Sadako Sasaki was a 2 year old girl living in Nagasaki when the atomic bomb dropped on the city, and she suffered from radiation poisoning. Before her death at the age of 12, she attempted to fold 1000 paper cranes due to a popular Japanese legend that doing so will grant one wish and bring good fortune. She died before she can finish 1000 cranes and her story became one of the most well-known tragic tale associated with the atomic bomb. Today, people still leave paper cranes in front of the monument]]> a cool evening by the lakeside. Back then, paintings showing Japanese women in kimono were popular and touted as an exemplar of Japanese feminine beauty. ]]>