Official

On January 27, 1945 (1945), Umekichi was a junior high school student that day.

"It was cloudy that day. The clouds were low, indeed it was Saturday. When I looked up at the sky, I couldn't see the plane. That's why the whole sky was covered with clouds. It was a school that day, but for some reason, unusually he returned home around noon."

Umekichi's narrative is smart and rhythmical. I'm an Edo kid! It makes me think.

"That was around 1:30 p.m.,"

The Ginza, Yurakucho, and Kyobashi area were aired. Umekichi, with his family, entered a semi-underground air raid shelter in the house and waited for the air raid to pass. Every time the bomb fell, the terrible sound and shaking hit the area. Umekichi's house was spared from the damage, but just a few hundred meters away, enormous damage was caused.

"When I went out of the air raid shelter, I couldn't see the other side of the glass door. The dust was amazing anyway. It took 30 minutes to settle down. Finally, when I went out and looked at Ginza, the smoke was rising. It's just around the Hattori Clock Store. But it's not the Ginza that you're thinking now, because I've been so lonely that I can't help anymore."

Mr. Umekichi explained how there was no "thing" at that time.

"The most difficult thing to convey to people today is that there is no 'thing'. I don't have anything anymore. I have nothing to eat. At that time, Mitsukoshi was only open up to the third floor. I don't have anything to sell anymore. There are few people in the shop. I didn't even think about shopping in a department store anymore."

It is said that Umekichi's shop also took out items that weren't out of the shop and sold them to the entrants. And there were three matches and one candle. And what I was most frustrated was

"The Kirin in Nihonbashi, the Lion in Mitsukoshi, and all the railings of any bridge were taken by metal collection."
That's right.

These are those that tell Chuo-ku, which we know well now. Both the Kirin in Nihonbashi and the lion in Mitsukoshi are indispensable in Chuo-ku. Speaking of the balustrade of the bridge, Chuo-ku is the city of water and as a museum of bridges.
It was a time when such things were neglected under the name of war, not an exception. With that in mind, I felt like I was taught again how peaceful it was now.

However, the Kirin and the lions of Mitsukoshi in Nihonbashi were collected, but fortunately escaped from difficulties and remained. After all, it may have had some strange power as a symbol loved by people.

And Umekichi regretted that if he had finished the war a few months earlier, he would not know the number of people who helped him. How miserable the end of the war was, remains intensely in the eyes of those who lived there.

"We are flowing in the blood. At all, war must not be done."

And Umekichi spoke with tears. It was a story of the miserable sight that Umekichi saw. It was the terribleness of the air raid and the figure of the victims without voice. Everyone at the venue lost their breath only.

Umekichi talked about his impressive episode.

"Oh, I'm often told to be called to elementary school and talk about war, but at that time, the student wrote and sent me an impression. I was talking about it without care, and there was a child who wrote it."

And Umekichi begins to talk.

"When I say goodbye to the guy who is on the desk at school, I've wondered if I could meet him tomorrow. ・'--And then, the air raid just after that, was killed."

Umekichi seems to have had such experiences many times. For us who don't know war, that word is very shocking. Even today, such situations can occur due to disasters, etc., but the decisive difference is that war is caused by human hands. Mr. Umekichi emphasized that.

Mr. Umekichi appealed to us without regretting and decorating everything he could say. Umekichi's words were full of affection and humor. And the stylish and stylish narrative of the Edo kid's style caught our hearts from beginning to end and kept them away.

This lecture is scheduled to be introduced in "Chuo-ku TV public relations program Hello Chuo-ku".
The video will be released on the website from August 26 (Monday).
https://www.city.chuo.lg.jp/kusei/kohokotyo/tvkohodoga.html

Television broadcasting will be from August 25 (Sun) to August 30 (Fri).
Cable TV 11ch (111ch)

★Recommended by Minato kid★

Chuo FM 84.0 "The Story of Umekichibo-chan, Takaramachi, Kyobashi-ku, now and now"

Umekichibo, who is familiar with Edo studies, talks about the old streets of Chuo-ku and the state of the people with his own humor. The words of JUMI, who serves as the listener, are warm, the interaction between the two is light, and make the listener smile. Minato-ko loves this program!

Central FM Program List

http://fm840.jp/timetable.html

Correspondent Minato kid, Chuo-ku Tourism Association
No. 57 August 21, 2019