Today we travel to Kyushu’s most southern prefecture – Kagoshima. Kagoshima is the perfect place if you prefer a more subtropical weather green landscapes. However, we do not take a look at Kagoshima City today, but at a more rural though historical relevant place of Kagoshima Prefecture and Japan – Chiran.
Chiran, which is now part of the town of Minamikyushu, was the place where the last Kamikaze pilots took off to south to fight in the battle of Okinawa during the Second World War. Many of those male pilots where still under the age of 20 when they took off, knowing that they would lose their lives in Japan’s last attempt to win the war.
Today, the former air base of Chiran serves as a museum. The “Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots” was built to remember the young men who lost their lives on their last flight. Inside you will find letters, poems and other personal belongings of the pilots as well as photographs of all the 1 036 pilots. Outside the museum, there are four planes, which were recovered and rebuilt. Next to the museum, you will also find a shrine and a barrack, which show the pilots’ life before their departure from Chiran. Moreover, you can ring a peace bell in front of the museum.
The entrance fee is 500 Yen for adults and 300 Yen for children.
If you are interested in Japanese history and especially World War II, Chiran and its peace museum certainly are interesting places to visit.
http://www.japanese-school-asahi.com/
