Lubang japang

HOW ABAOUT  LUBANG JAPANG: 4 km long tunnel in the stomach winding Bukittinggi City Tour - Japan's colonial heritage, open to the travelers. Clues about what is in it, so far is merely a note at the gate of the cave.

... ATTENTION! For your comfort and convenience, Panorama Park visitors and Japanese hole, we provide a licensed guide services. That style of announcement in the paper taped to the walls battered cliffs, a few steps from the gates of Japan's Hole in the canyon Bukittinggi, West Sumatra.

Then below it, there is another sheet of paper containing the text: Dear Visitors. Enjoy the uniqueness and beauty of Japan this hole! Please do not do activities that violate the rules and immoral! All of your activities monitored on our camera ... Thank you for your concern, signed ... Responsible Person.

Next to it - is still on the same wall, there are panels of the tunnel plan in the stomach of Bukittinggi this. It says what the clues are there in the cave. Namely, there are mini-theater, alley geological model and tatakota, acrylic sculpture hall, museum geology hall, exhibition hall paintings and photographs, cafes, walkways sit & rest, mushala women, mushala men, ladies, men's room.

Then, as we soon passed the mouth of the cave down the bowels of the earth. A total of 132 steps or stairs, we arrived at the base of the cave. Or at a depth of 40 meters from the ground. Total of 4 km long tunnel. With one entrance from the direction of Panorama, if the direct path to the door at the end only about a kilo. There are three doors to the outside in the blood of the Mount Chic. But only two are functioning. One just below the cliff substation panorama, already covered with trash.

Inside the cave there is electric lighting. The floor was covered konblok. The walls and polished cement ceiling. According Azwarman - Head of Infrastructure Section of the Office of Tourism Bukittinggi, polishing the walls and ceiling of the cave was done in 1974. When the great earthquake occurred some time ago, there is a section of tunnel cracks. But only a layer of cement alone. While the land remains intact. Unique construction is also the ground beneath the city of Bukittinggi. For other parts of this city there is a cliff that collapsed. Severe landslide occurred on the cliff side, part of the Nagari Kotogadang.

The announcement on the panels at the entrance of the cave, stay limited to notes on paper, apparently. That is passed along the aisle, still form the original hole made in Japan. There is room ammunition, which were given door bars. On the left side of the mouth of the cave towards the right wall to get out, there mushala each for men and women. Also the toilet on their own, which is still locked. There has been no water in here. "Bath water has long been contrived at the top," said Azwarman. "But until now there has been also connected pipe in here".

Interesting note is the location which is written as forced laborers aka Space romusha (see also: No Forced Labor). It seems to make a "hole Japan" as a tourist attraction, need to be equipped with accurate research data. So penyuguhan various materials other spectacle - as stated on the panels at the gate, it enriches the 

treasures of knowledge are valid public.

A little extra, Bukittinggi City officials may have been to Egypt. Of course having seen the pyramid of Pharaoh relic of the past. It has long been used as a typical spectacle at night. Dozens of spotlights playing in the desert adorned sound, known as Sonne et lumiere alias sound and light.

Also in Thailand. Remember, there is a movie starring Alec Guines named Bridge on the River Kwai. The bridge was done in 1943 by Japan, by deploying a prisoner of war of the Allied forces and romusha from Asia. The project is a true-blooded labor to connect the area of ​​Thailand with Burma. Its location in the province of Kanchanaburi, 130 km west of Bangkok.

Drama about the bridge, now a night spectacle material - using sound and light patterns as well. A similar concept could be applied to attraction seems typical Japanese hole in Bukittinggi.

There is no Forced Labor

IS Hirotada Honjyo, born January 1, 1908, in the small town Iizuka, Fukuoka province, Kyushu Island, southern Japan. Fukultas graduate of Law, Hosei University, Tokyo, rugby sports fans, working in a coal mining company, Asou Koggyo. He hath a basic knowledge of mines and tunnels. Here are penuturannya written April 17, 1997. He died in 2001.

Honjyo-san must make a "foxhole" in Bukittinggi Canyon, on the instructions of the 25th Division Commander Army Bala Japanese army, Lt. Gen. Moritake Tanabe. At that time, he held the rank of Captain of the Army, officers of financial staff, as jurubayar, to plan, create and oversee the implementation of a "foxhole".

All files on the plans, drawings, specifications and budget, is not there anymore. All the Japanese army burned a moment to lose, dated August 15, 1945, according to Lt. Commander orders Moritake Tanabe. "Although it has been over 50 years, I still remember how to describe and claim-making and planning the implementation of protection of the hole," said Hojyo-san.

Its construction started work March 1944, and completed in early June 1944. "This I can not forget, because until now there keepsake album that I save," he said. Making the tunnel is done under the leadership of three coal mines experts, sent from the company's Hokkaido - Tanko Kisen Co.. Coal mining companies in Hokkaido is famous for balatentera Japanese occupation, is also working on Ombilin coal mines.

All three experts tunnels are (1) Ir. Toshihiko Kubota, as chairman, (2) Ir. Ichizo Kudo (3) Ir. Uhei Koasa. They're already dead. Apart from the Japanese, there are also some people in Indonesia who worked in coal mines do Ombilin conjunct "foxholes" is.

Construction bunker is run by the division of the role of expertise, with examples of "sakiyama" making coal mines are dug up, then continued with "atoyama" or taking quarry "sakiyama" is. So "atoyama" done after the implementation of "sakiyama." Affairs "sakiyama" done by the experts of the Japanese, then the "atoyama" do the people of Indonesia and day laborers.

Those who dig and make a wooden wall to hold the debris. Holes are made narrow, can be passed by carrying a boring tools, so it can not be done by many people. Each day on average require a workforce of 50 or 100 people. These workers brought in and provided by the Township Office, United Kingdom, registered and paid as a day laborer. They took with them their own food for lunch.

"I was a staff officer of finance, as an expert jurubayar and during duty not to use military power and other facilities," said Honjyo-san. "To me conjunct a sergeant of the Headquarters of the Commander and several lorries for transport purposes of work".

For three months in charge, he said, there are no incidents or accidents occur. And during the duty not to use weapons, both weapons of samurai swords and other firearms. "Hole Japanese protection" was not a fortress. but it is just a hole to protect themselves. In order to avoid the danger of air attack.

Instructions to the 25th Division Commander of the Army that the Japanese army mentioning again: (1) create a foxhole that can withstand strong vibrations 500kg bomb. (2) create foxholes equipped with rooms for headquarters, office space and other facilities for the purposes of Division 25 Angantan Army.

Construction foxholes are not confidential and no one needs to be maintained. To be able to withstand vibration above 500kg bomb, need to dig as deep as 40-feet from the surface of the earth or the 20-m from the end of the bluff excavation. To strengthen and kokohnya wall hole, made a "torii-gumi" - resembles a Shinto religious symbol of the front door. That is the bottom larger than the top.

This bunker was divided in two. A special block for the purposes of Division Headquarters 25th Army. One block could be more safely protected from the danger of air attacks, to protect and hide themselves. Each room dihubungankan by air from the tip of a rather large bluff to the ends of the smaller ones. So that fresh air can freely pass-cross in it.

The capacity of these holes is planned for 500 people. Coupled with k office workers can reach 1000 people in an emergency. Inside the bunker is no kitchen. For if the cooking, will reduce the acid, smoke was bothering oxygen. In other words, the design makes a cafe in it will need to be considered carefully.

                                                         

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