Kyushu Island Part 2
Saturday, 6 May 2023 7:43 am
Chiran Peace Museum.
In this small town is a museum dedicated to the futile loss of life with the Kamikaze pilots.
Chiran is the air base where over 1,036 Japanese pilots headed out on one final flight.
Known locally as the Tokko planes, they are the ones that never returned home.
Inside the museum are the final words these pilots wrote to loved ones.
For us and others, the words brings tears and a tightness in the stomach.
There is no photography allowed inside - sad but brave words are written on flags, scraps of paper and scarves.
Hundred of these messages with the pilots photograph.
These young men many only 17 to 20 years old spent their last night in these ‘triangle houses’
Its an eloquent monument to the futility of war.
Change of pace....
Local hamburger I think the buns were made with green tea, just like the drink provided.
The 3 paddies of meat - mouth watering
Driving towards Kagoshima and all 3 boxes ticked:
Fuel
Water
Washing..DONE
It was closing in 1/2 hour so it was at a brisk pace
Camp 15 - Camped in a car park, behind Starbucks !
Today : 67 Kms
Total : 1,851Kms
Cost Nil
Yes another active Volcano in sight.
Mt Sakurajima
Saturday 6th May 2023
Last night the full moon rose over the mouth of the Mt Sakurajima crater.
I have a fascination for Volcanoes but the rain and clouds thwarted us on this one.
Forecasted for 2 days so not worth waiting around.
The active Mt Sakurajima in in the clouds
The last serious eruption of his volcano was in 1914 when water in the farmers wells started to boil, then blew smoke and 10 minutes later the top of the volcano blew off.
Ten billion tons of hot lave flowed into the sea and now joined the island Volcano to the mainland.
The village on the western side was buried in 3m of hot ash. The only remaining structure was the top of the entrance gate to the Shrine.
The most recent eruption was 2 months ago, when warning were sent to all residents within a 2 kilometres radius to be aware of falling rocks and ash ! The smoke plume was 1000m high.
Now for some Archaeology.
Near the town of Kirishma is the Uenohara inhabited site dating back 2000-1000BC
Large shell middens, bone fragments from deer and wild boar have been found together with Human remains.
It’s now a Historic site with replacers of the style of huts
There is so much thick forest in Japan - Bamboo, Birch, Oaks and Japanese Maple, and Cypress, and planted pine trees.
Today two long tunnels both 5kms long
Camp 16 - Michi eo Eki Car park
STILL RAINING !
Today : 165 Kms
Total : 2,016 Kms
Cost Nil
Sunday 7th May 2023
Today two ferry hops Nagashima to Shomoshima to Unzen.
All day Rain Rain Rain - even the rice fields are full
Passed through a small town and had to do a u-Turn with all these little people dancing in a paddock.
They are all dolls...WOW !
We are now in the Unzen National Park.
Unzen being the original Chinese characters for ‘Hot Spring’ now that word is worls famous as Onsen - spar baths.
So in the main town of Unzen we indulged in our first Onsen.
Camp 17 - Azalea Garden Car park
STILL RAINING !
Today : 115 Kms
Total : 2,131 Kms
Cost Nil
Monday 8th May 2023
A brick walk through the wild Azaleas - brisk because it’s blowing a 60KPH cold gale - the truck shook through the night.
Down the mountain to the bayside town of Shimabara where in 1991 the Volcano of Mt Fugendake erupted with a pyroclastic flow sweeping down the valley.
This is all that remains of the former Onokoba Elementary School - yep !
that the culprit in the back ground
Approaching at 100KPH that got to be Bye Bye !
Then it gets worse - it rains and the resulting debris flow engulfs the town.
And she is still smoking in the background
Parking was a challenge and finished up at the railway station car park.
A bit of a walk to and around the Shimabara castle dating back to the 1600’s
In 1614 Christianity was banned fro Japan, and what followed was mass executions, hangings, and Christians thrown into those boiling hot springs.
Taxes were raised and the castle build between 1818 and 1624.
Around this time all foreigners were banned from Japan and it became isolated from the rest of the world.
Only the Dutch through the Dutch East India Company ( the VOC ) were allowed to trade with Japan.
Backtracking into the mountains as the Nita Pass was open so we drove to the to view point at 1000 m
That again that’s the active
Mt Fugendake.
The mountain top ablaze with wind Azaleas
Camp 18 - Azalea No 2 Garden Car park
Today : 62 Kms
Total : 2,193 Kms
Cost Nil
Tuesday 9th May 2023
Out of the mountains and on the way to Nagasaki
Nagasaki Peace Park reflecting the Second Atomic bomb dropped on Japan to end the war in 1945.
This is ground Zero.
In 3 seconds 150,000 DEAD
I post this to show the horrors of atomic warfare.
Found on at the hypo-centre.
The bones of a human hand fused into molten glass such was the heat.
600 Degrees within 500m
It happened at 11.02 on the 9th August 1945.
These exhibits at the Atomic Bomb Museum
3 examples of how to see Japan.
• On the Diamond Princess Cruise with 5,000 others!
• Hire a 4x2 squeeze camper
- • Freedom your yourself with your own go anywhere without the need for hookups.
Nagasaki enjoyed a rich European trading history from the 1850’s
Thomas Glover an Scottish immigrant started with a low salary with Jardines and finished up contributing the Japans modernisation with Ship building, Whaling, tea and Coal mining.
Camp 19 - Nagasaki View
Today : 72 Kms
Total : 2265 Kms
Cost Nil
