Home
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was a Japanese businessman, more or less unremarkable in almost every way. He worked for a shipbuilding company during the Second World War. There is really only one thing that makes him special. He was on a business trip to Hiroshima in August 1945, when the United States dropped a nuclear weapon there. He survived the attack with severe burns, then decided to go home to recover.
To Nagasaki, just in time to be bombed again.
He was the only recognised survivor of both bombings, and he died on Monday from stomach cancer at age 93. He has, apparently, written several books and songs about his experiences. Another piece of history crystallises, hopefully not to be forgotten.
In other news, it's snowing out again. I think we've got about an inch settled now, and it's starting to compact into ice on the footpaths. The roads are mostly clear, thanks to gritters and snowploughs, but I've already seen one Council truck jack-knifed in its parking area, so that may not continue. Conditions treacherous. I decided the footpath outside ours needed some attention this time (it's on a ~20 degree slope, so ice is a bad thing), so went to B&Q to buy a shovel. They very tolerantly didn't laugh at me, and ended up selling me a dutch hoe (with a sharp stainless steel blade) and a stiff broom instead, which are making a decent account of themselves, much though the job is taking ages. I'll just burn off a lot of energy doing it, I guess, which is probably good for me.