

Meika   
So, first of all, I have always been interested in studying abroad, so I started looking into different exchange programs and different organizations, and one of my friends decided to study abroad with AFS, and that's how I first learned about AFS.
She told me that the orientations and activities of AFS were really fun, and like, she had a great experience.

Kate   
Why specifically the United States?

Meika   
So my mom was also an international student when she was in college, she came to the US also, and she always told me that it was one of the most meaningful experiences in her life.
I have always enjoyed learning about different cultures and different countries, and you know the US is such a diverse country, so there are a lot of people from many different backgrounds, and I thought, oh, America is the best place to learn from others and experience different cultures, I think. So, yeah, that's one of the reasons.

Kate
But there’s a second reason, a bigger reason. A reason that I’d never heard before, in all of the years of doing this podcast.

Meika   
I’m from Hiroshima, Japan. I think most of people know but Hiroshima is known as our first place that the nuclear weapon was used, like atomic bomb was dropped in the world.

[Music]

Kate
And this is the second, more significant reason why Meika wanted to study abroad in the US.

Meika
I have been interested in peace education and peace activities since I was a little, and I've spent a lot of time learning about war and its impact, and I was curious about how students in America learn about the World War Two and the atomic bombings in high school, and like what people here think about those topics. So that's why I wanted to learn from those different perspectives and have conversations that I could not have in Japan.

Kate
Before moving forward, I want to provide you with a brief refresher on the relationship between the U.S. and Japan during World War Two. Brief, basic, oversimplified. If you happen to be a history buff, feel free to skip ahead 90 seconds.

World War II started in 1939. By the time it was December 1941, there were already many countries involved. The Axis Powers were Nazi Germany, the Empire of Japan, the Kingdom of Italy, and a few other countries were The Allied Powers were the UK, the Soviet Union, China, France, and other countries.
The United States was on neither of those lists. It was officially neutral, but had provided some material support to the Allies.

Until December 7th, 1941. On that day, Japan launched a surprise military strike on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing about 2,400 people. This event shocked the American public and officially pulled the United States into the war, and became a key member of the Allied Powers.

From 1941 to 1945, U.S. troops fought around the world, including in the Pacific theater. Then, on August 6th, 1945, the U.S. dropped the world's first deployed atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, the U.S. dropped a second bomb on the city of Nagasaki. Japan surrendered just days later, on August 15th. It is virtually impossible to measure the impact that these bombs had on Japan, but the estimate is between 150,000-246,000 lives by the end of 1945. Thousands more later died of diseases related to the bombing, including radiation poisoning, which can lead to cancer.

All of this happened before Meika was born. Before her parents were born. But the impact of these events continues to have a presence in her community.
But she was curious about the other side. What stories were the aggressors- the American people- being taught about World War II?

[Music fades out]

Meika   
Yeah, so in Japan, we in Japan, when we learn about World War Two, there is often a lot of focus on experiences such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the battle of Okinawa, and the air raids of Japanese cities, which means we often learn about the suffering that happened in Japan. You know, when we’re victims, we learn about it a lot.
But, while talking with other exchange students, the European students told me that they focus on more like Holocaust, because it happens close to them, and in my history classes in the US, I was surprised by how much attention was given to Pearl Harbor. You know, of course, I already knew about it, but it was the first time I had really studied deeply, and that event from an American perspective, because it's what we did, it's what Japanese did to America. We are not the only victims, you know.
And that experience, like, reminded me that history can look very different depending on where you learn it, and, like, it made me realize that my own perspective was more limited than I thought. I had a lot of peace education in Hiroshima, so I thought that I knew a lot of things. I'm familiar with peace, but like I didn't know almost anything about Pearl Harbor, but it's kind of common sense here. So yeah, it meant a lot to me. I got a different perspective.

Kate
To be honest, I think this conversation with Meika was the first time I had heard the term “peace education.” Like, yes, I am familiar with the concept, but I didn’t know there was an actual… word for it.
I thought maybe that would also apply to some of the listeners. So as I was putting this episode together, I tried so hard to find a concrete, textbook definition of what 'peace education' actually means. I wrote out a few drafts trying to synthesize everything I found online, and... it just didn't work. Everything I wrote was simultaneously too general and too specific. So, let's just try to… keep it simple. At its core, peace education is two things: it’s education about peace, and education for peace.

