ENOSHIMA, JAPAN TRAIN STATION, MAY 1962

ENOSHIMA, JAPAN TRAIN STATION, MAY 1962
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

I SPENT MANY DAYS AT ENOSHIMA SKETCHING AND SIPPING SAKE. SOMEHOW, IT ALWAYS SEEMED TO RAIN SOMETIME DURING AN AFTERNOON.

Dohtonbori View

Dohtonbori View
Originally uploaded by bakagaijiin

This looks so much like the japan of the 60s........A favorite. I loved the canals with the bridges and painted numerous scenes of them in yokohama and tokyo from 1961 to 1963. Many of them were framed and placed behind the bars of the little sake and beer bars...................Rob

Undercurrents in the Floating World

Undercurrents in the Floating World
Originally uploaded by born1945

Censorship and Japanese Prints. This seemed an appropriate first posting to the Floating world Group in Flickr. This book was published by The Asia Society Galleries, New York, on the occasion of an exhibition organized by The Asia Society Galleries, New York, Oct. 1991 to Jan 1992.

Prints reproduced in the book are from the Tokugawa period through the Japan Russia war of 1904.

Uploaded by born1945 on 1

Vintage Portrait of Japanese Man

Vintage Portrait of Japanese Man
Originally uploaded by born1945

Vintage Portrait of Japanese Man
This dates from the 1930s or earlier. Can anyone in Flickrland translate the banner?

Uploaded by born1945

Wooden Bridge at Iwakuni, 1902

Wooden Bridge at Iwakuni, 1902
Originally uploaded by born1945

PHOTO FROM THE FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM OF BORN 1945...See his entire collection of interesting items and photos. Many for sale on a commercial site. Contact him for info by clicking on link.

I frequently flew down to Iwakuni from Atsugi and relaxed for a few days. The area was even more reasonably priced than Yokohama and it was a joy to see the older areas of a Japan unaffected by the war. Took photos of this most famous bridge.

TEXT BELOW BY BORN 1945

Wooden Bridge at Iwakuni, 1902
This picture is from a book titled "Japan, Its History, Arts and Literature" published in 1902. I earlier posted a photograph of this bridge. This illustration from the book is actually a better picture.

The other photo is at: www.flickr.com/photos/12567713@N00/46170144/in/set-963514/

Uploaded by born1945

YOKOHAMA, PAINTED ON SCENE 1962, YOKOHAMA HARBOR PARK

YOKOHAMA, PAINTED ON SCENE 1962, YOKOHAMA HARBOR PARK
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

YOKOHAMA, PAINTED ON SCENE 1962, YOKOHAMA HARBOR PARK

YAMATO TRAIN STATION 1963

YAMATO TRAIN STATION 1963
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

Originally sketched this in pencil at the station and later turned it into pen and ink.

One of my biggest hopes is to be able to return to Japan someday and spend a few months sketching, painting and taking photos. There is probably more subjects in Japan for artists to paint than in any other country. Tradition and the Japanese lifestyle of respect and appreciation for nature has, I believe, preserved the beauty of the past, in mind and spirit, and in the material things of life too.

Toyohashi station

Toyohashi station
Originally uploaded by yuki80

I REALLY ENJOY THIS PHOTO; IT HAS SOME OF THE OLD 60S FLAVOR TO IT. IN OTHER WORDS, SOME THINGS DON'T CHANGE THAT MUCH. THIS MAKES ME WANT TO BOARD THE NEXT JAL......

Matue Castle

Matue Castle
Originally uploaded by OpenGovPhotos

Matsue Castle, 400 year old structure which houses a great collection of historic artifacts. The view at the top is fantastic.

Uploaded by OpenGovPhotos on 15 Mar 09

JAPANESE SMOKING JACKET

japanese smoking jacket...
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

I PURCHASED THIS JACKET FOR ABOUT Yen 3,600 in a small shop in Yokohama. It was made in the shop.

