Jan. 1 has come and gone which can only mean one thing… the 76th anniversary of the Battle of Layac Junction, the opening salvo of the Battle of Bataan, has also just occurred and I missed my chance to say something about it. (Jan. 6)
That aside, this is also a good time to evaluate what I plan to see this year and begin working toward that goal. The travel I do isn’t just for fun but is actually research toward a particular goal. Incidentally that goal isn’t to dominate Jeopardy but if I’m to get it done there’s a lot more travel and reading to do.
I may not see every place on the goal list this year, but inshallah, I’ll at least get half way through it! Hopefully reading this gives you a few to-do list ideas as well and introduces you to some place you may not have considered visiting just yet.
Note: Since I have not been to these places all images come from the official websites of the locations I’d like to see. Click on the image to go to their original pages. Not every place had official images unfortunately.
Maizuru Red Brick Warehouses
Maizuru (Kyoto Prefecture, Japan)
Maizuru was home to one of Japan’s four large Naval arsenals. Smaller than Sasebo, Yokosuka or Kure, it still played a vital role in keeping the Imperial Japanese Navy ready to fight during its 44 years of service. After the war ended it was one of the primary repatriation centers, like Sasebo’s Uragashira, for returning Imperial troops and colonists. In 1958 it was the last to cease operations.
Today Maizuru is home to an active JMSDF base and has preserved several red brick warehouses from the age of the Imperial Japanese Nave. It also has a repatriation museum of its own.
Kakamigahara Aerospace Museum (Kakamihara, Gifu Prefecture, Japan)
More than a year ago I went warbird hunting in Kagoshima, visiting Chiran and Bansei kamikaze museums and saw a number of rare birds. Unfortunately no longer among them is a Ki-61 Hien or “Tony” fighter that after decades of being at Chiran had been moved to Kakamigahara not too long before my visit.
So that means I have to visit Kakamigahara after it reopens this March.
Not only does it have the Hien, but there’s also a replica prototype Zero. (The Zero was first flown here.) Beyond that there’s also dozens of Japanese aircraft from the early days of flight to the space age.
The Fighter Museum (Narusawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan)
This place restores Zero fighters, has most of a Betty and a collection of vintage cars. Need I say more? Opens only in August, so I guess I have August plans now.
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Ordnance Museum (Tsuchiura) & Oarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan
Tsuchiura has a functional Type 89 tank and a Type 3 tank on display as well as a glorious column of Japanese armor from the Cold War. Unfortunately trying to get permission to visit this museum, because it is on a base, has been a hassle as I’ve hit multiple road blocks and every time I did what I was told they found more red tape before finally telling me to go away until I can find a service member to sponsor me on base. (Which contradicts the stated policies on their website for visitation.)
Not too far away is Oarai, the real life town that Girls Und Panzer’s Oarai is based on. I love tanks. Don’t judge me.
“Bunny Island” Okunoshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
Today Okunoshima is famous for being over-run with adorable bunnies. This is to help visitors overlook that this island was previously a secret chemical weapons factory. The ruins are intact and there’s a museum dedicated to telling Okunoshima’s story. From what I can tell they do not glorify the factory, whose gas was used against civilian populations in China, but rather try to teach about the horrors of chemical warfare.
Rabaul, Papua New Guinea
A World War II battleground and Japanese stronghold, Rabaul is home to many wartime wrecks. I’ve been advised to visit before the scavengers pick the area clean.
Rabaul wasn’t on my radar until late last year. My Dad was retiring from the Navy after three decades and friends of his came from around the world to see it happen. One of them was a mate from school who happens to live near Rabaul and after talking about it a bit he’s offered to show me around if I ever got down there. So now I practically have to go.
I hope some of these places interest you as well as me and hopefully visit them on your own or read about my visits to them before the year is out.