Lobang Jepang (Japanese Cave) Bukitinggi

One thing that must be on your list when you visit Bukittinggi is the Japanese Cave or called by local as Lobang Jepang or Gua Jepang Panorama. Lobang Jepang is a bunker build by Indonesians under forced labor of Japanese soldiers between 1942-1945. This place is about 15 minutes from Jam Gadang, the city center of Bukittinggi. So if it's your first time visiting Bukittinggi, this place is easily accessible. 

I went inside after paying IDR 5.000 which was the entrance fee per person. I loved the greenery around the area.

Two guides accompanied us, at the entrance one of them explained the map of the bunker, including the do's and dont's. We listened carefully as we didn't want any bad things happened on our first visit.

Then we started exploring the bunker.. Firstly we had to take the stairs down to the bunker. It was useful to have guides as they explained the halls we passed, and to ensure that we wouldn't get lost inside.

At the end of one tunnel we stopped to enjoy the view of the beautiful canyon called Ngarai Sianok.

We also saw what so called "the great wall of Bukittinggi" a skyway of 1 km long which linked Bukittinggi with an area called Agam.

the newly opened Great Wall of Bukittinggi

We exit at the other side of the cave, so we didn't have to walk all the way back to the main entrance. At the exit the guides request us to give him some donation, so better prepare money when visiting this Japanese Cave.

It was a very interesting journey walking through the tunnels inside Lobang Jepang and the stories told by our guide made the place felt more magical.

written on December 11, 2013 by @tesyasblog

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