Night Street - Shimokitazawa

Night Street - Shimokitazawa
Originally uploaded by cocoip

THANKS TO COCOIP for furnishing the excellent photo used as the icon for the new group JAPANESE NEON..........

About JAPANESE NEON
Photos of neon signs and neon lights in japan. The more neon in the image the better, but sometimes only a flicker of a neon light or sign is also almost as good. This group is open to 6 submissions per member per day. Photos must be original images. Color is the best, but if there is a b/W that indicates neon, it is elgible. Painting and sketches, pastels, pencil sketches, all elgible. Invitations will be posted on images the editors feel would be great examples of the group's purpose. Once this group gains attention, we look for it to expand beyond our wildest expectations. So, if you have some neon images, inside or outside of the building, neon signs in the windows, all from japan, let us then begin on this bright and positive group project.

THE GROUP IS JUST BEGINNING. THE POSSIBILITIES FOR VOLUME IS UNLIMITED, BUT WE MUST ALSO KEEP QUALITY IN MIND. CONSIDER JOINING. INVITATIONS ARE NOT REQUIRED, BUT THEY ARE SENT OR POSTED TO PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE FANTASTIC PHOTOS OF JAPANESE NEON.............Robert

CHECK OUR ANOTHER BLOG ABOUT JAPAN

http://firstphotosofjapan.blogspot.com/

Adm. Togo (LOC)

Adm. Togo (LOC)
Originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

LOOKS LIKE THE ADMIRAL IS GETTING A BIT SLEEPY....This is one of about a dozen of photos of Admiral Togo and his tour of U.S. Academies, West Point, Brooklyn Navy Yard, etc. Great shots compliments of the Library of Congress....

Tokyo Smokers

Tokyo Smokers
Originally uploaded by ajpscs

SOMEBODY IS ALWAYS BLOWING SMOKE IN TOKYO. I SMOKED IN TOKYO AND WHEN I RETURN, I WILL SMOKE AGAIN. I AM ONE WHO LOVES TOKYO AND SMOKING.

THANKS TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER AIPSCS

WATERCOLOR BY R.L.HUFFSTUTTER

LATEST JUNE PHOTOGRAPHS 329
Originally uploaded by HUFFSTUTTERR

Watercolor by Robert L. Huffstutter. Yokohama's "Chinatown" was the place where many American servicemen spent their liberty and leaves if they wanted to enjoy the company of the opposite sex and relax with a few drinks. In addition to this type of entertainment, Yokohama had plenty of other tourist spots that were unique and very different than what one found in the USA.

Golden-Gai---Bar-Who-2

Golden-Gai---Bar-Who-2
Originally uploaded by tom-mason.co.uk

THANKS TO TOM MASON OF THE UK FOR YET ANOTHER EXCELLENT NEON BAR COLLAGE. WHERE THESE BARS SEED OR WHAT? PLEASE POST MORE OF THESE GREAT SHOTS. OUR VIEWERS ARE SCREAMING FOR MORE. THANKS, EARL R. STONEBRIDGE. ROB

Clean Subway in Tokyo

Clean Subway in Tokyo
Originally uploaded by tobimcfly

SPEEDING THROUGH TOKYO IS LIKE GOING 100 MPH IN A COMIC BOOK STORE...THANKS TO tobimcfly for these great photos (three)

Tokyo Shimbuschikuji

Tokyo Shimbuschikuji
Originally uploaded by tobimcfly

ONE OF THE BEST NIGHT SHOTS OF TOKYO ON FLICKR....stated Earl R. Stonebridge, American writer and associate editor...

