I BOUGHT A NEW PETRI AND STARTED TAKING PHOTOS OF YOKOHAMA AND TOKYO

My previous post was all about my flight from San Francisco to Tokyo, the stopover in Hawaii, the sight of Midway island pointed out by the Captain. The significance of that battle would not really make an impact on me until I was much older. Sure, I knew there was one major air battle there, but what was important at that time was that America had won the war and Japan was reputed to be one great duty station. As a 19 year old youth, the thought of enjoying the excitement of the Orient had created some exciting images in my imagination. And now, many years afte that tour of duty ended, I realize that those images were, in fact, exciting in a way that only those who spent time stationed in Japan would ever be able to imagine. Sure, there were the stories the sailors who sailed into Japan told. Most were pretty exciting, but their time in Japan was limited to the time their floating duty station spent. There was always a massive amount of sailors from the various carriers and tincans that were tied up at the Yokuska Naval Station. Their duration of time spent in Japan was usually about two weeks. They were called "Westpac cruises." Being stationed at a permanent station was really the envy of most of the ocean-going navy. Looking back, I realize exactly what a great opportunity it was; looking back, I have regrets that I didn't spend more time learning about the country, taking tours and shooting many more photos and slides. Nevertheless, I had a great time. The twenty-eight months spent in Japan has supplied me with a lifetime of fond memories.

This is a woodblock print I found on the internet. It's old. Sure, I wished I had the original to post, but I did manage to collect a few old prints. Where they are now, I'm not sure. I still have some storage spots with old artifacts and memoirs I have yet to open. Hopefully, they will be unharmed by the fifty plus years they have been stored in the cedar-lined trunks. I will be posting photos of these items as I find them. And I still have many slides to look at and sort. While I was stationed in Japan, I did a lot of sketching and painting, mostly tempra paints. Some of them are pretty decent; some are simply magic marker type of expressions of sake shops and sake bottles, drawings of bar scenes and people in general. There was a time while stationed in Japan when, just for the fun of it, I painted the outside facades of favorite bars, bought a frame, framed the picture and presented it to the owner. There was a real feeling of glee when I walked in a few days later and saw my painting on the wall behind the bar. I wonder how many are still hanging there? Honestly, I doubt there is one bar of the many I entered that still remains open. The group photo above is an official U.S.Navy photograph of those in our squadron who were advanced to E-5 on the 16th of November 1962. I am in the middle of the first row. I felt pretty good, advancing to E-5 at only 20 years of age. It meant a lot more responsibility, more pay, and a lot more privileges.

MY ENCHANTMENT WITH THE NIGHT SPOTS QUICKLY WANED AND I FIGURED I NEEDED TO SPEND MY TIME IN A LITTLE MORE WORTHWHILE MANNER.

It all depends on who a guy hangs out with that matters. This begins early in life and continues right on through the elder years. Upon my arrival, I met a lot of different guys from all over the USA. "Where you from, Huff?" was the initial question. Back in the 60s, where one hailed from seemed to make a bigger difference than it does in today's armed forces. How do I know this? Simply through conversation with a few guys who have been fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE WHERE ONE IS FROM IN THE SERVICE?

Why did it make a difference where a guy was from? I thought about this while writing and reflected on this question. It is a question that most likely goes back into our primal beginnings. Speaking from a contemporary view back in the 60s, where one was from probably reflected one's assumed values and standards about just about everything that affected life in the USA fifty years ago. So where was I from? Actually, I had two answers for that question. To go back to my basic roots, I was born in Colorado, a native Coloradian (Coloradoian?). "Born in Colorado, grew up in Kansas City and joined the Navy in California.

I MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS WHILE I WAS IN THE NAVY. I DIDN'T REALLY FIT INTO ANY CERTAIN GROUP BUT SEEMED TO BE WELCOME IN WHATEVER GROUP I WAS WITH AT THE TIME. My first liberty in Japan was spent with some guys from the south; there was Blankenship from Tennessee, Crow from Mississippi, Guillory from Louisiana and a guy named Lambert. He hailed from West Virginia--not Virginia!It was a rip-roaring liberty, a little too roudy for me. There was way too much chatter about the Confederates, Dixie and all of the other subject matter that accompanies conversations of this genre. Nevertheless, I drank my share of Suntory Whiskey and Kirin Beer and probably agreeded with most everything that was said. Mostly, the conversation gradually went from bad to worse; once the political text of the chatter ended with a loud rebel yell or two, the main subject became the difference between American women and Japanese women. It was usually at this point in the conversation that I bowed out and sought the company of one of many of the young and appealing ladies. The dollar had a lot of purchase power in 1961; there was 360 yen to the dollar. Friendship was easily purchased for short-term relationships. And I got really too bored to remain with my buddies for the rest of the night. Besides, midnight was the hour we had to be back to base on weekday liberties; weekend liberty was another matter. Usually, one could leave on Friday at 1600 hours and not have to return until 0800 Monday mornings. Now, about that Petri camera I purchased at the Navy PX. It was a dandy and had an automatic setting. It also had an electric eye that helped me shoot some pretty decent shots without worrying about F-stops and speeds. Somewhere in my stuff from a tour of duty from long ago are boxes of slides I took; I am hoping they will still be good. Fifty years, however, is a long time for a slide to sit in a yellow kodachrome box. I must check on these soon. Yes, I loved my Petri and began shooting pictures of lots of different subjects. Pagodas became tiring; shrines became too numerous. And at the time, shooting shrines didn't seem right. Was it a religious conflict? It might have been. Isn't it odd we have some weird ideas about false idols and forget about the sins of the flesh.? It could be rationalized and blamed on youth and the fires of Spring. The Fires of Spring was a James Mitchener book I read. But Sayonara was another one of his books. It would be awhile before the Sayonara stage of my tour began.

