Goa Jepang Klungkung

Useful Information

Location:	Jl. Raya Banjarangkan, Banjarangkan, Klungkung Regency, Bali 80752. 6 km west of Semarapura, 43 km from Denpasar. (-8.552598, 115.381315)
Open:	no restrictions. [2022]
Fee:	free. [2022]
Classification:	World War II Bunker
Light:	bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Goa Jepang Klungkung, Jl. Raya Banjarangkan, Banjarangkan, Klungkung Regency, Bali 80752.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1941-1942

caves built by the Japanese army.

Description

Goa Jepang Klungkung (Klungkung Japanese Caves) are 15 small artificial caves along the road. They are easily accessible by just walking on the boardwalk along the road. And they are easy to find when looking for the huge elephant sculpture at the road. The parking lot is behind the statue.

The caves were cleaned some time ago and there is a huge sign with an explanation, unfortunately only in Balinese. The site is intended as a tourist site, but it is not supervised and thus open without any restrictions and for free.

The caves were built as shelters during World War II, between 1941 and 1942, by the Japanese army, in fear of an attack by allied forces. They are parallel and quite low, so it is necessary to crawl in. We are not sure if this is a result of the recent renovation or if the actually built them this way. It seems rather impractical to store goods, if you have to push or pull them while crawling. Each cave is about 15 m long. 14 of the 16 caves are connected at the far end by a long tunnel, which is 2 m high and 4 m wide. Only the outermost caves on both sides are not connected.

Quite funny is the fear of some visitors that there is no air inside the caves. We know this superstition from India, it seems to exist in Indonesia too, although much less common. Its obviously impossible for any unhealthy gas to build up in an only 15 m long tunnel without door.