On the 80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima: Thoughts of a Hiroshima Bar Owner

2026.10.05

In short: on the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (6 August 2025), Hiroshima-born bar owner Mika Tanimoto reflects on growing up with the city’s peace education, the dilemma of nuclear deterrence, and why she always encourages overseas guests to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum — not just the Atomic Bomb Dome.

—— Knowing the facts.

I was born in Hiroshima, grew up in Hiroshima, and still live in Hiroshima.

I am sure it will always be Hiroshima for me.

When I was a child, summer meant folding paper cranes, going to the Peace Park and listening to the stories of the atomic bomb survivors who share their experiences.

Reading “Barefoot Gen” and thinking about peace under the A-bombed trees.

For anyone at a Hiroshima elementary school, it was a kind of summer tradition.

Many people in Hiroshima wish, “Nuclear weapons are terrible — they should disappear.”

On the other hand, precisely because they know how terrible war is, some say, “We should have nuclear weapons as a deterrent.”

As an adult, you come to see that there is some logic to having them, too.

Even so, I still think nuclear weapons should disappear, and I never imagined that physical wars would still be happening.

If war came, I thought it would be through IT or viruses.

Can people only fight through physical domination?

Can we not all join hands and achieve peace?

If we say such things, will we lose under capitalism?

Is a beautiful world impossible?

A beautiful world and capitalism are, in a way, at odds with each other, and only those who manage that well rise to the top.

But at the same time, it is built on someone’s sacrifice.

Sometimes, people who choose practical gain end up making someone happier than people who pursue a beautiful world.

Dilemmas and complicated things like that are all tangled together.

In the end, I think everything is just talk from one’s own position.

That is exactly why I believe it is important to know the facts properly and to hold your own position.

I run a whisky bar, and sometimes I show guests from overseas around.

Quite a few of them say, even when they visit Hiroshima, “I don’t want to go to the museum.”

—— “Why should we be shown the world from your point of view?”
Some people carry feelings like that.

Even so, when I tell them I really want them to come with me and they go, every one of them says, “I’m glad I came.”

Unlike what they imagined beforehand, there is an experience there that moves the heart.

I may not be qualified to talk about something as big as world peace.

Even if I talk about it, it probably won’t have any great impact.

But as someone born and raised in Hiroshima, there is meaning in speaking about peace in my own words.

Over a single glass, I would like to talk about these things, just a little.

That is my wish, from a corner of Hiroshima.

* To those visiting Hiroshima:
Many people see the Atomic Bomb Dome and stop there — but please also visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
There are “facts” there that photos and words alone cannot convey.

* To people in the whisky and rum trade:

When you come to Hiroshima, I can help with arrangements and show you around. Please feel free to get in touch (free of charge).

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Every encounter is meant to be. Welcome to the world of Rum&Whisky.

Mika Tanimoto, Bar Little Happiness