The City of Hiroshima, in collaboration with the City of Nagasaki, has established permanent A-bomb exhibitions at UN facilities in New York, Geneva, and Vienna. In order to more effectively convey the reality of the atomic bombings through the exhibitions, it is essential that the guides and tour staff share the reality of the bombings. For this reason, since 2017, we have been conducting the "Training session in Hiroshima for United Nations tour guides" in which tour guides from each facility are invited to Hiroshima to learn about the reality of the atomic bombing.
　In the past two years, affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the training was conducted online after various trials and errors. In 2022, for the first time in three years due to the relaxation of travel restrictions, six UN tour guides and others were invited to Hiroshima for five days from November 28 to December 2 for on-site training on the reality of the atomic bombing.
　On the first day of the training, the participants visited the permanent exhibition at Peace Memorial Museum, and on the following day, they toured the monuments in Peace Memorial Park with guides' explanations. Participants also had the opportunity to enter the A-bomb Dome, where they were breath taken by the tremendous power of the atomic bomb.
　On the third day, Dr. Hibiki Yamaguchi, a visiting researcher at the Research Center for Nuclear Weapons Abolition (RECNA) of Nagasaki University, gave a presentation on the reality of the atomic bombing in Nagasaki in order to deepen the understanding of the participants. In the afternoon, the group visited the Honkawa Elementary School Peace Museum. Ms. Miho Iwata, a guide, showed them around the museum and spoke about the experience of Ms. Iwata's mother, Chizuko Wataoka, who was the model for the picture book "Iwata's Grandma" In addition, the participants were able to deepen their understanding of the situation at the time of the atomic bombing by listening to firsthand accounts of A-bomb survivors Teruko Yahata and Hiroko Kishida, both of whom are Atomic bomb survivor registered with the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation.
　Participants commented that "having actually been in Hiroshima, I was able to get a clearer sense of the damage caused by the atomic bomb," "I would like to continue working on the issue of nuclear weapons, using the messages from hibakusha as a driving force," and "I would like to reflect my experience in Hiroshima in my guided tours and appeal for the need for nuclear weapons abolition with more reality."
　We will continue to enhance our ability to communicate the "Spirit of Hiroshima" to the international community by enhancing our exhibits on the A-bomb damage at UN facilities and enhance the content of explanations on the A-bombing and nuclear weapons abolition during tours held at each facility, with a focus on this project.