Japan's War and Peace Museums and Monuments

As a history student, I'm fascinated by Japan's role in World War II. The atrocities committed by the Japanese army, as well as the suffering of Japanese themselves, have not easily faded from public memory. Even today, broaching the subject of Japan's wartime history has the power to create diplomatic incidents throughout Asia. 

During my time in Japan so far, I've visited quite a few monuments, memorials, and museums to do with the war. While most aim to promote peace, some controversially celebrate and commemorate Japan's participants in the war, including notorious war leaders and criminals. In this post, I share my impressions of some of these places.  

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Park

 

One of the most important museums in the world, the Hiroshima Peace Park Memorial Museum is often the main point of interest on tourists' Hiroshima itineraries. It's located near the exact spot where the atomic bomb exploded on August 6, 1945, and with the stark Genbaku Dome visible in the background, you are immediately confronted by the city's tragic history. Within the museum is a chronological background of the events leading up to the atomic bombing, with carefully included - albeit brief - mentions of Japan's own atrocities in Asia. This is followed by the aftermath of the bombing, right up until the present, focusing on the global effort to promote peace and anti-nuclear values. The final exhibit displays the human cost of the atomic bomb. It is here that you come across photographs and objects that are hard to forget - the shadow of a dead man, the charred remains of a child's tricycle and school lunch. Human hair, skin and nails, and the tiny paper cranes that a young victim, Sadako, folded before dying of cancer. It's an intense, hard-hitting place. It takes a couple of hours to go through the museum, but you'll want the rest of the day free for some quiet reflection in the park. 

Kure Yamato Museum

 

Less than an hour's drive from Hiroshima city is the Kure Yamato Museum, a museum about Japan's maritime history. The main attraction here is a one-tenth scale model of the famous battleship Yamato, which was actually built in the city of Kure. There is also a large objects room, with examples of fighter planes and human torpedoes. It all looks very gung-ho militaristic - but the museum maintains that, rather than promoting militarism, it is more of a tribute to the scientific and technological community, and engineering excellence of the Yamato. To reflect this, on one floor is an interactive room, where you can play with ship-handling simulators and take part in science demonstrations. All exhibits are in Japanese, but you can rent English headsets that provide a simple explanation of each display. 

Osaka International Peace Center (Peace Osaka)

 

Peace Osaka is one of the more expressly anti-war of Japan's war-themed museums. It provides insight into the air raids on Japan: while most people know about the atomic bombings, many don't realise that more people died as a result of the firebombing attacks that devastated Japan's major cities. The museum has a diorama of Osaka, showing what it looked like in the aftermath of the air raids - it's scary to see the burnt ruins of familiar landmarks. It also has a special exhibition of atrocities committed by the Japanese in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. While this may be seen as an attempt to move away from the 'victim' narrative that has typically dominated Japan's wartime history, for some reason this exhibit, unlike the others, has not been completely translated into English - which is interesting in itself. For a museum that claims to be 'international', you have to wonder if there are some historical narratives they are trying to hide. There is also an Auschwitz exhibit, which seems strangely out of place in a museum that otherwise focuses exclusively on Japan's role in the war. Located near Osaka Castle, the museum has seen better days - it's no Hiroshima Peace Park, but still worth a visit because the subject matter is really quite unique. 

Yasukuni Shrine and Yushukan Museum

 

Yasukuni Shrine is an infamous shrine in Tokyo that is dedicated to all those who died serving Japan in war. As the shrine is said to hold the spirits of several war criminals, Yasukuni has attracted considerable controversy. The shrine makes international news whenever Japanese politicians visit, as the visits are seen as the government's support for Japan's wartime atrocities. As a shrine, it's beautiful, and you might not even pick up on its wartime connections on first sight. But walk around the main shrine building, and you'll find some interesting statues - including a kamikaze pilot, and a monument dedicated to Justice Radha Binod Pal, the only member of the Tokyo Trials to judge Japan's leaders as not guilty of war crimes. Yasukuni Shrine also houses the Yushukan museum, a military museum that tries to show the glory of Japan's wartime actions. There is even a gift shop that sells all sort of nationalistic souvenirs, such as rice crackers with the Rising Sun ensign imprinted on them.  

Yokoamicho Park and Air Raid Monument

 

Located in a quiet suburb, Yokoamicho Park is easily overlooked, but I think it's one of the most poignant and peaceful places in Tokyo. This park was originally intended as a memorial to those who died in the Great Kanto Earthquake, but after World War II it also became a memorial to the victims of the Tokyo firebombings. The main feature of the park is the Dwelling of Remembrance, a striking floral monument dedicated to the air raid victims. There is also a small bronze statue depicting school children victims of the bombings, and a little outdoor museum, which shows everyday items warped into metal lumps as a result of the fires that destroyed much of Tokyo. Here, the monuments, statues and objects are simply left to speak for themselves.

