NARITA EXPRESS

NARITA EXPRESS, a photo by mr_nihei on Flickr.

A great photo by Mr. Nihei
NARITA EXPRESS by mr_nihei

keikyu line train

keikyu line train, a photo by owenfinn16 on Flickr.

It is good to see the canals are still part of the Japanese cityscapes. I always found the canals fascinating. In the 60s, there might have been more traffic on the canals then than now. This is another great photo by Owen Finn.
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keikyu line train by owenfinn16

Autumn in Hakone

Autumn in Hakone, a photo by shinnygogo on Flickr.

I took a trip to Hakone in 1963. It was a beautiful time and is now a beautiful memory. We took a train from Yokohama and stayed at one of the most luxurious resorts. I believe the room cost about $8 U.S. Of course at that time, there exchange rate was Y-360 per dollar. Wow, how everything has changed. The beauty of Hakone appears to have remained the same. This is a beautiful photograph.
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A PANORAMIC MASTERPIECE BY SHINNYGOGO...

Nissan Showroom in Yokohama

Nissan Showroom in Yokohama, a photo by shinnygogo on Flickr.

Yes, a cool car and the robot is unique too. Like the color coordinated motif, though it would be difficult to drive around with the robot, I would give it a try. Would I get some smiles and waves? You bet I would. Congratulations to SHINNYGOGO for a great photo.
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Nissan Showroom in Yokohama by shinnygogo

Picture 035 LST nest 1963

Picture 035 LST nest 1963, a photo by johnlion15 on Flickr.

A CLOUDY DAY AT THE YOKOSUKA PIER IN 1963. This brings back some memories--it was a sad day for me. I have searched for a photo of this type. As an artist, I have painted many memories of Japan, but this is the first photo I have come across of the pier in that time period. Thanks for sharing this vintage shot. Robert
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Picture 035 LST nest 1963 by johnlion15

Picture 046 Good will tour

Picture 046 Good will tour, a photo by johnlion15 on Flickr.

MORE THAN 50 YEARS AGO AND 8000 MILES AWAY FROM TODAY...JAPANESE STUDENTS TOOK A TOUR OF JOHN'S SHIP BACK IN 1962 WHILE IN PORT AT YOKOSUKA. THIS IS A PHOTO THAT SPANS MORE THAN 50 YEARS. I WILL BET THAT JOHN AND EACH OF THE STUDENTS REMEMBER THIS DAY.
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Picture 046 Good will tour by johnlion15

16154039

16154039, a photo by Lehrling* on Flickr.

SERENITY AND PEACE

It was sometime in 1963 when I last visited a Japanese shrine of this type. I loved to visit these areas and always felt a feeling of energy and serenity when in and around these ancient and traditional areas.

京浜東北線／品川駅

京浜東北線／品川駅, a photo by mr_nihei on Flickr.

京浜東北線／品川駅
Shinagawa station / Keihin-Tohoku Line
MR NIHEI, TAKEO FROM TOKYO has a talent for shooting beautiful on-site photographs. It was but a moment in time...

DSC08833 1

DSC08833 1, a photo by omokochi_a300 on Flickr.

DSC08833 1 by omokochi_a300
I love the red lanterns. Photo by OMOKOCHI
DSC08833 1 by omokochi_a300

Mt Fuji Close Up

Mt Fuji Close Up, a photo by shinnygogo on Flickr.

Each time I view this sacred mountain in photos, I am fondly reminded of my time in Japan when I could see this beautiful sight from my duty station in Atsugi. I arrived in Japan in August of 1961 and departed in December of 1963. It was a sad morning when my ship sailed, a very sad sayonara.
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Mt Fuji Close Up by shinnygogo

My deepest gratitude and thanks to the photographer, SHINNYGOGO, for use of his picture in my blog.

TOTSUKA RAILWAY STATION: 1960S ERA

TOTSUKA RAILWAY STATION: 1960S ERA, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

REMEMBERING TOTSUKA STATION

Sketch from memory put students waiting for train to Yokohama. Uniforms were quite neat, pressed and always looked great. The female students wore what looked akin to a Middy blouse with a sailor motif on collar. Very classical and attractive outfits for both boys and girls. I was surprised that many of the college students wore similar outfits.