Japanese tour group

Japanese tour group
Originally uploaded by capwell

JAPANESE TOUR GROUP in 1998

Using what amounted to a homemade tilt-shift lens, I shot a Japanese tour group in front of the Lincoln Memorial in 1998. My high school was in Washington D.C. for some cardinal something-or-other at the National Cathedral and I "accidentally" strayed from the group for most of the afternoon

EDITORS COMMENT BELOW
Photo by Capwell while still a student in high school, thus explaining a bit about his interest in photography and his positive attitude about life and people. Thanks to Mr. Capwell for sharing this photo of an international interest with our readers in Japan and the USA. (If by some remote chance, you discover yourself in the above photo, pleae make a comment. Chances of this is 1 in 180,000,000 or population of tour age Japanese in 1989). The Editors

JAPANESE FISHING BOATS

JAPANESE FISHING BOATS
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

Memories of a Japanese fishing village. Back in the 1960s, one could journey down the coast that was passable and note all types of fishing boats and equipment. I was never met with any rudeness or impoliteness. I was always acknowledged with a smile and some curiosity. What was a young American doing wondering far off the beaten path, down into the sleepy fishing villages from centuries long passed? In retrospect, I realize how extremely polite the Japanese were. My memories of the time I spent are full of warmth. I wonder how many of those tiny villages remain? Someday, I might return, but in some respects, it is probably best that I don't; the memories of that tour are too valuable to return and realize that I have grown so much older while Japan has grown so much younger and so much more Western. One fact we must all face: in our memories, those we saw for the last time long ago will always remain young and beautiful. Returning to Japan would make me face a reality that I do not want to face, that time has passed and things shall never be the same.

日本北海道理容

日本北海道理容
Originally uploaded by travelhaha

IF THIS IS NOT A BARBER SHOP OF SORTS, I HAVE NO IDEA OF WHAT ELSE IT COULD BE. ALTHOUGH I HAVE SPENT SOME TIME IN JAPAN, LONG AGO, I NEVER RECALL ANYTHING OF THIS NATURE AROUND DOORS. COULD IT BE A PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTER? NO, IT HAS TO BE A BARBERSHOP. COULD IT BE THE ENTRANCE TO A CANDY CANE FACTORY? NO, I WILL STICK WITH THE BARBER SHOP THEORY.

DSC_0257

DSC_0257
Originally uploaded by travelhaha

FROM THE ISLAND OF HOKKAIDO, ALL OF THE GOOD THINGS FOUND ON THE ISLAND OF HONSHU, BUT THE WEATHER IS COLDER. THANKS TO TRAVELHAHA FOR THIS PHOTO.

Hokkaido (the second largest of the four main islands of Japan; north of Honshu)

Tokyo View - Ueno

Tokyo View - Ueno
Originally uploaded by cocoip

THIS IS TRULY A UNIQUE PHOTO BY A MOST UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHER...IT IS TAKEN AT UENO PARK IN TOKYO, A PHOTOGRAPH BY COCOIP...OUR GRATITUDE TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER...THE STAFF

Night Street - Yokohama

Night Street - Yokohama
Originally uploaded by cocoip

PHOTO BY COCOIP, COPYRIGHT BY COCOIP

Japanese Roads

Japanese Roads
Originally uploaded by Jayel Aheram

On the 52 train on our way to the Sagami Otsuka train station.
photo by JAVEL AHERAM

Hikawa-maru

Hikawa-maru
Originally uploaded by KOM674

THIS VESSLE WAS HERE IN 1961. BROWSING THROUGH FLICKR, I SEE IT WAS STILL IN YAMASHITA PARK IN 1993. WILL IT SAIL SOMEDAY? OR HAS IT ALREADY SAID SAYONARA TO YAMASHITA AND ALL WHO VIEWED HER? THANKS TO KOM674 FOR THE PHOTO.

Nile C. Kinnick Middle School

Nile C. Kinnick Middle School
Originally uploaded by KOM674

Nile C. Kinnick Middle School
This was a High School in Yokohama in early 70s, then it became a Middle School when the new high school opened up in Yokosuka Naval base.

Bill Chickering Theater, Yokohama 1960s

Bill Chickering Theater, Yokohama 1960s
Originally uploaded by KOM674

Bill Chickering Theater, Yokohama 1960s
I watched the original "Planet of the Apes" at this theater. Back then, FREE admission with a Military I.D. Card. And the Cafeteria on the right had an awesome " Gravy-over-Rice!!; To the left of the theater was the Main Navy Exchange (PX); to the right of the Cafeteria was the Bowling Alley; behind the Theater was the Teen-Club. ($1.00=360yen)

THANKS TO KOM674 FOR THIS PHOTO FROM FLICKR PHOTOSTREAM...

old facade detail

old facade detail
Originally uploaded by flapjax at midnite

PHOTOGRAPHER HAS EYE FOR GEOMETRIC MASTERPIECES...COLORS ARE ZEN AND REFLECT AN INNER SELF THAT CAN BE SEEN BY PASSERSBY. CONGRATS ON MASTERPIECE WORKS......

facade with green awning

facade with green awning
Originally uploaded by flapjax at midnite

KAORING'S PHOTO OF A JAPANESE SMILE

Originally uploaded by @kaoring

THE BEAUTY AND THE ENERGY OF JAPANESE YOUTH IS MOST ADMIRABLE AND IS ONE REASON JAPAN IS A SUCCESSFUL AND JOYFUL NATION.

THEY HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BLEND TRADITION OF THEIR LONG HISTORY INTO THE HIGHLY TECHNICAL TRENDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY.

JAPAN: TRULY ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND BEAUTIFUL NATIONS ON EARTH. Congratulations to the photographer for capturing the smile of youth, the attitude of a new generation...

Robert L. Huffstutter

night at kouenji

night at kouenji
Originally uploaded by gopancholina

THIS PHOTO HAS PERFECT LIGHTING. CONGRATULATIONS TO gopancholina FOR A PHOTO THAT HAS MOOD ELEMENTS THAT ARE INTENSE.

Fuji & Pagoda

Fuji & Pagoda
Originally uploaded by Travel 67

ONE OF THE BEST PHOTOS OF MOUNT FUI I HAVE SEEN. THE CLARITY, THE PRISTINE QUALITY, THE ACCENTS OF RED FROM THE PAGODA--THEY CREATE ONE VERY APPEALING INVITATION TO JAPAN. CONGRATULATION...

U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION

U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SITES WITH HISTORIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE ATSUGI AIRFIELD BEFORE AND AFTER WORLD WAR TWO:

Japan-101 - Pictures of Japan - Atsugi AirfieldDescription: World, War, Two, Japan, US, troops, truck, convoy, Atsugi, Airfield. Posted By: Doug M (View all of Doug M's images), Dimensions: 640 x 293 ...
www.japan-101.com/photos/showimage.php?i=52541&c=12 - 37k - Cached - Similar pages -
A Pilot's Story - by Paul SchifferliTarget : Atsugi Airfield, Tokyo. Occupation forces were beginning to move in. Those at the airfield were to repair the runways for landings and I suppose ...
home.att.net/~sallyann5/b29/schifferli4.html - 43k - Cached - Similar pages -
General MacArthur arrives at Atsugi Airfield.Title: General MacArthur arrives at Atsugi Airfield. Date: August 30, 1945. Accession number: 98-2445. Return to Truman Library home page ...
www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/displayimage.php?pointer=21782&people=&listid=2 - 12k - Cached - Similar pages -
General MacArthur arrives at Atsugi Airfield.Title: General MacArthur arrives at Atsugi Airfield. Date: August 30, 1945. People pictured: MacArthur, Douglas, 1880-1964. Accession number: 98-2445.
www.trumanlibrary.org/photographs/printDisplay.php?pointer=21782&rr=&people=&listid=5 - 2k - Cached - Similar pages -
More results from www.trumanlibrary.org »
Atsugi AirfieldDays after surrender, the three squadrons of the 49th FG in P-38s arrived at the airfield. Later, the US Navy also used the base. ...
www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/japan/atsugi/index.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages

THESE ARE GOOGLE SITES AND ARE NOT ALL INCLUSIVE...

