Thanks guys… Well Shaun, in all honesty, we were supposed to go up to Hiroshima and see the 1/10 Yamato display at the Kure Naval Museum, but our daughter fell ill, and so I stayed at home and looked after her for a few days until my wife was able to start her holidays… Well our daughter was out of action for over a week, so we were unable to go anywhere, or do anything… Not a problem on my part. Thats what being a dad is all about. But I think my wife thought I was a little dissapointed at not going to Hiroshima…
So I think yesterday, it was her way of saying lets do something you want to do… Mind you in between museums, I had to drive across the countryside, and walk around in the sun while we visited every little summer festival, in every little town on the way… There is only so much shaved ice a man can eat!..
Part 2 (please forgive all the spelling mistakes… I have a habbit of typing too fast, and I really cant be bothered going back and fixing it [;)]
Continueing on from part one… The owner takes us aside and gives us a complete history lesson about the town and the area… He had a pointy stick, and was showing us airial maps of the town before and during the war… The building that we were in was part of the manufacturing fascility, and next to it was the air field… This airfield was where they did all of their testing of aircraft, and training of pilots!.. This old guy is one of those people that you could just listen to for hours…
Anyways, as he was talking about the importance of this town, he showed us, actual high altitude US recon pics taken of the airfield, and then a secret memo (fax) of the secret mission that was to be carried out against it… All in all, this place was something the Americans needed to get rid of, and rid of well… So then we were shown pictures of the area being carpet bombed, and the fascility and air field all but destroyed… Looking at modern maps today, the airfield has been replaced by housing, and a Kierin Beer factory has taken over a section of the land… The small building that the museam was being housed in, is all of what is left of the old airfield… Amazing to be standing in a part of history…
This old guy was so wonderfull to us, that I will be building and donating a t-33 in the same colours and number as the one displayed in the front… It will be my gift to the old man for giving us his time and knowledge…
To answer your question Allen… Yes it is a Ki-27… The story of this aircraft was that it was flown by a 24y.o pilot, and he was comming back from service in China… While in the air, he had engine trouble, and so had to ditch the aircraft into Hakata Bay (Fukuoka City)… He survived the crash, and so returned to active duty by joining the last harrah of the Japanese forces in Okinawa, and of course was killed (one guess as to how)…
This is him, name escapes me at the minute… Wife has all the details… He was only 24y.o
The actual aircraft was found while an engineering company was building a man made island in Hakata bay 8 yeras ago… The aircraft was raised and brought back to Tachiarai air field, where they borrowed the local schools swimming pool to clean all the dirt and salt water out of it, and begin its restoration… It has not been rebuilt as a working replica, rather the missing pieces and body works have been re-done in fiberglass… Still an amazing story and display anyways…
After we finished at the museum, it was the girls turn to do something, and so they wanted to go to a summer festival that a local town was having on the way to the next place… We came to the small village where they grow rice, and use water weels in order to pump water to the surrounding fields… Every year they have a festival, and they have a competition, where by everyone jumps in the water-way, and they let the flood doors open, usually full of fish… The rule is, catch as many fish as you can with your hands, and you take them home to eat!.. It was a very hot and humid day, but alot of fun!
After looking at the festival and visiting a local honey museum, we then made our way to the highlight of the day… My first real life Zero fighter!.. On what could only be called a testing mountain road, we drove for about 10kms to a very small hidden village in a valley between the mountains… When we arrived we were greeted by the most beautiful rice farms, and a big shed!.. This place didnt have alot in the way of museum stuff. Infact the owner mainly collects old cimena memorabillia, but he did have a Zero fighter on display, and that is what I was comming to see!.. To see up close and personal was a wonderfull experience. And I am still amazed at the actual sizee of these things… When you model them, they seem small, but in reality they are actually quite large… It was also said that the owner of this Zero will be donating it to the Tachiarai ai field museam in order for more people to see it… The place we were at, was way away from the rest of the world, and a little difficult to get to…
All in all we were very tired when we came home, as we decided to drive the scenic route home… Yeah scenic… We drove over the mountain range on what could be described as 1 car width roads, and alot of concentration… It was a beautifull drive, but when you are up as high as we were and no safety barriers. My scenery watching was left being only little glimpses, as I managed the next bend… I will say it was a beautiful drive, all be it a little scary with your family in the car!..
This was our road home… Keep your lights turned on, and hope noone comes the other way!.
About half way up…
It was alot of fun… And all this is less than an hour from my back door!
Chris
