I went out for motorcycle riding. The destination was Sadamisaki Peninsula, which pokes out from Shikoku toward Kyushu. The tip of the peninsula is the westernmost point of Shikoku. I drew the route on the map and put it on the internet. Check the map and you'll know where the peninsula is located in Japan.
During World War Two, many people and military vessels went campaigning through the strait between Kyushu and the tip of this peninsula. If you went up north from the Pacific Ocean through this channel, you'd find Hiroshima, Kure and Matsuyama. Needless to say, Hiroshima is the nuclear victim city. Kure City is the birthplace of the Battleship Yamato which is the biggest in the world along with its sister ship, Musashi.
One more thing, there's Mitsukue Bay on the way and you can see the picture on the route I drew. If you had seen Pearl Harbor, you'd notice that the shape and size of the bay is similar to Pearl Harbor. Mitsukue Bay is known as the training area for the attack team for Pearl Harbor.
Lastly, you can see the caves for cannons at the tip of the peninsula. At the end stage of the war, the strong cannons were set here against the Allied vessels. At the back side of the caves there is a campsite. The shop for the campers is built in the cave. It must have been the supply route for ammunition. Pictures
(Vocabulary)
go campaigning / go on the warpath 出征する
strait は「海峡」「瀬戸」という意味の名詞。「海峡」を意味する一般的な単語としてchannelがありますが、strait はより狭い海峡を指す場合が多いようです。
(KW: 戦艦大和 戦艦武蔵 呉市 広島市 原爆 原子爆弾 真珠湾 三机湾)
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