NEW NOVEL BY EARL R. STONEBRIDGE

NEW NOVEL BY EARL R. STONEBRIDGE
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

ROOM WITH A VIEW: CHANNELING BACK TO YOKOHAMA 1962

ROOM WITH A VIEW: YOKOHAMA 1962
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

THIS IS A ROOM WITH A VIEW. IT IS AN INDUSTRIAL VIEW. AS I GO BACK INTO TIME, THROUGH SOME INTENSE CHANNELING, I CAN SEE THE DETAILS OF WHERE THIS STRUCTURE ONCE STOOD. AS THE IMAGE FORMS WITHIN MY MIND, I EXPERIENCE A FAINT ELECTRICAL CURRENT WITHIN MY MIND, A VERY SENSITIVE FEELING; MY PULSE RACES. SUDDENLY, IT IS 1963 AND THERE IS A VACUUM SO INTENSE I BREAK INTO A COLD SWEAT. I WAS THAT CLOSE TO RETURNING AND REFRAINED. LET ME SAY THIS: THE SPOT NO LONGER EXISTS AS IT DID THEN. TODAY IT IS INSIDE OF A QUIET, UP-SCALE BAR AND LOUNGE WITH WIDE WINDOW VIEWS OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE RECONSTRUCTION AND PROGRESS DURING THE LAST FOUR DECADES. THERE ARE TWO FIGURES, A YOUNG COUPLE, THAT ARE SOMEWHAT GHOSTLIKE IN A CORNER. THEY ARE SMILING AND SIPPING WINE. THERE IS AN AURA AROUND THEM...

JAPAN 1961

JAPAN 1961
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

NOT THE TYPICAL PICTURE SHOW AMERICANS LIKED...

WHEN I WAS GROWING UP...the movies were a big event for children between about 5 and 12; Saturday movies were cheap. They wasn't an economy back in 1949--you either had money or you didn't. Anyway, for one thin dime, I could escape the terrors of my Uncle's turkey pen for an afternoon at the Byam Theater in Fairmont. The movies were a thrill. I liked the cartoons, but it was the movie that I looked forward to. It was at the Byam Theater where I first saw The Sands of Iwo Jima. Forever a patriot afterwards. I will tell you this--I was terribly disappointed if the Three Stooges was playing. They were, in my six or seven year old opinion, totally ridiculous. No, it was not that I had no sense of humor. Felix was great; Mickey Mouse was okay. Porky was right good, but the essence of Saturdays was the featured movie. Let me see a Long Ranger movie at the old picture show just one more time; let me ride with the Cisco Kid and find the bad asses he always found. Who else do I want to see again? Hopalong was okay. He was a bit too finished for me. Okay, there were lots of gangster movies with everyone using Tommy guns. Us guys liked that kind of action. But it was the war movies, yes, the war movies with bodies scattered everywhere. We were eager to get home to the woods behind our neighborhood homes so we could play war and start killing Nazis and Japanese. We were sad that all the wars were over. "Shoot, we won't get to kill any enemies now that our dads and uncles have killed them all," whined my best buddy, Tim Duggins. We had no idea what war was about or how often they came around. It was not that we had not received some elementary education about wars. No, we knew all about the Redcoats and the war about the slaves; we knew about that war where mustard gas was sprayed in our grandfather's faces. We tried that one time with a jar of mustard and got in big trouble. Well, it was a bad idea; we knew nothing elementary about the First World War. Our teachers had not yet started the myth about The Arch Duke of Ferdinand being the one who started the first world war because it was a "shot heard around the world." No, we didn't favor the silly uniforms our guys wore in the First World War. The helmets were weird, odd, not at all cool like the U.S.Marine helmets in the Second World War. We laughed when we saw those leggings laced up. But that wasn't near as funny as the French helmets. There was a classic. Lots of them were lost in that war, another reason only a few were left for the second world war. Note how few of those archaic iron helmet are seen on the military channel's newsreel creations. Now I have strayed a long way from John Wayne. Let's see, I did not care for slapstick comedy, love stories or musicals. Musicals got better after I turned thirteen. I remember Shirley Jones in Everything is Okay in Oklahoma. Sexy was a word that was naughty. Damn and hell were bad words too. It was okay if they were said by John Wayne. So, there I was in Japan at nineteen. Talk about some easy duty. I didn't know how good I had it for awhile. Compared to what our troops in combat theaters of the Pacific Theater had to endure and compared to the Nazi stench that drifted throughout Europe, the service personnel in Japan had it good in the sixties. Where in the hell am I going to find any good movies in Japan? There was the base flick. Fairly good movies, but I can't recall any that I saw. There were other entertainments that drew my attention. Today, I look at the quaint cutout couple outside a Japanese Movie House in 1961 and chuckle. I was worried about the movies? I thought our dads and uncles had won all the wars. Youth is so naive. At least this youth was naive for many years. There was a storm brewing. We could feel its vibrations from within the hangar of our squadron. There was war and rumors of war. Security was gradually tightened. Naval Intelligence was beefed up. More than a few members of our squadron mysteriously disappeared after a visit from visitors from Washington D.C. The squadron was very Top Secret. I had decided, upon checking into the hangar when I arrived, to play the role of the three monkeys: Speak No Evil, See No Evil and Hear No Evil. It worked out well. It was not until years later that I discovered what was happening throughout the military in the Vietnam War. One thing leads to another. Things always lead back to places we have been and seen. And there finally comes a time, like now, when one asks what it all meant anyway? Evil still exists. Wars are still being won and lost. And cardboard cutouts and posters are still higly collectible items. We live in interesting times; we have lived in interesting times. May our children's children be able to enjoy an America that was as joyful as the one I grew up in during the 1950s. It was, no matter where one lived, a time of innocense and naivity. It was a time we remember as "good old days" just like they say in the picture shows.

