glcaines Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I've been working in Yokohama, Japan for a week now and have the weekend free. I decided to see if there were any museums in the Tokyo area that might have MVs. I've never had much free time during previous trips to Japan. Apparently, there is no such thing as an MV museum in Japan. The only military museum I could find was the Yushukan War Museum and I wanted no part of that. This is the museum that is attached to the Yushukan Jinja, a Shinto shrine that has all of the controversy because it defends Japan's actions during WWII and basically denies any atrocities against the Chinese, Koreans, et al. The Shinto shrine has memorialized Japan's war dead and has some certified war criminals buried there. I'll be in Seoul, Korea on Monday and Tuesday, but will have no time for MV museums. Then I go to China where there are a lot of military museums. I've already visited several and they are very interesting, but you have to filter out the PLA propaganda. I don't know if I'll have any time to search out any new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Your preapred to go to the Chinese museums and are aware of the propaganda. Therefore what is the problem with going to the Yasakune Museum? What military museum does not present some form of propaganda. What does the U.S.S. Arizona have on its visitor information boards? Go the Hiroshima 'Peace' Museum. Japanese school children are geared up to approach westerners, especially Americans and British and ask "Why did you drop an atom bomb on us"? When you reply because the Japanese Military Government weren't going to stop fighting etc., they look a little confused as they aren't taught that bit of history. Similarly, at Yasakune, one of the railway engines from Burma Siam railway outside the museum, nothing about who built the railway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glcaines Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) Your preapred to go to the Chinese museums and are aware of the propaganda. Therefore what is the problem with going to the Yasakune Museum? Similarly, at Yasakune, one of the railway engines from Burma Siam railway outside the museum, nothing about who built the railway. I don't have a problem visiting the Yasakuna Museum other than there is apparently almost nothing there except one Zero fighter and the railway engine you mentioned, although I'm taking the word of others. I had two uncles that suffered heavily during the war. One was a Bataan Death March survivor and the other was tortured in a POW camp and later served as slave labor in a mine in Japan. The PLA military museum in Beijing is very interesting with a very large amount of military vehicles, planes and firearms. There is also a lot of propaganda there. It was a little sickening because there was also American uniforms and gear on display from the Korean war that had obviously been removed from dead bodies with dried blood on them. They had purposely arranged the uniforms to show the names and dried blood. Edited June 22, 2011 by glcaines Added Korean War Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 (edited) I was in Yokohama last week.... most the history is on the bases. Last base I was on has the building where the attack on Pearl was planned and approved There is no war museums in Japan..... they are called peace museums and mainly focus on the suffering of the Japanese post war. http://members.shaw.ca/nambuworld2/militarymuseums.htm This one is described as nationalistic and looks interesting http://homepage3.nifty.com/tompei/WarMuseumNasu.htm Edited June 17, 2011 by fesm_ndt spelling as always Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Hey, I still have problems dealing with people in German WW2 uniform, even if they are friends. Don't nessacarily knock someone who will admit prejudice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fesm_ndt Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I think the issue he is bringing up is in Japan the history is deliberately skewed and it focuses on BS that the US forced Japan into the conflict and then fails to mention anything else. Given the atrocities committed their neighbouring countries are not too impressed with this omission of historical events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver99 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Yasakune Shrine is quite interesting. Not many vehicles, couple of tanks, aircraft, artillery, cannon. But it gives a potted history of Japan's military past. Day of infamy and Commodore Perry's Black Ships, Russo-Japanese War of 1905, WW1 and their Allies. Then the history gets a little fuzzy. Not a lot of mention of the Nanking, or details about WW2 except the brave Kamikaze. Yes the museum is heavily biased, but all Japanese history is. Similarly, I went to the Museum in Ma'an, Jordan. This was a major base during the Turkish occupation and heavily garrisoned during WWI. Lawrence's forces only skirted the area as too many troops. But was there anything to do with T.E. Lawrence in the museum, not a bit. I have issue about the Holocaust display at the Imperial War Museum London. The IWM is/was supposed to be a celebration and commemoration of Britain's military past. Yes, Brit soldiers liberated Concentration Camps, but the holocaust is not primarily part of Britain's history. The display is to get people in the door and its very emotive. Many artefacts had to bought in to put the display on, which also defeats the objective. Anyway, my point was don't just go because it's biased, be proud of that fact. As an American, (I think the U.S. had something to do with us in WW2), go and be proud of who you are. Damn, just fallen off my soap-box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jchinuk Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I have issue about the Holocaust display at the Imperial War Museum London. The IWM is/was supposed to be a celebration and commemoration of Britain's military past. Yes, Brit soldiers liberated Concentration Camps, but the holocaust is not primarily part of Britain's history. The display is to get people in the door and its very emotive. Many artefacts had to bought in to put the display on, which also defeats the objective. That is easy to explain, the 'Holocaust' is part of the National Curriculum, therefore it's a box to tick for museum applying for funds as children get to visit. It also explains the number of school trips Auschwitz, which strikes me as distasteful in itself, the Holocaust should be remembered as a tragic event, but not as a "visitor attraction". Getting back to Japan, there are preserved (and running) WW2 tanks Japan. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Type_89_Yi-Go_at_Tsuchira.jpg jch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glcaines Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well, I gave up and visited some Buddhist Temples today, and saw the Great Buddha of Kamarura. Had a great time until it started raining heavily and no umbrella. I leave to work in Seoul tomorrow morning so anything else will have to wait until I return. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pzkpfw-e Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Tsuchiura's been mentioned. http://www3.plala.or.jp/takihome/newfolder/Tsuchiura.htm Sinbudai Old Weapon Museum at Camp Asaka (Ex-Camp Drake) has a Type 89. http://www.philipseaton.net/JCWM/jcwmeight.html Big list of Japanese "Peace Museums" Nasu's has a very wrecked ChiHa, recovered from Saipan. http://homepage3.nifty.com/tompei/Mikasa.htm Certainly worth a visit, not a vehicle, but one of the very few pre-Dreadnought battleships preserved, also the flagship of Admiral Togo at Tsushima. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willysmb Posted September 10, 2011 Share Posted September 10, 2011 Just came back from Japan ..Visited the Mikasa Battle ship ( pre WW1 ) which is close to a large US Military Naval Base .. The Mikasa is a great ship/ museum to visit ..worth the hour long travel form my place of stay.. take a look at my photos on Flickr.. http://www.flickr.com/photos/willysmbdigibeta/ ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Good old British enginering. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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