Monthly Report: Zohar Dvir (June 2026)
The arrival in Japan was overwhelming. Everything was stimulating. I wanted to see and taste and explore. I wondered how am I ever going to sit down and start working, while Japan is right outside my doorstep. Luckily the first week was very structured - We were taken on day tours that pretty much covered the basics of what Hiroshima has to offer: The Peace memorial museum, Orizuru tower, Kagura performance, Miyajima, the Hiroshima Contemporary art museum, Motomachi apartments, and my favourite - the Zen experience, in which a monk slapped my back while I meditated.
That first week was incredible and exhausting. Miraculously, after four day trips I felt ready to sit down and start working on my project. I’m very thankful for the H-AIR team for organising this week for us. I don’t know how I could ever start working otherwise. I applied to H-AIR with a short film in development, so it was clear to me where to start - Another script draft, and then quickly diving into storyboarding. While rewriting the script I already sensed how my experience in Japan is impacting the story - from silly details like the fast food serving robots, to the buddhist scripture we read during meditation.
My film investigates the meaning of “Peace” in the world today, and being in Hiroshima, the city of Peace, helps my gain a new perspective on the term. Here Peace is not just the opposite of war. It’s a lifestyle choice. It’s about living together and caring for others. Bins ask you to “clean for peace”. The ‘Motomachi apartments’ - a social project that was built as a housing solution following the atomic bomb, claims to embody the concept of Peace. The football stadium is called the ‘Peace wing’. It’s on curry restaurants signs. Peace is everywhere. I’ve never heard this word so much in my life. I grew up in Israel, a land of eternal wars. Even in my current place of residence, Germany, the government spends more time gathering weapons and fearing possible future wars than thinking about Peace. I feel like I’m in a little peaceful bubble, a perfect setting for working on my film.
My film blends fiction with real interviews I have been conducting with people from around the world, so I plan on continuing my interviews here. The interviews will be conducted next month - with the participants of my workshop in Hiroshima, and with the Peace Education Lab in Nagasaki. I’m looking forward to hearing different perspectives on Peace.
And not peace related - I started exploring the area of Hiroshima with the other H-AIR residents. On of the highlights this month was a cycling trip on Shimanami Road - a famous cycling route that passes through a few islands. We ended the trip in Ikuchi Island and visited the famous Kosanji temple, the cave of a thousand Buddhas and the hill of hope - an absolute must! Another highlight from that day was the Hassaku Daifuku - a type of Mochi with real orange inside. It was so delicious. We went to Onomichi another day, a picturesque city known for its many temples (and the starting point of the cycling route). We also continued to explore Hiroshima on our own - and attended one of the summer festivals, where we got to see a purification ceremony and watched fireworks over the river.
The first month has been inspiring in more ways than I expected. I'm grateful to the H-AIR team for creating an environment that makes both creative work and cultural exchange possible. I’m also grateful to have met Bence and Clara and to share this experience with them. I'm looking forward to continuing my research, meeting new people, and bringing everything I've learned here into the film.