Sketch by Robert L. Huffstutter

Yokosuka Line / Totsuka station

Yokosuka Line / Totsuka station, a photo by mr_nihei on Flickr.

TOTSUKA AND YOKOSUKA BOTH HOLD MANY FOND MEMORIES for me. I arrive in Japan in August of 1961 and spent many months stationed at the Naval Air Station at Atsugi. In December of 1963, I departed Japan from the pier at Yokosuka. It was a sad goodbye, a Sayonara I will never forget, a sayonara that I recall every day.

Someday, I will write a book about my time in Japan. Of course, almost everyone says they will write a book someday. When I left Japan, I was 21; today, I am 70.

My love for Japan has increased as time has passed. Someday, I hope to return to Japan to paint scenes I remember. Oh, I know that many of what was once a favorite place will be gone, but there are many left.
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My gratitude and thanks to Mr Nihei for posting photos in Flickr
Yokosuka Line / Totsuka station by mr_nihei

Ikebukuro

Ikebukuro, a photo by kumi matsukawa on Flickr.

watercolor / Sketch for 26th WorldWideSketchCrawl
Tokyo / Japan [RESULTS]
Initially I was trying to draw interior view of a department store but I was gently prohibited by the person at the floor. So, instead, I went outside, sat on a cold and a bit moist brick and drew the view of Ikebukuro Station area for one hour. This day in the morning, it has been raining but at this moment, luckily, It wasn't. But was really cold!
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Ikebukuro by kumi matsukawa

196/2010

196/2010, a photo by Takahiro Yamamoto on Flickr.

The Customs House, one of the oldest buildings on the Yokohama Harbor and waterfront. I loved to sketch the building.
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196/2010 by Takahiro Yamamoto

Untitled

Untitled, a photo by industar on Flickr.

Another great photo of everyday life in Japan. It has been 50 years since I have been to Japan. It is nice to know the young women are as beautiful now as they were in the 1960s. My congratulations to the photographer INDUSTAR for some great photographs. Editor

THE U.S. DID NOT MAKE A GOOD INITIAL IMPRESSION

THE U.S. DID NOT MAKE A GOOD INITIAL IMPRESSION, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

SAILORS OF THE U.S. NAVY are endeared to Commodore Perry for opening one of the most fabulous nations around the globe and for making their port cities destinations for some of the best liberty ever. See this gallery of sailors, some of whom most likely had fantastic liberties in Yokosuka, Yokohama and other port cities:

www.flickr.com/photos/huffstutterrobertl/gall eries/721576...

THIS MUST BE AN ISLAND DISPUTE OF SOME SORT.

THIS MUST BE AN ISLAND DISPUTE OF SOME SORT., a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

THIS MUST BE AN ISLAND DISPUTE OF SOME SORT.
Nothing in graphics fascinates me more than a Japanese print depicting Western scenes. While most are very serious and well executed (pardon the pun) there is always some humor to be seen that was unintended but has become humorous through the passage of time. This particular scene could be adapted to the comic book industry. Do you suppose the artist ever dreamed that Japan would become the number one nation of comic book readers. Yes, according to stats, more men read comics enroute to work and home than in any other nation. And this is one reason why Japan is so unique. The guys are reading and learning something all of the time. I recall the same scenarios when I was in Japan.

Hasui1929Beppu6+C

Hasui1929Beppu6+C, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

BEPPU IS A HOT SPRINGS RESORT AND QUITE EXPENSIVE NOW. IT WAS INEXPENSIVE IN THE 60S AND WAS "THE" PLACE FOR HOTSY BATHS. HAVE YOU SEEN THE PRINTS OR PICTURES OF WOMEN WALKING ON YOUR BACK? WHO HAS BEEN TO BEPPU?

MEMORIES OF CHINATOWN, YOKOHAMA 1961

MEMORIES OF CHINATOWN, YOKOHAMA 1961, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

AN ESSAY ON THE ROMANTIC NIGHTS OF YOKOHAMA IN THE 1960S By Robert L. Huffstutter

In the Yokohama of the 1960s, many of the lanterns were made not of plastics or glass, but of rice-papers and other traditional materials. The lanterns were strung across the streets, many with small bulbs that gave the lanterns a soft glow, a kind of magical glow. They never ceased to fascinate me. While there was not really a holiday in progress, it was a joyful time of celebration.

