From departure to arrival
On February 26, 2011
At last, that day has come. After I participated in the inaugural meeting held in the Pine Tree Room of the Narita Tobu Tokyu Hotel, I stayed over there one day before departure. As I left my home just well in advance not to be late for coming, I had good time enough to arrive too earlier, and I had been waiting for the reception by 15:30 PM while having had a lunch at restaurant. As all of the participants came earlier than starting time of reception originally expected on 16:00 PM, inaugural meeting ceremony was launched in advance of original schedule time.
Memorial service tour is consisted of the 13 members in total (bereaved family of war : 9 members, Leader from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare: Mr. Y, Female Assistant leaders: 2 members, and Tour conductors: Ms. I and one more staff from Tour company).
First, person in charge of Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare addressed the meeting, and then introduced each member of bereaved family of war, and tour conductor explained some special notes during travel and instruction on how to fill up some documents, and its ceremony was finished in about one hour or so.
Although I originally expected this ceremony to be held solemnly, it was held like something similar to orientation, and I was a little disappointed , but felt relief as it was not too formal. It was only myself who participated as granddaughter.
Other participants were Mrs.H and Mrs.N,both of them lost their elder brother, and Mrs.M, and A who lost father, and Mrs.Y and S were sisters, and Mr.K was only one male participant, and his niece as his own helper, in total 9 members.
Although Mr. M, as member of The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, confessed later, it was very unusual that so many female members participated in such memorial service tour, though its share was normally about 70% or so.
At the time of the memorial service to be held at final destination, at Gilbert island, it was decided that Mr. Y would address funeral oration speech, and Mr. K, as representative of bereaved family, would make speech. After the ceremony was over, we had free time till departure of next morning. I spent free time respectively in going to the Narita Airport by Hotel shuttle bus to buy something forgot buying, or buying some food for dinner at convenience store.
On February 27, 2011
After we had breakfast at the Hotel, we got together at lobby at 10:20 AM. This day was the day for only move by flight, first going to Korea and then in transit to Fiji island by Korean Airline again. Navigation flight time from Narita to Inchon International Airport is 2 hours 40 minutes. Most of participants are coming from Kansai area, so I feel very sorry about such long detour from Kansai to Narita and then Incheon, because I am living in Eastern part of Japan and can come to Narita Airport by car, so I never feel Narita Airport inconvenient.
Transit time at Incheon International Airport for Fiji island was about 4 hours left, and as I had nothing to do there until I had next flight, I just walked around the airport. I bought backpack at Duty Free shop so that I can make easier move at the final destination. First I walked alone, but joined other members finally after I walked around and around, and decided to wait for the departure time for Fiji while having some tea with them. To my surprise, all the seats of this flight from Incheon to Fiji was full, and there were some Japanese passengers aboard. It is not High season for tour in February, and I wondered if it may be Graduation tour or so (?), I put up with watching movie on screen, because I may not fall asleep if I watch movie. After having had a in-flight dinner, I started to chat with Mrs. A sitting next to my seat while checking where I was flying over now on the TV monitor screen located at the back side of front seat.
From Narita to Incheon, Korea first, and then flying over Kyushu, Kansai, Kantou, Izu Islands, again, and keeping on flying over the Japanese territorial air space down to the south toward Fiji island. We have no choice due to no direct flight service available now, but how inefficient such Air route is ! Flying back and forth.
Time difference is just + 4 hours ahead at end (originally 3hours, but due to Summer Time system adopted, + 1 hour more) , and so if I did not sleep now, I would not be able to adjust myself to time difference, and I was seriously afraid of possible risk of my good health condition. The destination is the island of eternal summer with Temperature difference higher than 20C. It is , as a matter of fact, big problem if I fail in keeping good health condition due to too excessive temperature difference and unable to participate in important memorial service ceremony at Gilbert Island.
I fell asleep with thinking such thing.
On February 28, 2011
After 09:00 AM in local time (Japan Standard Time: 05:00AM), We arrived at Nadi, Fiji Island. At the Airport, we were warmly welcomed by the local people singing pleasant song and received necklace made of shellfish one person by person.
In Fiji island, Japanese local staff living there and employed by local tour company took good care of us, and we went short sight-seeing in city for the time being as we could not check-in due to too early arrival time.
I wonder if it is of any problem to do the sight-seeing during the memorial service tour, but I would rather appreciate such opportunity to do so during the inevitable dead down- time which can be often born in our moving schedule from here to there . We thus did short sight-seeing tour for the time being. Even so , How hot it is here ! Sunshine is indeed hot and strong enough for me to be roasted. The summer season in Japan had passed almost half year ago, though it was very hot heat wave summer in 2010. I personally felt there was very big difference in term of quality of sunshine. It was a kind of sense similar to direct hit by the sun.
Sight-seeing tour course was very typical in Fiji island. First visited village named as Viseisei. It was said that ancestor started to settle down originally, and so many presidents were born, needless to say, still living over there as of today. Former President's residence is still there.(If I remember right). What is setting on the tall tree is Bread fruit, major staple food and cooked in boiling, broiling or frying, for me from Japanese tasting sense , it is cooked like potato, rather than bread.
In term of landscape as well as native people itself in its personality, this is Southern country indeed here. Afterward, we went to Garden of sleeping giant, originally Hollywood Movie stars built up as private garden. Very wonderful Tropical garden !. There was something similar to Japanese dry garden with rocks and sand in its image,( but as it is still in its Imagination only, it is too far away from authentic Japanese one we know very well.)
So many different kinds of orchid flowers and banana trees there. There is also trekking course available, and if I could come again as private tour , I would rather try to challenge then, needless to say, passed this time.
Afterward we went to Hotel after finishing lunch. The Hotel we stayed at was Mercure Hotel Nadi, on our way from Tarawa, we are scheduled to stay at the same hotel . We brought in with big luggage , and in addition many members are old-aged and originally scheduled to stay on the 1st floor, but due to heavy rain just one day before our arrival, all the rooms on the 1st floor were not available for use, and we had no choice but to stay on 2nd floor on this day.
We were noticed that some special event was to be made prior to dinner time here.
We may receive some information on what was investigated about each war dead from the member of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. We waited at each room for call. I have already submitted certificate of army service history of my grandfather to them in advance for further investigation, what was explained by them was almost the same information as I got in my hands before.
Gilbert Island is so-called Island of battle fight to the last man, and thus unfortunately we have no concrete means to investigate on how they spent daily life there for each war dead. It is the same situation as in members of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare in its investigation. As it is not an official documents Japan can certify, they hardly give it to the bereaved family of war, however they told us that there were some books of testimony testified by miraculous survivors of war and people concerned, or memorandums written by persons who lived in that island just before battle fight to the last man was made.
As a matter of fact, it is natural that Government hardly confirm as official certificate as Japanese government as long as there is no official evidence to vouch at all even if it is really fact itself.
Person in charge told me in the knowledge that there were the memorandums or testimony of such kind. I succeeded in getting some books while I was investigating on my grandfather. There is no detailed report on individual life of such single soldier like my grandfather, but even if so, these books are still worthwhile enough for the bereaved family of war to know as much as possible the islands of battle fight to the last man, where there is only few record on war left.
In addition to the information I got already in my hands, they showed me some copies matching with the what was described in the War History Library. It was highly appreciated to know the existence of these books because these are not commercially published though I knew the names of these books as I would like to read them at the Library of National Diet.
(later, among the some war history library books now out of print, I succeeded in obtaining one of the books (No. 1 and 2) with regard to the Middle Pacific Ocean Navy Operation describing in details on the Gilbert Island.)
