WW2-related sights in Japan?

[Wikingus]

Hello to everyone after my long hiatus from the forum (very little time left to play WiTP:AE these days... ).

I will be traveling to Japan in March, and I know this might be one of the best places to ask for suggestions on what to see, in particular - whether there are any sights/buildings/anything else that a War in the Pacific buff would find interesting? I will mostly stay on Honshu, although I may venture to one of the other islands as well. And places such as Hiroshima are already on the list, but obviously I'm looking for more suggestions, including any off the beaten track.

[patrickl]

There is the Yamato repilica ship in Kobe, I think somewhere there. The Yakusuni shrine in Tokyo has WW 2 displays.

[wdolson]

There are some good air museums, though I don't know for sure where they are. One has the world's last Emily.

Bill

[Wikingus]

Thank you! I've found the Yamato museum (which is in Kure, I believe, and appears to also house a midget sub and an airplane or two), which is right next to the Maritime Self-Defense Force museum. That's one day sorted. [:D]

I'll also do some googling for the air museums.

[CaptDave]

I've only been to Japan once, and what I have to offer is only tangentially related to WWII. If you have a chance to get to Nagasaki, you can see the stark contrast between old and new. The Dutch quarter was pretty much unaffected by the atomic bomb, and many of the buildings date to the early days of western "infiltration" into the country. This is at the south end of the city.

The Peace Park, on the other hand, is at the north end of the city, and has its own features to recommend it. I seem to remember that there were a number of interpretive signs in both Japanese and English (and it's just a peaceful place to visit -- no pun intended). In fact, the highlight of my trip occurred there when a Japanese gentleman asked to take a picture of my wife and me, the Americans, with his family at the Peace Park.

It doesn't hurt that the train ride from Fukuoka to Nagasaki might just be the most beautiful in the entire country, skirting the edge of the bay for most of the trip.

[CaptBeefheart]

As mentioned, Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is a must. It's rarely open in the evenings, which explains why I only went to it once (i.e. I was otherwise working). The museum there covers the post-Meiji Restoration wars, such as the Russo-Japanese War and of course WWII. Yes, there's some propaganda, but it offers a good perspective from the other side. It's not like anyone on this forum would be fooled. As a side note, I once got access to the morgue of the Japan Times, an English paper that's been around a long time, and read their December 9, 1941 edition. Very interesting.

The AAR by Tomomo1996 has some places which might also interest you.

EDIT: The Yasukuni Shrine's museum is rarely open in the evenings. It closes at 5 p.m. IIRC.

Cheers,
CC

[Wikingus]

Thanks, Yasukuni is already at the top of the list, probably right after I defeat the inevitable jetlag.

Since I'll probably have a railpass I might take a small detour down to Kyushu to visit the Kamikaze airfield at the southern tip, but I haven't decided yet.

I now also have a chance to visit Okinawa for 2-3 days, and even though it would strain my budget, it might be worth it, because hey - who knows when, if ever, I'll have a chance to see it again. [:)]