Chiran Peace Museum

The place that most interested me during our Japan trip was Chiran. Chiran was the site where young men flew on kamikaze flights, and today it is the site of the Chiran Peace Museum.

It was April, and the road in from the entrance of the site was impressively beautiful with azaleas and numerous stone lanterns. After arriving, we went into a large, beautiful park and a museum of photos, memorabilia, two Zero planes and a Kawasaki fighter. The plane looked like one of our P-47s, and it appeared that it used a large Mercedes-Benz engine that was displaced on one side of the plane.

It was sobering to see photos of the young boys and men who flew on the missions.

BILL MATSUSHIMA
Torrance, CA