Senbazuru: A wish in a thousand folds
Senbazuru is an ancient Japanese legend that promises that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish by a crane—perhaps for a long life or recovery from illness.
One of the most remarkable moments of my trip to Japan happened just three days after saying goodbye to my fellow Local Guides at the close of #ConnectLive Tokyo 2025… and it didn’t happen there, but in a place located about 675 kilometers from Tokyo: Hiroshima.
The first visit: curiosity and silence
Two years ago, I was invited by Google to attend Contributor Conversations 2023 in Tokyo. On that trip, together with Bere Marichi, I visited the island of Miyajima. At the end of the day, we made a very quick stop in Hiroshima to see the sites and monuments at the Peace Memorial Park.
This place, which witnessed one of the most tragic moments in human history, also left us deeply curious when we came across a monument surrounded by paper figures we knew almost nothing about: the Children’s Peace Monument.
That time, we simply walked through the grounds in silence, as a gesture of respect and gratitude for the opportunity to visit and see with our own eyes such a symbolic place in world history—but we left with many questions about the meaning of that particular area.
The invitation that reignited a memory
In May of this year, I was thrilled to receive an email inviting me to attend #ConnectLive Tokyo 2025 for two days. I knew it was my chance to spend a few extra days exploring everything Japan has to offer—its history and culture. And immediately, that sculpture I had briefly seen in Hiroshima two years earlier came to mind.
I decided I had to return to that very same place and find out what made it so special, and what kind of paper figures were displayed there in such large numbers…
Sadako, the monument, and the cranes
It didn’t take long to discover that those paper figures were origami cranes, connected to the legend of Senbazuru—and that everything was tied to the Children’s Peace Monument and, most importantly, to the story of Sadako Sasaki.
Everything clicked in my mind at once: this was a unique opportunity for the Local Guides Mexico community to have a symbolic presence in Japan, in such a meaningful place.
Activating the #TeamTacos
I had to act quickly—my flight to Japan was less than a month away. I immediately reached out to the amazing #TeamTacos, the core team behind our Local Guides Mexico activities.
In a short 20-minute Google Meet call—a record for me, as I can talk for hours—I told them the story of Sadako Sasaki: a two-year-old girl living in Hiroshima who survived the atomic bombing in 1945, but who, ten years later, developed leukemia caused by radiation exposure.
Sadako remembered the Senbazuru legend and set out to fold one thousand origami cranes, wishing for her recovery… but she never finished, passing away after folding just over 600 cranes. Her classmates completed the remaining cranes, and years later, Hiroshima built a monument in her memory—the Children’s Peace Monument, which still receives paper cranes from around the world as a symbol of the wish for peace and an end to war.
My message to #TeamTacos was simple: fold paper cranes to bring physically to Hiroshima, as a symbolic offering from Local Guides Mexico, and place them beneath Sadako’s statue. Everyone immediately embraced the idea—and took it even further. Just one week later, Lalo was hosting an in-person meetup to celebrate Connect’s anniversary, and we could bring paper so attendees could make their own cranes.
More cities join… and a 5th-grade classroom
I reached out to Local Guides from other cities in Mexico, with whom I’m in regular contact, to invite them to join and send their paper cranes by mail.
But the idea that touched me the most came from Janis—a primary school teacher in Mexico City with a class of 5th graders. She would share Sadako’s story with her students so they could create their own paper cranes to send to Hiroshima.
The project was now in motion.
Over the next week, Janis shared photos in our chat of her students making cranes—some decorated with traditional Mexican sombreros, sequins, bright colors, and even Japanese messages written on their wings. It was impossible not to feel moved seeing how children immediately understood these universal messages of peace and hope.
The Connect Anniversary meetup
On Saturday, July 12, we held the in-person meetup for Connect’s anniversary, where participants also learned about Sadako’s story. Using the colorful paper that Imperio brought, everyone focused on folding their own cranes, as Lalo described in his meetup recap. That same day, I received the cranes made by Janis’s students and combined them with the ones made during the meetup.
Three days before my flight to Japan, I also received an envelope with cranes sent from other cities across the country. By then, I had a complete package to carry with me—full of cranes and wishes for peace from many corners of Mexico.
---
Next chapter
But the story doesn’t end here. In the second part, you’ll see the most anticipated moment: the arrival of the Mexican origami cranes in Hiroshima…
[Now you can read the second part here]
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to @Bere_Marichi @Imperiospice @Janis_delaluz @LaloPadilla @luis_rich @cuicani, Alejanda Villa @Avillac , @Lizyeth_Villanueva , Daniel, Osvaldo, Sandra, Ceci Sotero, Edith, Cesar, Santi, Giuliana, and all the 5th-grade students from PetrĂłleos Mexicanos Primary School in Mexico City for joining this initiative.
Tip for fellow Local Guides: When you visit the Children’s Peace Monument, you can also send your own cranes in advance or bring them with you. They will become part of a global symbol of peace.
