Cherry Blossoms at Cowra

It's springtime and in Cowra NSW that means it's time for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Cowra has a very special relationship with Japan and Japanese Culture. In World War II there was a POW Camp in Cowra where 2,223 Japanese and 2,000 Italian POWs and internees were held.  There were also a number of Indonesians, Chinese and Koreans imprisoned there.  On 5th August 1944 there was a breakout of 359 Japanese prisoners.  231 Japanese soldiers died, with 108 wounded. 3 Australian soldiers also died (2 during the breakout and one later in the day).  In 1977 the Japanese Garden was established in the Peace Precinct.

This beautiful garden is an ongoing work in progress and is the site of a Japanese Culture Centre.  It's also the site of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in late September each year.  The gardens are a very popular tourist attraction and we have been there several times.

It's very easy to spend an hour or more just wandering around the gardens which are designed to represent all areas of Japan.  At this time of year they are enhanced by the cherry blossom trees in full bloom.

The Festival also has Japanese Cultural events during the day with origami and calligraphy available for the adventurous.  There were special displays of martial arts, taiko drums and tea ceremonies on one of the days (unfortunately not the day we were there).

After spending the morning walking around the Gardens, we drove the short distance to the War Cemetery.  There are 2 War Cemeteries in Cowra, the Australian War Cemetery and the Japanese War Cemetery.

We have always found a war cemetery to be a very reverent place.  A visit to one really brings home the futility of war and the waste of young lives.  This one was no exception.  This is the only Japanese War Cemetery anywhere in the world and the remains of all Japanese, military and civilian, who died in Australia during World War II, including airmen shot down or crashed over Northern Australia are interred there.  Australian soldiers who died in the area (there was a major infantry base in Cowra) are buried in the small Australian War Cemetery.  Both Cemeteries are maintained by Commonwealth War Graves.