In terms of education about peace, it means looking at history and analyzing what it actually takes to build a world that lasts. It means taking a hard, critical look at violence in all its forms and figuring out how we got there. Sure, that happens in a traditional history class, but it also looks like reading first-person narratives, watching a documentary, or sitting down and speaking directly with the people who actually lived through it.
In the case of Meika…

Meika
In Hiroshima, there are a lot of survivors of atomic bombs, so I have a lot of chances to hear their story.

Kate
The second half is education for peace. It’s the actionable part, equipping people with the skills, tools, and mindsets to handle conflict without violence. Sure, a lot of that happens when you’re a kid in school learning how to share and get along at recess, but it’s not just for kids.

For example, if we’re talking about building peace within a community, it could look like a sermon given by a faith leader. It could be a story shared in a support group. It can even happen at work- like, if there is friction in the workplace and it’s having a negative impact on the team… leadership may bring in a moderator to lead a workshop on conflict resolution, communication, or emotional intelligence.

Those are all very real, very everyday forms of peace education that you might be taking part in without even realizing it.
And honestly, while we’re at it... I think we can say the  same thing about AFS. Whether you are an exchange student, a host family, or a local volunteer, by being open to learning about a different culture, and respectfully teaching others about your own… you are an active participant in peace education.

Kate
Meika, in addition to spreading messages of peace just by being an AFSer, also found a unique way to make a tangible impact. She ended up blending Japanese culture, the history of her hometown, and her love of art into one project.
It started before she even moved in with her current host family in New York State. First, she spent a few months living with her liaison in Connecticut.

Meika   
During a period when I was staying with my liaison, she tried to keep me connected to the community, so she introduced me to different activities and took me to a lot of places, and one of those activities was Hearts of Hope.
It's like an organization where people paint heart shapes of ceramic that are given to people who have experienced trauma, as well as people who serve their communities, such as military members and people who work in hospitals or like healthcare workers.

Kate
Hearts of Hope is a nonprofit that was actually founded in the wake of 9/11, and it's dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate grief and trauma through community service. One of their signature programs is creating these personalized, painted ceramic hearts and distributing them to communities all over the world that are dealing with tragedy- including survivors of natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and mass shootings.
But they also work on a more intimate scale, sending these same symbols of hope to individuals dealing with the everyday impact of severe illness.
The specific chapter Meika was volunteering with is based in Newtown, Connecticut- the community impacted by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. So, the work they do there is incredibly close to home.

Meika
And she had been volunteering with Hearts of Hope for many years, so I started helping with painting events and wrapping hearts before they were distributed. And in that organization every year they choose a design for a commemorative heart, so local artists are invited to submit artwork of heart shape, and the winning design, like chosen one, is reproduced and sold throughout the year. And my host mom knew that I love art, so she encouraged me to submit a design, and I created a papercrane design inspired by our symbol of a piece that is very meaningful in Japan, especially Hiroshima, my hometown. And surprisingly, my artwork was chosen as the 2026 commemorative heart design, and I was incredibly happy and honored, like it was a special moment, because it allowed me to share a part of Japanese culture and something that is personally meaningful to me with their local community. Yeah, that's the Hearts of Hope.

Kate   
I love that story, and that it's like you're saying it's not just Japanese culture, but it's also supporting people who've dealt with trauma or who have gone through really tough times, which is, you know, representative of your community's experience in Japan as well. So it really kind of comes full circle. So what is the… why is the paper crane so significant in Japan?

Meika   
So, there's a story of 1000 Paper Cranes in Japan, and it's connected to a girl from Hiroshima, named Sadako, and she was only two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, and she survived the bombing, which was amazing. But, I think it's the scariest part of nuclear weapons, that even if people survive, the effects of radiation can continue to harm their bodies for many years, for several decades. Sadako grew up healthy and energetic, but about 10 years after the bombing, when she was 12 years old, she suddenly developed leukemia, which is caused by radiation.
In Japan there is a tradition that says folding 1000 paper cranes can help a wish come true or help someone recover from an illness. Sadako, she loved running, and she dreamed of being able to run again. So she started folding paper cranes in the hospital, like using a piece of paper of wrapped medicine.