READING THE MAINICHI DAILY NEWS IN 1963...RIGHT!

READING THE MAINICHI DAILY NEWS IN 1963...RIGHT!
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

"It was one of many trips to the Hakone Lake and Atami area that I remember with a special fondness," stated Earl . Stonebridge. Earl's latest novel, Daughter of a Burma Soldier" is scheduled for publication in September. "Yes, it is a romance," Earl stated.

MOTOMATCHI CHARM

MOTOMATCHI CHARM
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

A QUIET AND CHARMING JAPANESE INN IN THE MIDDLE OF YOKOHAMA'S MOTOMACHI DISTRICT, IT BECAME A HIDEAWAY FOR WEEKENDS OF CREATIVE ART. THE SMALL HOTEL WAS OWNED BY AN ELDERLY COUPLE. THEY WERE SOMEWHAT APREHENSIVE ABOUT MY INITIAL REGISTRATION, HOWEVER WE GREW TO BE RESPECTABLE FRIENDS WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT MY LIFESTYLE WAS QUIET AND DEDICATED TO TEACHING AND LEARNING ENGLISH AND JAPANESE. ONE OF ITS CHARMS WAS THE TRADITIONAL HOT BATH. IN THE WINTER, THE SCENT OF CHARCOAL ON HIBACHI STOVES WAS FREQUENTLY ENJOYED. IT MUST HAVE HAVE BEEN A LOCAL CHARCOAL BECAUSE I HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE THE EXACT SMAE AROMATIC SCENT THAT I REMEMBER SO INTENSELY. IF I RECALL, THE PRICE OF A ROOM FOR TWO WAS ABOUT 1000 YEN, A LITTLE LESS THAN THREE DOLLARS. AT THE TIME, THE DOLLAR WAS WORTH 360 YEN.

YAMASHITA PARK, YOKOHAMA 1963

YAMASHITA PARK, YOKOHAMA 1963
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