Another cheerful memory of the Yokohama streets is the many boughs of cherry blossoms carefully woven around the lamp posts and on wire arbors across the streets.

For many of us young men in the service, we were always in a good mood when we were in Yokohama, especially for those of us who made Yokohama's Chinatown our destination. When we were in Yokohama after dark, it was like no port most of us had ever experienced. It was a subtle party, not a the kind of party that was base or carnal, it was a party where there was loud laughter, but a party with manners.

Few of the celebrants or celebrations ever got out of hand. There was just something about the lifestyle of Yokohama, even during the nocturnal glee, that gave Yokohama nights a kind of class seldom experienced in the cities of the USA or Mexico where the parties were part of the liberty scene.

In Japan, liberty was a party, but a party with manners. With the exchange rate being what it was, the servicemen could enjoy whatever kind of happiness most had come for, and in the hours before the dawn, the music and laughter of the celebrating men and women quieted to soft whispers behind the bamboo shutters and rice-paper windows of small apartments where the young women lived. Such interludes made these impromteau romances times to remember, times they would remember with the sweet smell of exotic parfumes and powders the men would still wear the next afternoon, fragrences they would long remember as time turned them into old men far in the future.

For many young American sailors enjoying liberty, Yokohama nights most likely still defines that time-honored slogan "Join the Navy and see the world."

DSC_9240.jpg

DSC_9240.jpg, a photo by mikeneko_nyan on Flickr.

FASCINATING PHOTOGRAPH. I especially like the presence of the GOOD FORTUNE or GOOD LUCK lanterns.

The numerous telephone poles fascinate me too. I just hope I can get back to to Japan to see this mass of lines before they are concealed. This photo has much depth of field.
I am not sure which holiday the people are celebrating, but everyone looks happy.

frog bros

frog bros, a photo by innerMt on Flickr.

FROG BROS
frog bros
Ornament on a parapet of the bridge in the Kannon Fall Park.
観音滝公園の橋の欄干の上のカエルの飾りです
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frog bros by innerMt

Lisa

Lisa, a photo by industar on Flickr.

She is totally beautiful, like the star of a vintage movie from the 1940s.
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Lisa by industar

LANTERNS OF EVERY COLOR IN YOKOHAMA OF 1960S

LANTERNS OF EVERY COLOR IN YOKOHAMA OF 1960S, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

IN THE EARLY 60S, THE COLOR OF THE LANTERN MADE NO DIFFERENCE TO THE MAMA-SAN OR PAPA-SAN WHO OWNED THE CLUB, BAR, BISTRO OR CABERET. To most of us servicemen, a bar was a bar as they sold Kirin, Asahi and Suntory.
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LANTERNS OF EVERY COLOR IN YOKOHAMA OF 1960S
Pencil sketch by Robert L. Huffstutter, Yokohama memories of 1961-63

(Woodless Colour Pencils by KOH-I-NOOR, Made in Czech Republic)

Untitled

Untitled, a photo by industar on Flickr.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC PHOTOGRAPH. IT EXHIBITS HOW IMPORTANT THE STAIRS AND STONES OF JAPAN ARE TO THE CULTURE AND LIFESTYLES OF MY SECOND FAVORITE NATION. THE PHOTOGRAPHER---INDUSTAR--IS A MOST TALENTED PHOTOGRAPHER.

Gekkeikan sake casks

Gekkeikan sake casks, a photo by industar on Flickr.

ONE CLASSIC PHOTOGRAPH BY INDUSTAR
blogaboutjapan.blogspot.com/

READY TO PACK BAGS FOR JAL FLIGHT TO TOKYO

READY TO PACK BAGS FOR JAL FLIGHT TO TOKYO, a photo by roberthuffstutter on Flickr.

I have just added my blog BLOGABOUTJAPAN to Facebook. I am not yet certain how to maintain this blog on Facebook in its many aspects, but eventually, I believe it will develop a large audience. Thanks to all of the photographers and artists who have permitted me to post their works for exhibition.

ttp://www.networkedblogs.com/blog/blogaboutja pan
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