Cruise delivers peace and joy

Fukushima students and Japanese Peace Boat converge on Cairns

HASHIMURA Yurina, Okada Ryota and Shirakubo Yui brought culture and smiles to Cairns when the Japanese Peace Boat sailed in to the city yesterday. The stopover coincided with a visit by children from Fukushima, hosted by Smile With Kids.

STUDENTS from Fukushima have been able to walk barefoot on the pavement and splash in the waters at Cairns, something that has been denied to them since the 2011 nuclear disaster.

Cairns charity Smile With Kids welcomed eight students to the city yesterday, the same day the Japanese Peace Boat docked at Cairns Port for its 101st voyage.

The visiting kids from Fukushima and the Peace Boat crew were welcomed at a City of Hope ceremony on the Esplanade yesterday.

Smile With Kids president Maki McCarthy formed the charity in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, caused by the earthquake in 2011.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which killed about 19,000 people, also caused a meltdown at the Fukushima power plant.

Ms McCarthy said they wanted to help young people whose lives had been changed by the radiation exposure from the incident.

“Since the earthquake, they haven’t been able to swim in the ocean or walk around on bare feet,” she said.

“They come here, they can enjoy the ocean, the natural environment and talk about what’s been going on at Fukushima since the disaster.”

The Japanese Peace Boat has been sailing the world since 1983, promoting a message of equality, sustainability and human rights.

Peace Boat International coordinator Daniel Read said it was exciting to make their first visit to Cairns in more than three years, to coincide with the Fukushima students.

“Smile With Kids are our partners here in Cairns and we’re grateful for the support they’ve given us,” he said.

“We hope to promote a sustainable future for everyone, so that natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.

“It’s a holiday for us, but at the same time one of the main goals is for people on the cruise to learn about the places they’re going to.”

More than 1000 passengers from the Peace Boat explored Cairns yesterday, before leaving to return to Japan.

Pictures: BRENDAN RADKE TRADITIONAL DANCE: Hashimura Yurina performs for the watching crowd on the Western Events Lawn on the Cairns Esplanade.

MEETING: Yuhi Watanabe, Yushi Ito, Miko Kanbayashi, Shirakubo Yui, Ogawa Chizuko, Emai Haduni, Karin Hirakuri, Kuchiki Hirotaka and Kanno Yua at the Esplanade Lagoon.

Watch video from the event www.cairnspost.com.au