24 A Level students from Cheney School, Oxford visited a number of key Second World War sites in Thailand and Japan, as winners in the Their Past Your Future Commemorative Visits Competition. The trip focused on the Far East theatre of war and encouraged students to think about the issues of remembrance, reconciliation, memory and human rights.
In Thailand, the construction of the Thailand-Burma railway was explored within the wider context of the Second World War in the Far East.
While in Japan, students visited War memorial sites and museums in and around Tokyo, Hiroshima and the Nagano district. They also participated in the sixtieth anniversary commemoration of the atomic bomb drop on Hiroshima and had the opportunity to talk to a survivor of the bomb.
The story of William Rose, a former POW at Mitsushima camp formed an important aspect of the visit to Japan. The student spent three days in the remote village of Tenryu, where the POW camp was located.
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Thailand and Japan Itinerary
Thailand and Japan Itinerary
Below is the itinerary that was followed by pupils on their 16-day visit.
If you would like to find out more about the places to visit on educational tours of Thailand and Japan, please see the ‘Places to Visit in Thailand’ and ‘Places to Visit in Japan’ sections below.
Thailand & Japan Itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
- Arrival in Thailand
- Afternoon excursion to Nong Khao Village
Day 2
- Visit to Thailand Burma Railway Centre
- Visit to JEATH Museum
- Visit to Kanchanaburi (Don Rak) War Cemetery
- Walk around the Bridge over the River Kwai
- Ride on the Death Railway – Wang Pho to Tha Kilen
Day 3
- Visit to Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
- Visit to Home Phu Touy Resort – included in the resort are the Weary Dunlop Museum, the Jack Chalker Gallery and a replica POW camp
Day 4
- Visit to Erawan National Park
Day 5
- Travel from Thailand to Japan
Day 6
- Guided tour of Yokohama Cemetery and memorial
- Educational activities with Eiwagukuin Secondary School
Day 7
- Tour of Yasukuni Shrine, including museum
- Sightseeing tour of Tokyo
Day 8
- Travel to Hiroshima
- Transfer to Miyajima Island
Day 9
- Arrival at Peace Park North
- Attendance at 60th Anniversary Commemorative Ceremony
- Walking tour of Peace Park
- Transfer to Kokutaji Secondary School for lunch and activities
- Transfer back to Hiroshima Memorial Peace Park for Toro-Nagashi “Candle Floating” River Ceremony
Day 10
- Guided tour of museum at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and A-Bomb victim’s story
Day 11
- Travel to Hiroaka (Tenryu Village)
- Tour of village
Day 12
- Transfer to Nandemokan Culture Centre
- Guided walking tour of Hiroaka Dam and POW War memorials
- Attendance at Lina-Dani Culture Festival
Day 13
- Travel to Takamori Lodge
- Meditation at Rinseiji Mountain Temple
Day 14/15
Places to Visit in Thailand
If you are planning a visit to Thailand to learn about the Second World War visit some of the places described below. You could also visit the following websites for further information:
http://www.tourismthailand.org/
http://www.thaismile.co.uk/
Disclaimer:
All the sites listed are checked regularly. However, the changing nature of the internet means that some sites may alter after we have visited them. Their Past Your Future is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Bridge over the River Kwai
Website: http://www.hellfirepass.com
Website: http://www.thaismile.co.uk/index.php?page=220
Internationally famous, due to several motion pictures and books, the black iron bridge was brought from Java by the Japanese Army and reassembled under Japanese supervision by Allied prisoners of war labour as part of the "Death Railway" linking Thailand with Myanmar. Still in use today, the bridge was the target of frequent Allied bombing raids during 1945, and was rebuilt after the war ended. The curved spans of the bridge are the original sections.
A section of the old wooden bridge can be seen in the World War II Museum, which is right beside the modern bridge.
Erawan National Park
Address: Mu 4, Tha Kradan Sub-district, Amphur Si Sawat Kanchanaburi
Tel: 0 3457 4222, 0 3457 4234
Website: http://www.thaiparks123.com/en/nationalpark.cfm?parkid=33
The Erawan National Park is located in the Kanchanaburi province. It has within its boundaries the Erawan Waterfall, which is well known in Thailand due to its large size and height, as well as its backdrop of mountains, smaller waterfalls, caves, cliffs, and overall beautiful surroundings. It is also a convenient distance from Bangkok, which has made it very popular with tourists. It covers around 550 sq km, or 343,750 rai.
Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
Website: http://www.hellfirepass.com/museum_hellfire_pass.html
The museum explains to visitors the story of why and how the railway was built and attempts to convey the hardships and suffering endured by so many who were forced to work in extremely harsh conditions. The Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum symbolises the importance of this site to the Australian people. After visiting the memorial museum and contemplation deck, visitors are encouraged to proceed to the walking trail.
Apart from displaying exhibits in a modern air conditioned setting, the museum also has a theatre which shows a short seven minute video made from war footage of the construction of the railway and dialogue from a number of Australian ex-POW.
Home Phu Toey Resort
Address: 118 Mu 8 Tambon Tha Sao, Amphoe Sai Yok, Kanchanaburi
Tel: Bangkok Office Tel: 0 2950 4479
Website: thailand travelmall
Home Phu Toey Resort Kanchanaburi, is set in 600-acres of hilly forests consisting of streams, waterfalls and lakes. The resort is designed to accommodate only a limited number of guests at a time.
Included at the resort are the Weary Dunlop Museum, the Jack Chandler Gallery and a replica of a POW camp.
JEATH Museum
Address: Wat Chaichumpol, Bantai, Muang, Kanchanaburi
Tel: 034 515203
Website: http://www.discoverythailand.com/Kanchanaburi_The_JEATH_War_Museum.asp
The JEATH Museum bears witness to the suffering of those that fell during the construction of the ‘Death’ Railway. The ‘open-air’ JEATH (Japan, England, Australia, Thailand and Holland) Museum was built in 1977 by a Thai abbot in the style of the huts used to imprison prisoners of war. The museum contains bunks and pictures of actual soldiers who died, alongside articles and other authentic items. The result is a picture of cramped squalor, which gives visitors a genuine insight into the suffering the soldiers went through.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Address: Kanchanaburi is 129 kilometres West-North-West of Bangkok. Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is situated in the North-Western part of the town along Saeng Chuto Road.
Website: http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2017100&mode=1
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery contains the remains of 6,982 prisoners of war who perished during the construction of the "Death Railway". Due to problems created by climatic conditions in the region the traditional Portland headstones are not used. The casualty's details are instead recorded on bronze plaques mounted on low pedestals.
Nong Khao Village
Address: Nong Khao sub-district, 12 kms from Kanchanaburi town
Website: http://www.jumboriverkwai.com/index.cfm?menuid=217
This is one of the few traditional farming villages, which still preserves its original and rural culture. Local villagers work on rice paddy fields and raise cattle. Rice plantation is still crucial for a majority of the villagers. In the past, the rice planting took place once a year because it depended entirely on the rain. But nowadays, the farmers can plant twice a year thanks to the irrigation system: one is an in-season planting (Na Pee) and the other is an off-season planting (Na Prang). The rice planting is both for selling and consumption.
Thailand Burma Railway Centre
Address: 73 Jaokannun Road, Ban Nua, Amphoe Muang, Kanchanaburi 71000
Telephone: +66 34 510067
Website: http://www.tbrconline.com
The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre is an interactive museum, information and research facility dedicated to presenting the history of the Thailand-Burma Railway. The railway ran 415 km from Ban Pong in Thailand to Thanbuyuzayat in Burma, and was built by the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War using Allied prisoners of war and forced Asian labourers.
Places to Visit in Japan
If you are planning a visit to Japan to learn about the Second World War visit some of the places described below. You could also visit the following websites for further information:
http://www.jnto.go.jp/
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e623.html
Disclaimer:
All the sites listed are checked regularly. However, the changing nature of the internet means that some sites may alter after we have visited them. Their Past Your Future is not responsible for the content of external websites.
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum
Address: 1-2 Nakajima-cho, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City 730-0811
Telephone: (082) 241-4004
Website: http://www.pcf.city.hiroshima.jp/
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was established in August 1955 to convey the facts of the atomic bombing to people around the world and contribute to the abolition of nuclear weapons and the realisation of lasting world peace. In the East Building, an exhibit entitled Hiroshima History tells the story of Hiroshima before and after the bombing. The West Building displays the belongings of A-bomb victims, photographs and other artefacts.
