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Naoya Azuma / Yomiuri Shimbun photos Lef: Grand Hotel floral stylist Stein Are Hansen holds an orizuru paper crane used to decorate a Christmas tree in lobby on Sunday in Oslo. Right: Replicas of the Nobel Prize medal along with a drawing of a paper crane on display at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo.
By Daiki Komatsu and Kyoko Mine / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
17:33 JST, December 10, 2024
OSLO — In one of Oslo’s top hotels, numerous orizuru paper cranes have been added to the lights and ornaments decorating a large Christmas tree in the lobby, symbolizing the mixing of the Christmas season with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to the Japanese organization dedicated to the elimination of atomic weapons.
Such a scene helped representatives of the Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations) feel the warmth of the Norwegian capital even in winter upon arriving for the award ceremony, which was to be held on Tuesday afternoon.
“I was happy that so many people welcomed us,” Hidankyo cochair Toshiyuki Mimaki, 82, said as he had breakfast with another cochair Terumi Tanaka, 92, on the first floor of the historic hotel on Monday morning. “I felt the high level of attention and interest in the Peace Prize.”
The Grand Hotel, established in 1874, has a 3.5-meter-high Christmas tree welcoming guests to its lobby. As for the paper cranes, which are regarded as a symbol of peace, the hotel’s floral stylist Stein Are Hansen said he added them as a sign of respect and welcome for the survivors of atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Learning their stories
Located about 8,400 kilometers from Japan in southeastern Norway, Oslo is the country’s largest city with a population of about 700,000. There are only about six hours of daylight during the winter, and the temperature on Monday was a bone-chilling minus 7 C.
Fronting the hotel is Karl Johans Gate, the main street running from Oslo Central Station to the Royal Palace. Banners reading “The Nobel Peace Prize” flutter throughout the area, which bustles with families going about their Christmas shopping.
“The whole city gets excited as the award ceremony always coincides with the Christmas season,” the 49-year-old owner of a smoked food shop said, adding, “I would like to hear the hibakusha’s stories and learn about the history of the atomic bombings this year.”
Unprecedented media interest
Various events have been planned for both before and after the award ceremony.
Nobel Peace Center Executive Director Kjersti Flogstad said she was moved that A-bomb survivors came all the way from Japan to step foot in Oslo, and expressed admiration for their long-standing testimonies which she wants passed on to future generations.
Naoya Azuma / The Yomiuri Shimbun A special artwork constructed by noted architect Kengo Kuma will be displayed at the Nobel Peace Prize Exhibition in Oslo from Thursday.
From Thursday, the center will hold an exhibition recounting the history of the Hidankyo. Noted architect Kengo Kuma has contributed a special work of 1,000 boards, each representing a hibakusha and inscribed with details such as where they were bombed and their age at the time, based on testimonies compiled by the Hidankyo.
Materials on loan from the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and elsewhere, as well as photographs of the A-bombed cities taken after the bombings, will also be on display.
The exhibition conveys the message that nuclear weapons must never be used again, Flogstad commented.
The Norwegian Nobel Institute, which houses the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s office and is situated near the Royal Palace, has seen unprecedented media interest in this year’s ceremony.
Erik Aasheim, 57, a media advisor at the institute, said he had originally expected 40 media members to attend, but 120 journalists registered from Japan alone. Adding in those from other countries, there are 200 in total, which is a record number for the Peace Prize ceremony.