MANY HOURS OF ROMANTIC CONVERSATION AND ARTISTIC ENDEAVORS WERE ENJOYED IN THIS PARK. THIS WAS TAKEN ONE EARLY DAWN WHEN I WAS ALONE. THE PARK WAS FULL OF LIFE IN ALL OF ITS CONVENTIONAL WAYS DURING WEEKENDS. STUDENTS WERE STUDYING THEIR ENGLISH AND I WAS A WILLING TUTOR. ONE VERY BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY SMILED AND TOLD ME THAT SHE LOVED MY SKETCHES. SHE TOLD ME THAT LEARNING ENGLISH WAS SO MUCH EASIER THAN LEARNING JAPANESE. "I WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ENGLISH," SHE TOLD ME. I REPLIED THAT I WOULD TRY VERY HARD TO TEACH HER SOME ENGLISH IF SHE WOULD PROMISE TO TRY AND TEACH ME HOW TO SPEAK ENOUGH JAPANESE TO GET AROUND YOKOHAMA. OUR FRIENDSHIP BEGAN AND LATER, WE SHARED WINE AND COFFEE AT AN ESTABLISHMENT CALLED THE "WEIN COFFEE SHOP" SOMEWHERE NEAR THE MOTOMACHI AREA OF YOKOHAMA. AS TIME WENT BY, I LEARNED THAT HER FATHER WAS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN BURMA. SHE HAD NO MEMORY OF HIM. NEITHER OF US HAD ANY HARD FEELINGS ABOUT THE WAR THAT WAS ONLY SIXTEEN YEARS DISTANT FROM OUR PRESENCE. IT WAS A SUBJECT WE NEVER HAD TO DISCUSS AGAIN.

DAWN IS BREAKING IN YOKOHAMA: A SNAPSHOT FROM 1961

DAWN IS BREAKING IN YOKOHAMA: A SNAPSHOT FROM 1961
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

MANY MEMORIES OF JAPANESE FISHING BOATS FILL MY MIND WHENEVER I REFLECT ON THE JOYFUL TIME I SPENT IN THIS MOST UNIQUE NATION. ONE WHO FREQUENTLY TRAVELED BY MYSELF INTO ALL AREAS, I MUST COMMENT THAT NEVER, NOT ONCE, WAS I ASSAILED AS AN "UGLY AMERICAN" OR AN UNWELCOME GUEST. YOUNG AND NAIVE, I THOUGHT LITTLE ABOUT THIS ASPECT AT THE TIME. I ENJOYED THE PEOPLE WHO SPOKE TO ME WHILE I SKETCHED OR TOOK PHOTOS. I ENJOYED THE ATTENTION OF THE STUDENTS WHO WANTED TO PRACTICE THEIR ENGLISH WITH AMERICAN BOY-SAN (ME). I MUST THANK THE PEOPLE FOR THEIR POLITE AND FRIENDLY ATTITUDE. THEIR HOSPITALITY CREATED A LOVE FOR JAPAN THAT HAS EXISTED THROUGHOUT THE MANY DECADES SINCE THE SAD SAYONARA AT YOKOSUKA...

Memories of a Japanese fishing village. Back in the 1960s, one could journey down the coast that was passable and note all types of fishing boats and equipment. I was never met with any rudeness or impoliteness. I was always acknowledged with a smile and some curiosity. What was a young American doing wondering far off the beaten path, down into the sleepy fishing villages from centuries long passed? In retrospect, I realize how extremely polite the Japanese were. My memories of the time I spent are full of warmth. I wonder how many of those tiny villages remain? Someday, I might return, but in some respects, it is probably best that I don't; the memories of that tour are too valuable to return and realize that I have grown so much older while Japan has grown so much younger and so much more Western. One fact we must all face: in our memories, those we saw for the last time long ago will always remain young and beautiful. Returning to Japan would make me face a reality that I do not want to face, that time has passed and things shall never be the same.

