I don't remember if I've posted anything on this or not - don't see anything on a search, so..... I was searching for a photo on a Japanese CW piece for one of our members earlier today and opened some files I have not looked at in a while. Thought I would share a few pictures.
As background, a number of years ago I was doing some research on Japanese explosive ordnance. I had plenty of informal support from my workplace and a number of organizations that I was working with, so I took full advantage of every opportunity while travelling on business to stop by any museum that might have a Japanese piece of ordnance I could photograph. It turns out that there is not all that much out there, and much that you see is the same pieces over and over, but with perseverance you can find some hidden gems. Japanese collections were the most difficult, usually due to cultural issues related to WWII. In example the best military museum in the country (Peace Museum) is Yushukan, and once you get past the entryway no photography is allowed. It takes a lot of dealing to get anything done -
Nasu Museum is a hard to reach location several hours away from Tokyo. Once you get there you are not sure if it is a museum or a junkyard. Items are poorly kept, many in terrible condition. Overgrown, crowded, covered in dust. The owner does not allow you to open cabinets for photos, nor clean off the glass. Nevertheless, some very interesting items, ranging from tanks to ship anchors to aircraft. Not much ordnance, but some interesting pieces. A mix of old and new, different countries and timelines. There are some rare items, and some unusual to find there. See what you can spot.
You can read more about this museum and others through this link, it was one of my resources for locating several collections. http://members.shaw.ca/nambuworld2/militarymuseums.htm
As background, a number of years ago I was doing some research on Japanese explosive ordnance. I had plenty of informal support from my workplace and a number of organizations that I was working with, so I took full advantage of every opportunity while travelling on business to stop by any museum that might have a Japanese piece of ordnance I could photograph. It turns out that there is not all that much out there, and much that you see is the same pieces over and over, but with perseverance you can find some hidden gems. Japanese collections were the most difficult, usually due to cultural issues related to WWII. In example the best military museum in the country (Peace Museum) is Yushukan, and once you get past the entryway no photography is allowed. It takes a lot of dealing to get anything done -
Nasu Museum is a hard to reach location several hours away from Tokyo. Once you get there you are not sure if it is a museum or a junkyard. Items are poorly kept, many in terrible condition. Overgrown, crowded, covered in dust. The owner does not allow you to open cabinets for photos, nor clean off the glass. Nevertheless, some very interesting items, ranging from tanks to ship anchors to aircraft. Not much ordnance, but some interesting pieces. A mix of old and new, different countries and timelines. There are some rare items, and some unusual to find there. See what you can spot.
You can read more about this museum and others through this link, it was one of my resources for locating several collections. http://members.shaw.ca/nambuworld2/militarymuseums.htm
