The Beginning of the Reiwa/令和 Era
On May Day, May 1, and on Constitution Day, May 3, I went to Den Haag by train for the first time after a while with the whole family (including Papa!) The Japanese embassy has a booth where people can register and write a message to celebrate the coronation of the new Emperor. We each wrote a congratulatory message with our names. Our passport is only valid for less than a few months from now, so I also wanted to have our passports renewed, Since the application form for the passport that came from the embassy window was still labeled as "Heisei era/平成," it was necessary to erase the previous era name and handwrite the letters "the first year of Reiwa era." It was the moment that we suddenly realized the end of the Heisei era.
５月１日のMay Day、そして３日の憲法記念日に久しぶりに家族みんなで電車に乗って（パパも！）、デン・ハーグにお出かけしました。日本大使館には新天皇のご即位をお祝いする記帳台が設置されていて、それぞれお祝いのメッセージと名前を書きました。パスポートの残存期間が数ヶ月足らずだったので、更新手続きも済ませることに。大使館の窓口で渡されたパスポートの申請書は「平成」と印字されたままで、平成の文字を消して「令和元年」の文字を手書きする必要がありました。思いがけず平成の終わりを実感するときとなりました。
※There is no photo inside the embassy because it is prohibited inside the embassy. /大使館内は撮影禁止なので館内での写真はありません。
After leaving the embassy, we took a walk to the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis). The Peace Palace has a magnificent mission to symbolize world peace and justice. One of the facilities inside it is the International Court of Justice, also known as the "World Court," which is also known that the new Empress Masako's father Mr. Hisashi Owada/小和田恆 served as president there.
A beautifully kept tree near the entrance to the International Court of Justice has a huge number of strips that are hanging where visitors wrote their wishes for world peace. This was really a heartwarming scene for me.
大使館を出たら、平和宮殿(Vredespaleis)までお散歩。平和宮には世界の平和と正義を象徴するという壮大なミッションがあります。内部には「世界法廷」とも呼ばれる国際司法裁判所等を擁し、新皇后雅子さまのご尊父 小和田恆氏が所長を務めていたことでも知られています。入り口の美しく手入れされた樹には、訪れた人の平和を願う短冊がびっしり吊るされていて胸が熱くなりました。
Haags Herdenkingsmonument/The Hague Resistance and Liberation Memorial/ハーグ追悼碑: https://www.stichtingnationaleherdenkingsgravenhage.nl/events/haags-herdenkings-monument/
This is the well-known peace pole with the words "世界人類が平和でありますように/Sekai jinrui ga heiwa de arimasu youni." It has been translated into several languages, including the English translation "May Peace Prevail on Earth." As a symbol of peace, it is established in various places in Japan, shrines, temples, churches, mosques, parks, etc. and in various countries around the world, as well as in international organizations such as the UN Headquarters, World Bank, and Arab League Headquarters.
「世界人類が平和でありますように」という言葉が書かれた通称ピースポール。英語の "May Peace Prevail on Earth" をはじめとして世界各国語に翻訳され、平和のシンボルとして日本をはじめ世界各国の神社・お寺・教会・モスク・公園等、さらに国連本部、世界銀行、アラブ連盟本部などの国際機関にも建てられています。
両日とも、平和宮殿からデン・ハーグ駅までの途中のPrins Hendrikplein公園で持参したお弁当を食べ、そこにいる鳩と１時間ほど戯れた後、ユトレヒトで電車を乗り換えて帰路につきました。
For both days, on the way from the Peace Palace to Den Hague Station, we opened our homemade sushi lunch box at Prins Hendrikplein. After playing for about an hour with the pigeons there, we rode on the trains in Utrecht and returned home.