THE UMBRELLAS OF ENOSHIMA

HOTEL MISS IWAKUNI AND THE KINTAI BRIDGE

THERE WAS A COMMENT ABOUT THE MISS IWAKUNI HOTEL stating it had a reputation for being somewhat nefarious. That might have been true.

It could have been one of the transient type of hotels that didn't reflect traditional Japanese Inn customs or standards. Nevertheless, nefarious or infamous, there is no denying my feet treaded around the tatami mats of the Miss Iwakuni Hotel. Some memories are profound and lasting while others are fleeting images that end with the rising of the sun. Thanks for the reminder. Rob

MY FIRST DAY IN JAPAN, AUGUST 1961

THE BUS RIDE FROM THE AIRPORT TO THE NAVAL AIR STATIONAT ATSUGI WAS LONG AND FULL OF STRANGE AND EXCITING AROMAS. ONCE WE ARRIVE AT THE NAVAL AIR STATION, I SAW MT FUJI IN THE DISTANCE. IT HAD BEEN A LONG DAY, A LOT OF FLYING WITH ONLY A ONE HALF-HOUR STOP IN HAWAII FOR REFUELING--AND SENDING POST CARDS OF DIAMONDHEAD. THE PILOT POINTED OUT MIDWAY ISLAND, THE KIMONO-CLAD HOSTESSES SERVED COLD BOTTLES OF KIRIN BEER. THEY FURNISHED US WITH HOT TOWELS FOR REFRESHING OUR FACES. IT HAD BEEN A JOURNEY OF MORE THAN FIVE-THOUSAND MILES. I LOOKED AT MT FUJI AND WONDERED WHAT MY TOUR OF DUTY WOULD BE LIKE. WOULD I BE HOMESICK FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS? WOULD I LEARN TO SPEAK JAPANESE AND HAVE THE KIND OF EXPERIENCES I HAD HEARD ABOUT FROM MY NAVY FRIENDS WHO HAD BEEN TO JAPAN? MY MIND WAS FULL OF MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE. MY COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF WAS PRESIDENT KENNEDY; I KNEW HE HAD IT ALL UNDER CONTROL.

HOW I SPENT A LOT OF MY SPARE TIME

FRIENDS AND ALLIES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS

THE FIRST CAPTION THAT ENTERED MY MIND FOR THE PAINTPROGRAM IMAGE BELOW WAS

TORA, TORA, TORA

but after awhile I thought about a caption that would be less intimidating and dramatic , a caption that would express the general attitude that exists today, more than 50 years after the war. As time passes, the memories of Pearl Harbor and the war fade away; time has a way of healing the scars of war when generations change. I needed a caption that would indicate that those days of hate and anger are, for the most part, gone. It was with much peril and sacrifice that many of our deceased family members made it possible for Japan and the USA to build a bonds and freindship. To illustrate the obvious, I came up with the following caption:

"Somehow, I think we are making a big mistake, Abe."

MY FASCINATION WITH JAPAN BEGAN EARLY IN LIFE

WELCOME TO THE JAPAN OF THE EARLY 1960s

For some reason, I always knew that I would go to Japan. From the time I was a small boy I sensed a fascination with Japan. Some might say it was because I heard so much about Japan when I was a young boy. Sure, that had an impact on the subject, but there was more to my interest in that faraway island empire than a war. The war ended when I was almost four years old. At that age, I had no concept of hate or vengeance but there were war games being played in the neighborhood. As a boy, we played outdoors with toy guns. We played cowboys and Indians and we played war. For whatever reason, the war games involved Japan and the USA rather than the Germans. I believe there were numerous reasons for this. One reason might be the propaganda I was exposed to during and after the war. One reason was the stories the returning GIs told us boys. Most of us had a dad or relative who served, so our take on the war was somewhat influenced by the tales we heard. There were numerous movies that continued to punish the Japanese long after the surrender. We continued to find new movies and new comic books about World War Two as we grew older and taller. The John Wayne movie, Sands of Iwo Jima, was the movie that we liked the best. There are many reasons why we chose to play war games against Japan and it is a subject that I want to mention in depth in future posts. To focus on the subject, the Japan of the 1960s, let me state that my hint of the future became a reality in 1961 when the Pan American Boeing 707 landed at Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August of 1961. My first day in the Japan was one that was pleasant and one that I will always remember.