Kate
Some accounts say that Sadako folded over 1000 cranes and kept going, some other accounts report that she became too weak and had to stop after 600. She died on October 25th, 1955, at 12 years old.

Meika
And after her death, her classmates started raising money to build a monument in Hiroshima, like Peace Memorial Park. The monument, like, shows Sadako, one girl holding a big paper crane, and over time the paper crane became a symbol of peace, and today people from all over the world send the paper cranes to Hiroshima, and they are placed around the monument.
So, when I was thinking about what Hearts of Hope means to people in America, I felt that a paper crane would be the perfect design, you know, Hearts of Hope brings like comfort and hope to people, and like I wanted to share a message of peace, along with our story that I can tell, because I'm from Hiroshima. Yeah, that's why I chose to draw a paper crane.

Kate
So as we’ve heard, Meika used her time in the US to tackle some heavy concepts.
But, you know, her time in the US has been about more than just that. Even though she came to the US with different motivations, she has still had a year that is similar to that of many other exchange students. So to finish up this episode, some lighter topics! Like… learning about American food and holiday traditions. Also, how she feels she has grown while on program, and advice for future exchange students.

Kate
Are there any foods that you've discovered in the US that you like?

Meika   
So I already knew, like, hamburgers. McDonalds is everywhere in Japan. Hamburgers, pizzas. I already knew that, but one thing I didn't know is chili, like C-H-I-L-I, Chili. Yeah, that's the food my first host mother made me, and that's the first food that I made with my host sister in the house, and it's easy, but it's really good, it's so tasty, and I loved it. So, yeah, I want to bring back some chili spices, like powders, and I'm sure that I will make to my family.

Kate   
Chili is great.

Meika   
And with a lot of crackers, it was so good.

Kate   
Mmhmm yeah.

Kate   
And what sorts of things do you do with your host family? What sorts of activities did you get up to?

Meika   
So they did teach me a lot of like the holidays traditions, so in Japan we don't, we do not celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving or Easter, so those were like completely new experiences for me, and I was also surprised by how big and festive holidays like Halloween and Christmas are in the United States. They felt like much more elaborate than what I was used to in Japan, so my host family told me that how they prepare for holidays and where to go, what foods they eat, and the traditions that are important to them.
Especially, my first host family’s host mom came from Peru, so it's not only like American traditions. It's Peruvian traditions, so it was really interesting.

Kate   
Very interesting.

Meika   
Yeah. I love how Americans really enjoy celebrating holidays.

Kate   
Did you dress up for Halloween?

Meika   
I did. I went to Trick or Treat with a witch costume.

Kate   
Nice, nice. Have you been involved in any extracurricular activities in school?

Meika   
Yes, so at my first school I was part of the marching band and played a keyboard. Actually, I have been playing piano for about 13 years or something like that, but playing the keyboard in marching band was like completely different from playing piano by myself. So at first it was challenging because I had to play together with many other magicians, and I have to pay attention to the conductors, but I really enjoyed it, like we traveled to competitions by bus, and I was really tired almost every day, but it felt like a very American high school experience. Yeah, so I'm glad I could be part of it, and I have also done some volunteer work. My current host, Mom, is a third-grade teacher. So, I visited her classroom and gave presentations about Japan with my roommate. She's from Serbia. She's also a student.

Kate   
Okay.

Kate   
What was it like talking to a bunch of eight year olds about Japan?

Meika   
They are so funny, like they have a question for every single slide you know. And so one thing I was really fun was so one of the I one of the boy asked me like what is fun to do in Japan, and I said our taking a hot spring is really fun, it's kind of looks like a pool, but it's a bath. Everyone is naked and taking a bath together, and it's so comfortable.
So I really missed it. I said that, and one girl asked me, like, "Do you bring your own soap?" Yeah. "Yes, I do like they have soap, but it's not good for my hair and the skin, so I sometimes bring my own soap." They are really cute.

Kate   
That is, that is a very specific question, but you know something you would need to know!

Meika   
And actually, they can ask one, and she chose that question. It was really funny for me, and cute.

Kate   
I would have assumed that the kids would have been like, 'Oh, what is it like to be naked with all these people?’, and she's like, ‘But what about the soap?’ Okay, that's very cute.

