I work out of my home country, being based in The Netherlands. From there I spend much of my time on the road to many far away destinations that generally sound much more exotic than they really are. On occasion however, you get a little free time to do as you wish, and I sometimes am able to find a hidden gem or two in regional museums.
During my free time I am currently working on an identification handbook for Japanese explosive ordnance and have been seeking out physical examples to photograph. While on a recent work trip to Tokyo, I had a free day and took the bullet train for about 4 hours south to Kure, near Hiroshima, where you can find the Yamato Museum.
The centerpiece for the museum is the giant model of the Yamato battleship, but for ordnance collectors it is the adjoining room which is much more interesting. The fighter and the mini-sub aside, there are some torpedos, a variant of the Kaiten "kamikazie" submarine, and a very nice row of projectiles which include the super rare 46cm air-burst incendiary projectile (18.2-inch for those of you metrically challenged). There is one bomb on display with the fighter, but it appears to be a mock-up and does not appear to be completely accurate. Its a very nice museum, well laid out, easy to get to with some good bullets. Worth the visit if you're in the neighborhood.
During my free time I am currently working on an identification handbook for Japanese explosive ordnance and have been seeking out physical examples to photograph. While on a recent work trip to Tokyo, I had a free day and took the bullet train for about 4 hours south to Kure, near Hiroshima, where you can find the Yamato Museum.
The centerpiece for the museum is the giant model of the Yamato battleship, but for ordnance collectors it is the adjoining room which is much more interesting. The fighter and the mini-sub aside, there are some torpedos, a variant of the Kaiten "kamikazie" submarine, and a very nice row of projectiles which include the super rare 46cm air-burst incendiary projectile (18.2-inch for those of you metrically challenged). There is one bomb on display with the fighter, but it appears to be a mock-up and does not appear to be completely accurate. Its a very nice museum, well laid out, easy to get to with some good bullets. Worth the visit if you're in the neighborhood.