Miyajima Island
Website: http://www.hiroshima-cdas.or.jp/miyajima/english/top2.htm
Since ancient times, Miyajima has been regarded as one of the "Three Most Beautiful Spots" of Japan, and as a part of the Seto Inland Sea National Park, it has received several distinctions, such as a place of extraordinary scenic beauty, exceptional history, a scenic zone, and a natural monument. The virgin forests in neighbouring Mt. Misen are representative of the lush greenery, which still covers the entire island.
Peace Park North
Website: http://www.hiroshima-is.ac.jp/Hiroshima/historic1.htm
After the bombing, the city of Hiroshima launched a campaign petitioning the national government for aid in "the construction of a city of peace." The campaign resulted in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial City Reconstruction Law. The first special law of its kind, it stipulated that Hiroshima would be rebuilt to embody the striving of the human race for peace. It further stipulated that the area of Nakajima Island near the hypocenter be preserved in perpetuity as a symbol of peace and recommended the construction of what is now Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and its attendant facilities.
Peace Memorial Park includes Nakajima Island and the strip of land across the Motoyasu River where the A-bomb Dome stands. At the south entrance to the park stand three buildings lined up east to west. These three buildings house a variety of functions through which the city works to preserve the memory of the A-bomb and bring about world peace.
The centre building houses the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and to the south lies the Fountain of Prayer. On a straight line to the north lie the Memorial Cenotaph, the Flame of Peace, and the A-bomb Dome.
Tenryu Village
Website: http://www.vill-tenryu.jp/ (Japanese Website)
Website: http://www.nagano-tabi.net/English/ (Information on the Nagano prefecture)
Tenryū Village is located located in the Shimoina District of the Nagano prefecture. Nagano is situated in the centre of Japan and it is home to the Northern, Central and Southern Alps. Nagano is often referred to as the "Roof of Japan." It is 13,585 square kilometres and plays host to four national parks that offer year - round recreational activities, from hiking and camping in spring, summer and autumn, to skiing and skating in winter. Mitsushima camp was located in the village and is now the site of a local school.
Yasukuni Shrine
Address: A short walk from Kudanshita Station on the Subway Hanzomon, Tozai and Shinjuku Lines
Website: http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2321.html
Website: http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/index.html (official site)
The Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Tokyo that commemorates Japan's war dead. The shrine was founded in 1869 as Tokyo Shokonsha, and was renamed Yasukuni Shrine in 1879.
The deities of about 2.5 million people who died for Japan in the conflicts accompanying the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma Rebellion and similar domestic conflicts, the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the First World War, the Manchurian Incident, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War are enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine in form of written records, which note name, origin and date and place of death of everyone enshrined. The Yushukan, a museum commemorating Japan's wars is located just next to the shrine's main buildings.
Yokohama Cemetery and memorial
Address: 9 kilometres west of the city on Yuenchi-Dori, Hodogaya Ward, which branches left off the old Tokaido highway.
Website: http://www.cwgc.org/cwgcinternet/cemetery_results.aspx
Yokohama war cemetery was constructed by the Australian War Graves Group after the Second World War and contains the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who died in Japan as prisoners of war or with the occupying forces after the war. It comprises of four main parts; the United Kingdom section, the Australian section, the Canadian and New Zealand section and the Indian Forces 1939-1945 section. The cemetery contains 1,555 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the Second World War, including 53 unidentified burials and a small number of special memorials to casualties known to be buried in the cemetery, whose graves could not be precisely located.
The cemetery also contains the Yokohama Memorial, which commemorates 20 members of the Army of Undivided India and the Royal Indian Air Force who died while serving with the occupation forces in Japan, for whom no burial or cremation information exists. The Yokohama Cremation Memorial, a shrine which houses an urn containing the ashes of 335 soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Commonwealth, the United States of America and the Netherlands who died as prisoners of war in Japan also stands within the cemetery. Their names (apart for 51 who were not identified) are inscribed on the walls of the shrine.
