Japanese travel-writing and Pacific War battle sites: Bringing the past into the present

My presentation explores several Japanese travel-writers’ impressions of Pacific War battle sites in southwestern Pacific Islands. I discuss how the writers engage with the memories of deceased Japanese soldiers and the bereaved families. Unlike other genres of war writing, travel-writers bring the past into the present by integrating travel experience with disparate forms of knowledge. This characteristic gives emotional gravity to two interpretations of the war. Some honour the war dead for the noble sacrifice for peace and prosperity of postwar Japan. Some question the Japanese military strategies that led to the soldiers’ death and the hardship the bereaved families have endured. These two interpretations resonate with the broader debate about the significance of Japan’s defeat. However, the ways the travel-writers develop and communicate historical consciousness can illuminate themes overlooked in other genres. In this sense, this presentation hopes to contribute to a historiography of the Pacific War memories