Thousands of paper cranes are piled high in a multi-coloured and joyful mass, despite evoking Sasaki Sadako, a girl who died at the age of 12 from leukaemia caused by the atomic fallout. When she learned of her illness, she decided to make 1 000 origami cranes (anyone who does so is said to be granted a wish, such as long life). She finished 644 before she died, and since then children from all over the world have been sending cranes, as a sign of peace. These highly symbolic cranes are placed around the statue which has stood in honour of the young victim since 1958.