Kate   
So how has this year, you've got about a month left, how has this year affected your personal development? How have you grown as a person?

Meika   
Actually, at the beginning of my exchange year, it was really hard for everything. Like English was not my strongest subject, so making friends and communicating with my host family took a lot of time and effort. Like, of course, there were some fun moments, but there are also a lot of challenges and frustrating ones. And one thing I learned is that nothing really starts unless you take action yourself.

I also realized that… so before coming here, I often felt pleasure to do everything perfectly, like I thought I always had to do things that right way, but during this year, like I have, I got in different situations, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know anything about us, and I had to make mistakes. I had to ask questions, and I had to accept help from other people, like through those experiences. I learned. Oh, that's it's like it's okay not to be perfect. And now, like, I have more confidence in myself, and I feel like I have a lot more room in my heart than I did before. So, yeah, that's my personal development, I guess.

Kate   
I like that a lot, and you know that's the kind of thing that when you go on in your life to back to Japan for school and for university and everything, university especially, like you're not going to be perfect. You're not going to know things, because that's just what it is. You know, you're gonna make mistakes, because we all do. So I feel like when people do AFS programs and other study abroad programs, they kind of learn that lesson before going to university, and then you're surrounded by other people at university who are learning this lesson for the first time, and they're like, “Oh my gosh, what's going on?” and you're like, no, like, you just gotta make mistakes. Just, just watch me, just watch me. I'm confident, I know,

Meika   
I'm really confident that I've done like this exchange program for 10 months in like different country for like alone, like no one is, you know, I know no one is, I know, like everything is new, and I survived me really confident.

Kate   
Yeah, yeah. And so it's like, okay, then going back to Japan, and going to a university where you take classes in Japanese, and you're surrounded by other Japanese people, you can do that.

Meika
Yes, of course.

Kate
Do you know what you want to study at university?

Meika   
Yes, I want to be a doctor in the future, especially going to war zones or conflict zones, or helping poor people in different countries. So yeah, I want to go to medical university.

Kate
Okay, well, I think that is it for me. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?

Meika   
Since it's a podcast, hopefully, a student who is interested in studying abroad is listening. So, maybe I can advise that I would say don't be afraid to try new things, don't be afraid to jump into an environment or situation that you are not familiar with, or you are not comfortable.
I'm sure that you can get used to it, and which means, like, you broaden your world, so you know the uncomfortable situation turns into your like comfortable zone, which means you broaden your world, I guess. So, yeah, I can say, like, don't be afraid of something unknown.

Kate   
Yeah, that, that is, that is great. I mean, putting yourself in new situations is really the best way to grow, because how do you know what you're capable of if you always say stay in the safe places, right?

Meika   
Yeah, yeah.

Kate   
Well, thank you so much. And I hope you have a great rest of your weekend.

Meika   
Yes. Thank you so much.

Kate   
Bye.

[Music]

Kate
That was Meika from Hiroshima, Japan, who spent her year in Connecticut and New York State. So, what can we take away from Meika's story? I think it’s the fact that spreading a message of peace can happen on any scale. Here at AFS-USA, we often call on our participants to 'Pass Peace Forward'- it’s a slogan you’ve probably seen all over our materials.
But Meika showed us what that actually looks like in practice. It looks like having the courage to travel to the very country that dropped an atomic bomb on your hometown, simply because you want to understand their perspective.

Through her curiosity in the classroom, the everyday conversations she had, and her artwork with Hearts of Hope, Meika embodied what it means to pass peace forward.

If you’re inspired by Meika’s story and want to help pass peace forward by hosting an exchange student of your own, head over to afsusa.org/host.

You can also learn more about the work being done at Hearts of Hope by visiting ourheartsofhope.org. Meika’s heart was chosen as the 2026 Commemorative Design for the Newtown Chapter of Hearts of Hope. As of me writing this, it is not for sale online just yet, but you can see her original design in the social media posts for this episode.

Kate
Thank you for listening to The AFS Exchange! I’m Kate Mulvihill. Let us know what you thought of this episode by sending a message to podcast@afsusa.org. You can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe there as well so you don’t miss any episodes in this 6th season.

This podcast was created by Kate Mulvihill. Social media by Julie Ball and Nina Gaulin. Special thanks to Diane Sarna.