My grandmother's sister lives on an island called Oshima, a 10 minute bus ride and a 20 minute boat ride away. To give you a sense of direction, Fukuoka lies about 1/2 way along the northern coast of Kyushu. Nishihigahi is in the Kita-Kyushu (Northern Kyushu) area, close to the tip of the island, north-east of Fukuoka. Oshima is even further north, in the Sea of Japan. It is a small island, some 4 kilometers around, and home to about 800 people, most of whom are fishermen. My mother's aunt lives in a tidy house shared by her son and family.
While the visit itself was fairly routine, it ended in a tour of the island. The lighthouse and observation platform high in the hills, but my day was made by the discovery of a WW2 bunker. Set in the peak of a high hill, it commanded a view of the shoreline below. Three gun emplacements, home to long since confiscated or destroyed artillery and AAA, were interspersed with slit trenches for the riflemen that would have protected the outpost. The bunker itself was concrete, build into the hilltop, with a pedestal, perhaps for a signalling apparatus, or a pair of field glasses (binoculars), or perhaps even a machinegun. Below were the barracks and storage rooms. Standing in the bunker, looking out through the slit at the sea, I could almost sense the long departed soldiers that once manned this position, standing beside me.
By now, you must be wondering where the photos of this monument to war must be. Alas, I must relate what will no doubt prove to be the most regretably travesty of my trip. Below is the only pic I was able to snap, just before the batteries in my camera died. I, of course, had no replacements. It is taken from the lip of a gun emplacement, and out of view some 10 metres behind me is the bunker.
Truly, a sad, sad day...
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