Guided in Japanese: Chiran Samurai Houses & Kamikaze Museum

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Your half-day tour begins as you board your motorcoach and travel south to the Satsuma Peninsula, a mountainous, geothermal wonderland of hot springs. Your first stop is Chiran, the stronghold of the Shimazu samurai during Japan's Feudal Era.

Upon arriving, you'll stroll down a lane lined by residences of warriors who lived in the Edo period (17th through mid-19th centuries) and their small gardens. You can see provincial samurais' sense of beauty when you enter their gardens.

Chiran was also a kamikaze base during World War II. Today, a peace museum dedicated to the pilots, the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots ("Tokko Heiwa Kaikan"), marks the site. You'll visit the museum and witness its comprehensive collection of recovered aircraft, models, mementoes and photographs of the Special Attack Corps. You'll be awestruck as you view letters to loved ones, final letters before departure, pictures during breaks in training and photos of every single pilot.

Your tour concludes with a relaxing drive back to the pier.

Special Notes:

This tour includes sensitive material including graphic pictures and displays on the atrocities of war.
The materials in the Kamikaze Museum are written in Japanese and not translated into English. Guides are not permitted inside of the Kamikaze Museum; the guide will give you the necessary information on the coach beforehand.
The visit to Chiran area includes walking over the uneven, bare and graveled grounds. Tour will not visit inside the samurai houses in Chiran
We suggest passengers carry local currency for purchases.
Tour order may vary.
A minimum of 20 passengers is required for this tour to operate.