26/03/2024
Thank you, Francis for the email and to have the passion and wealth of insights that both serve the hotel and the immediate guests.
From: Francis Deve [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 1:30 PM
To: 'Minemura (Mendana HTL) '
Cc: [email protected]; Lynold Jacob Kimi ; 'Willington Pitu'
Subject: FW: Thank you for your guide to the battlefields.
Dear Sir and our Team,
A note from a Guest whom we looked after during their last visit to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
See the attached story.
Francis Deve.
From: 秋山 雄一 [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, 26 March 2024 9:50 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Thank you for your guide to the battlefields.
My name is Yuichi Akiyama, and I’m the one who was guided by you on the tour of battlefields on February 14 and 15.
On behalf of the three of us, I want to send you an email to thank you again.
I am very sorry that it took me so long to send you the email, as I was on a private trip to Europe immediately after returning to Japan.
Your guide made our trip to the Solomon Islands even more unforgettable.
We knew about the Pacific War, and we often hear about the fierce battles between the U.S. and Japanese forces on Guadalcanal Island.
Therefore, as Japanese, we wanted to learn more about its history, so we visited the Solomon Islands.
I would not have been very satisfied with the tour if I had relied solely on information from the Internet.
However, thanks to your guide, we were able to visit more battlefields and follow the footsteps of the Japanese forces.
The forests of Guadalcanal were just like the Solomon's jungle I had imagined from watching TV and movies.
It was deeply moving to think that we were seeing the same scenery as 80 years ago.
However, the view from the hills such as the Gifu Highland was so beautiful that I wondered if the fierce battles had been fought here.
The gap between the beauty of the landscape and the intensity of the battle made me feel sad.
I was also very moved and grateful that the local people have carefully cared for and preserved the cenotaphs and relics of the Japanese forces around Guadalcanal Island.
I thought that it would be a good idea to spend my life in the Solomon Islands assisting the bereaved families' association and the bone collection group to pass on this sad history to future generations, and to work for the preservation of the cenotaphs.
Of course, I will start working in April and will have a busy life, so I cannot visit or move to the Solomon Islands right now.
However, I hope to be involved in an effort to tell the story of the battle of Guadalcanal Island in some way, even if I’m in Japan.
And we would like to visit the Solomon Islands again someday.
At that time, we would like to visit IJN Kikutsuki, which I could not visit this time, of course with your guide.
You are welcome to contact us when you come to Japan again.
Thank you very very much for your kindness and support.
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
TEL: +818095540308
Email: [email protected]
Contact: Yuichi Akiyama, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, 4th year
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー