Koajiro Forest .... Located Southwest of Yokosuka

https://www.city.miura.kanagawa.jp/material/files/group/24/shinyotai.pdf

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Listening to the chirps of many small birds and the sounds of Japanese pygmy woodpeckers pecking at trees, we passed through the Koajiro Forest in Miura City, where we came across three caves on the cliffs facing the shores of Koajiro Bay. 

Today, Koajiro Bay is a quiet crab paradise, but at the end of the Asia-Pacific War, it was used as a base for the "Shinyo" special attack boats in preparation for the American invasion of the mainland. 

Around Koajiro Bay alone, more than a dozen tunnels (underground bunkers) of various sizes were dug, and their existence can still be seen today. The bunkers facing the bay are relatively easy to explore, but the tide can rise up to the entrance, and there are puddles inside, so if you are going to explore, you will need boots, a flashlight, gloves, and a hat.

Holding a flashlight in one hand, I cautiously enter the pitch black cave. There are many things that remind me of the time, such as the remains of a pulley on the ceiling for storing boats, the remains of rails on the floor for transporting boats, and the remains of a door at the entrance to the cave. There are also many centipedes, which will suddenly fall on your head if you are not careful.

Deployed here in Koajiro, the 27th Shinyo Unit was a unit of 184 people, including 25 Shinyo boats and 50 crew members (kamikaze pilots), and repeatedly conducted training in Sagami Bay. On July 29, 1945, with defeat imminent, three Shinyo boats (with six crew members) were sent out on a "special mission" (kamikaze). However, the next day, they were attacked by American aircraft off the coast of Sagami and all of them were killed in action.

In Aburatsubo Bay, located next to the small peninsula where Aburatsubo Marine Park is located, the base of the special attack submarine Kairyu was located.  Currently, many yachts and cruisers are moored there, but at that time, 60 Kairyu were deployed in combat. 

The 56th Shinyo Unit (183 people including 25 Shinyo boats and 53 crew members) was stationed in Ena Bay in Matsuwa, Minamishimoura Town, and the unit headquarters was set up in Fukusenji Temple. The crew members and base staff were apparently lodged in private homes. There are about 10 underground trenches remaining around Ena Bay. 

Why not take a moment to reminisce about the war 60 years ago while looking out at the sparkling Koajiro Bay and Ena Bay? 

Note: "kamikaze" is an attack method used by the Japanese military at the end of the Pacific War. It involves young soldiers personally piloting aircraft to ram enemy ships.