We were visiting Hawaii a few years back and made the required stop at Pearl Harbor and the Arizona.
About 1 and 3 people in line for the Arizona memorial were Asian and very likely Japanese. I could tell by the language and facial features. Not certain why they were visiting. But it was strange.
Movie or no movie History shows who made the eternal mistake!
“We have only awakened a sleeping giant”
The old documentary “Victory at Sea” was very popular in Japan. I knew Japanese people who were born in the 1960’s who had seen it.
For the same reason southerners visit Ft. Sumter.
Hawaii is a popular destination for Japanese tourists. There were a lot of Japanese among the crowds visiting Arizona the last time I was there.
At the time, Hawaii wasn't as pricey as usual due to a recession in Japan.
I too visited the USS Arizona memorial and the Punch Bowl.
I was also stuck by the number of Japanese I saw
Why on earth did you find it strange?
I’m sure many Germans and Italians visit WWII sites in Europe.
It’s history.
.
I find it quite inspirational visiting Pearl Harbor and seeing the Japanese faces. It is a testament to the power of the USA and the attraction to liberty. We are now on relatively good terms wir Japan. Although, Obama is doing whatever he can to bring the US down.
The Japanese visit Pearl Harbor to see the site of their greatest victory. As for the Kamakazis—Japan’s air planes were so bad that most were shot out of the sky —the Kamaizai tactics were one of the few ways a pilot could make his loss count for something. For many it was a logical choice. In the 1950s, I read that American Pilots were to crash there fighters into Soviet Nuclear bombers before they could reach American Cities—would they have done it—I believe they would.