10,000 paper cranes added to 9/11 N.Y. visitor center

NEW YORK (Kyodo) Ten thousand paper cranes folded by the Japanese families and friends of Fuji Bank employees killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were hung Tuesday at a visitor center near ground zero.

People look at paper cranes folded in memory of Fuji Bank employees killed in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, at a visitor center in New York on Tuesday. KYODO PHOTO

"I think the display of cranes shows the international impact of 9/11," said Meriam Lobel, in charge of the Tribute WTC Visitor Center's exhibitions and programs. "It was a global event and it is very meaningful to us."

Spearheaded by the Sept. 11th Families Association, the center was opened to educate visitors by showcasing the personal stories of those who were killed. It has attracted more than 150,000 visitors since opening last Sept. 18.

Many of the Japanese who died that day worked for Fuji Bank, which was in the South Tower.

Lobel said it was the first time that an overseas group has contributed items to the center and hopes it may set a precedent for others to follow suit using their national traditions.

"It is very uplifting to have families contribute these wonderful chains of cranes that people have sat and carefully folded," she said, referring to their importance as handmade symbols of peace.

The idea for including the cranes as a permanent display came about as the center prepared for its opening. Exhibit designers expressed an interest in utilizing the cranes, having been inspired by a set of paper birds placed along a fence near the site.

"They have a very important message that is folded into them and that is an important part of what we would like people to understand," Lobel said.

She plans to have a Japan Society representative speak to visitors in May about the significance of paper cranes in Japanese culture.

The colorful chains of cranes vary in form -- ranging from those made from sheet music to others made from traditional origami paper. They are grouped into 150 strands that hang over a staircase leading from a room dedicated to the victims to another more uplifting area that focuses on the "voices of promise."