A Thousand Cranes

One of the most memorable things I did when I was living in Japan was going to Hiroshima for the anniversary ceremony of the atomic blast of World War II. Thousands of lives were lost on that eventful day. Among those was a little girl by the name of Sadako Sasaki. After the blast, she developed leukemia and was hospitalized. During her stay, her and her friend made paper cranes in hopes to have a wish granted . Sadly, though she past away a few months later. Her touching story since then has inspired millions of people all over the world to make a thousands of cranes and send them to Hiroshima as a symbol of peace and in honor of the lives that were lost during the blast.

It was two or three months since my family and I moved to Japan from Hawaii and I was having a hard time adjusting to my new life in Japan as well as trying to get used to my new school and the new kids that surrounded me. It was a difficult transition for me and I barely made any friends at the time. One day, I remembered, my social studies teacher Mrs. Bork decided to have our class make a thousand cranes and bring them to Hiroshima for the Hiroshima memorial. I remember we would usually have our daily lesson for the first part of the class and for the rest of the time we would sit around and make paper cranes. This was my first time I ever made a paper crane and I struggled at first, but I finally got the hang of making them. Once we made a good number of them, my teacher announced that all the students who were part of her social studies class including this one was going to take a field trip to Hiroshima for the anniversary ceremony. I was pretty excited. I got a chance to see different parts of Japan and the other, which may sounds a little elementary, but it was the first time I went on a school field trip and had to stay over night.

On the day of the field trip, we spend nine hours on the road going to Hiroshima. The bus was pretty cramped with all the students and teachers, but it still felt kind of cozy. The one thing that I remembered about the bus ride was that everybody around me all had portable CD players and their CD booklets with them. This was before iPods were around and back then, some people had to carry their CDs with them. I also remembered everyone around me was listening to nu metal bands like Adema, Orgy, Crazytown, Korn and of course the most popular nu metal band at the time (they don't consider themselves nu metal anymore), Linkin Park. I didn't remember what I had in my CD player at that time, but I knew it was not in the same ballpark or even the same league with the stuff that everyone else was listening to on the bus. We finally got there and stayed at a gym in the military base close to Hiroshima.

The following day we went the ceremony at Hiroshima. The areas was filled with some many people paying their respects to the millions that were lost in atomic blast. There were also millions and millions of cranes surrounding the memorial. It was then that I realize that they didn't just represent those that died during the event, but the thousands of cranes were a symbol of peace and a reminder of how valuable it is. It was very touching. Before we took the long journey back to Yokosuka, I made a quick trip to the BXtra (it is like a department store in the military) there. Immediately I went to the music section to see their CD selections. There were many great releases that came out that time but the one that caught my eye and sparked my interest was a duo by the name of Evan and Jaron. I have seen their music video "Crazy For This Girl" on VH1 before and I have enjoyed their single, but I have never heard of their other songs. I brought their CD to the one of the listening stations and after listening to a few songs I was sold. I bought the CD and for the whole trip back I was listening to the pop rock duo.

I'll admit, this CD is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary.I'm not saying that the Lowenstein brothers did not do a great job with the record. As a matter of fact, their self-titled release is a fairly good one filled with great melodies and superb vocals. There was a certain vibe that I received from listening to it that I could not explain. But then I realize that the reason why I was so drawn to the album were the lyrics. The lyrics are not only well written, honest and very genuine. but they are very relatable. Anybody, no matter what music they listen, can easily enjoy and relate to this album. One song that I absolutely enjoy and admire is a song called "Ready or Not" which is the second track on the album. The way I interpret the song is that it about someone who is about to embark on something new. The song made references to going to a new place and meeting new people. It was about change. This really hit home to me because it was in reference to my recent move from Hawaii. I was dealing with a big change in my life. Moving to a different place (practically a different country), meeting new people and experiencng a brand new culture. In a way this song was about facing those changes head on no matter what happens. I really admire the message behind the song. Another one that I enjoy was the song "The Distance" which explains the pain one goes through when someone they love is far away from them. It is a very beautiful song. The rest of the album is also very fantastic with songs I suggest listening to are "Done Hanging On Maybe", "Wouldn't Be Nice To Be Proud" and "You Don't Know Me".

Evan and Jaron's self-titled album is a very memorable one. The music and vocals on the album is great, but I have to say the album's biggest strength is in lyrics and how people can relate to them. This album is special to me because it not only came to at an important time in my life, but it taught me the importance of change. While some people learn to accept them, there are others who struggle against them. It is important to understand that change is always constant and once we learn to accept that then we can truly embrace all that life has offer. It may even take you to places that you have never been before.