Natsukashii Hiroshima

A Japanese word I love is 懐かしい (natsukashii). It roughly translates in English to 'nostalgic', but not many people use the word 'nostalgic' that often. Japanese people use 'natsukashii' all the time. Perhaps it's a cultural thing - in the western world, we like to focus on our futures, without really taking the time to consider our pasts. In contrast, Japanese society is strongly grounded in history and tradition. I think there's more of a tendency to contemplate what once was, and what now is. But anyway. That's enough philosophy for now...

I was 16 when I came to Japan for the first time, spending the winter living with a home stay family and studying at a high school in Hiroshima. It was an interesting experience - it wasn't easy. But for the past 4 years since then, Hiroshima has been on my mind. When I found out I'd been accepted into Kansai University, I knew I had to go back. And this weekend, I did.

Genbaku Dome, Winter, 2008

Genbaku Dome, Spring, 2012

The first thing we did when we arrived in Hiroshima on Thursday night was to hop on one of the city's quaint little streetcars and head to Okonomimura (Okonomiyaki village), parallel to Hondori. If you live in Osaka, you might be under the impression that you've already sampled the best okonomiyaki that Japan has to offer - at least, that's what the Osakans will have you believe. But I reckon Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki is the superior of the two. The main difference between the regions is that all the ingredients are mixed together in the batter in Osaka style, whereas Hiroshima style is carefully compiled in layers, with a high concentration of cabbage and the addition of soba or udon noodles.

Hiroshima-yaki. Melt-in-your-mouth noodles smothered in tangy Hiroshima-brand okonomiyaki sauce.

There are loads of places where you can eat okonomiyaki in Hiroshima, but Okonomimura has to be seen to be believed. It consists of a few multi-storeyed buildings in which every single floor contains nothing but okonomiyaki restaurants, squeezed in beside each other. Chefs prepare the dish on long hot benches right in front of the customers, which is exquisite to watch. We went in the middle of Golden Week, so there were lines spilling out of the buildings. But the wait was worth it. Actually, I'm not even ashamed to admit that we dined there twice in one weekend.

Entrance to Okonomimura

Lines of hungry people waiting to feast on Hiroshima's famous fare

I know it's horribly cliche, but no trip to Hiroshima would be complete without visiting the Peace Park. I had to see the Genbaku Dome right away to confirm that I was really, truly in Hiroshima again. I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I saw it. From Hondori station there's this sense of anticipation - the signs say 'Genbaku Dome this exit', and you prepare yourself to see what you've already seen so many times in pictures and history books. But it's so different in real life. It's tangible, three dimensional, and hauntingly hollow. A true piece of history.

Genbaku Dome lit up at night.

We were fortunate enough to catch glimpses of Hiroshima's annual Flower Festival, held in the Peace Park during Golden Week. For such a poignant place, it had a fresh, spring-like, celebratory atmosphere. I bought a toffee apple and enjoyed it sitting on the riverbank, beneath the Dome.

Floating flowers

I love the bright colours of the origami peace cranes

View from the top of the Peace Park Memorial Museum - decorative peace cranes on the lawn

On Saturday, like true Japanese Golden Week tourists, we decided to go to Miyajima. Unfortunately, all those other Japanese Golden Week tourists had the same idea. Even more unfortunately, the island's crowning glory - the big red floating torii gate - was covered up in scaffolding, having been damaged in a recent storm. Such disappointment.

Not quite the World Heritage Site I remember...

But everyone knows the main reason to go to Miyajima is to play with the wild deer, anyway. Oh, and to eat the Momiji Manju cakes. Chocolate and cream filling are my favourite.

Me playing with a Miyajima deer 4 years ago! Why did I think acid wash skinny jeans were a good fashion choice?!

... And now!

Miyajima 5 storey pagoda. Also big, beautiful and red (suck on that, floating shrine).

After visiting old friends, my old school, familiar neighbourhoods, and using familiar transport (hello Astram line), Golden Week came to an end, and it was time to take the night bus back to Osaka. Revisiting Hiroshima was a very 'natsukashii' experience. As we pulled into Umeda at 5am this morning, and watched the sun rise up through the Sky Building, I thought to myself, Osaka is my new home in Japan. But Hiroshima will always have my heart. I can't wait to go back again.