The statue of an age-wearied field marshal astride his horse guards the entrance to Hagi Chuo Park. Perhaps he’s scrutinizing files on parade or gazing upon a battlefield, though these days his only remaining enemies are pigeons and errant…
Fighting the Kriegsmarine and Kamikazes: A Short History of USS Emmons (DD-457/DMS-22)
This article was originally written for a college class, but the uncommon subject matter is one I think my readers would find interesting so I am presenting it here with minor changes. To learn more about Emmons I recommend reaching…
Rikkunland: The Most Accessible Display of Modern Japanese Armor and Fighting Vehicles!
I briefly wrote about Rikkunland as part of a 2017 article on bigger vacation, here I’m sharing slightly more information and a lot more photographs of the rare to see Japanese armor and fighting vehicles. In countries that are not…
The Zero Hunter: Let’s Visit All of Japan’s Restored, Replica and Wreck Zero Fighters!
This year marks the 82nd anniversary of the Zero’s first flight on Apr. 1, 1939. Like battleship Yamato, the Zero is an instantly recognized symbol of Japan despite its current pacifistic leanings. The design is still aesthetically pleasing making it…
Himeyuri Peace Museum Completes Renovation
The Himeyuri Peace Museum in Itoman reopened after a renovation on Apr. 12, 2021. The renovation gave the exhibits a facelift and tweaked their presentation in order to better reach a modern, younger audience growing more distant from the war.…
Eight Minutes Over Nagoya: The Nagoya Garrison and the Doolittle Raid
Meiji-mura is an open air architectural park with dozens of architectural and still functional technological wonders from turn-of-the-century Japan. I came ready to see the era and even dressed in a yukata with fedora, like all the old Japanese men…
Okinoerabujima: One of Japan’s Hidden Tropical Getaways
(This is a version of the story originally published in Stripes Japan’s Destination Paradise) As the interisland ferry approached Okinoerabujima, I still wasn’t sure if I’d made a mistake coming here. Before us was an island of high sea cliffs…
David’s Top Five Museum Ships
I did a Top Five Tanks a few years back so decided now would be a good time to do another one but with my top five favorite museum ships. I’m a guy and I love history, so my favorite…
Real World Demon Slayer Location Then and Now: Asakusa
This mini article was first published Jan. 21, 2020 on Wayfarer Daves Facebook. These will not be replacing regular full-length articles but may supplement from time to time on off weeks. Last week I went to Tokyo for the Suzu’s…
Historic Birthdays: Saigo Takamori (1828)
Saigo Takamori was born Jan. 23, 1828 in Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain. The son of a samurai tax clerk in the poorest samurai district of Kagoshima, I don’t imagine anyone that day would expect this boy to be one of the…