A FAVORITE MOVIE AS A Y0UNG BOY

THERE ARE FEW MEN MY AGE WHO DID NOT PLAY WAR BACK IN THE LATE 1940s. We had dads, uncles and aunts, cousins and friends of the men and women who fought in World War Two. There were few women in combat at that time, but their pesence in combat was isolated; womens contributions in World War Two were volinimous: medical personnel, training, supplies, ferrying aircraft (fighters and bombers), so they did get in the picture. Our neighborhood games were mostly Japanese war games. We had no idea there would be more than enough wars to last. I think we figured the U.S. had won the war of wars and it was a matter of memory. So, we played war....and we shouted war slogans that make me ashamed as I recall them today. There is always the shame factor in the games we play. If we don't admit it, the media will unleash it. Since the time Jimmy Carter served his long four years as President, text books changed and we were suddenly the cause of all dearth and depression in all of the thrird world nations. But getting back to John Wayne and the Sands of Iwo Jima. We played war. It was always the Japanese we were fighting, never the Germans. And certainly not the Russians. Nobody but a few wise men like my Uncle Jim realized that Joe Stalin was a number one ass hole. Okay, maybe the top brass knew it. Yes, they did. Ike sure as hell knew it. Did us kids in the neighborhood know it. No, not until the Korean War began. So, John Wayne will forever be the eternal soldier and Marine fighting those.......Japanese. But strangely enough, most of us never felt any hatred for the Japanese. I believe it was because, in the end, they did the right thing, they really did surrender. It is so much different than the wars we have fought since. Of course,we have not dropped any atomic bombs on our enemies lately. Somehow, those two bombs made all of the Japanese realize we weren't joking. You know what I suddenly realized? Boys and girls just don't play war games anymore. But I do know some areas where they do. They call us the same names us boys called the Japanese...."You, blankety blank, blank blank. Scarry? It is not comforting, especially since the Homeland Security is going to do combat with hurricanes and acts of God. Acts of God? God, I hope Homeland Security does not declare war on God instead of the terrorists.

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER OF 1963

ONE DAY IN DECEMBER OF 1963
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

ONE OF MY MAIN REGRETS IN LIFE IS NOT BEING BORN WITH A CAMERA IN MY HAND. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY EXPERIENCES I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE PRESERVED, SO MANY PEOPLE I WISH I HAD BETTER PHOTOS OF--SO MANY MOMENTS OF YOUTH THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN PRESERVED WITH MORE DETAIL FOR WHATEVER PURPOSE. BUT LIFE, BEING TRANSIENT, WILL ONLY PERMIT SO MANY EXPERIENCES, SO MANY MOMENTS OF JOY...

JAPAN 1963

JAPAN 1963
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

JAPAN 1960S

JAPAN 1960S
Originally uploaded by roberthuffstutter

FredsPixLocalHomesAshiya, Japan53

FredsPixLocalHomesAshiya, Japan53
Originally uploaded by wa7oec

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE ROOFS. BILL MUST HAVE LIKED THEM TOO. OF COURSE, THEY ARE MUCH DIFFERENT NOW, BUT WHAT ISN'T. THEY WOULD STILL BE BEAUTIFUL IN SPRING, COVERED AND SMOTHERED WITH CHERRY BLOSSOMS. I MUST RETURN SOMEDAY. BILL, ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING BACK SOMEDAY? HOW MANY OF US WILL EVER GO BACK, REALLY, EXCEPT IN OUR MINDS. AND THERE ARE SO MANY OF THOSE WHO WILL NEVER GO BACK OR NEVER COME HOME. NEVERTHELESS, WE ARE FRIENDS TODAY. IT WAS A SAD CHAPTER FOR BOTH OF OUR GRANDCHILDREN TO READ, BUT TIME HEALS.

FredsPixDownTownAshia1953

FredsPixDownTownAshia1953
Originally uploaded by wa7oec

YOU WERE THERE IN THE 50S; I WAS HERE IN THE EARLY 60S. THERE HAD BEEN SOME PROGRESS MADE IN THE TEN YEARS THAT SEPERATES OUR DUTY, BUT BASICALLY, IT LOOKS ABOUT THE SAME. JAPAN WAS STILL IN THE RECONSTRUCTION ERA. AND LOOK AT IT TODAY. BILL, DID YOU EVER RETURN?

ChinaShopAshiaJapan1953

ChinaShopAshiaJapan1953
Originally uploaded by wa7oec

HAVING BEEN STATIONED IN JAPAN, I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO SEND NORITAKE BACK HOME TO THE STATES. IF ONE DID NOT SEND MOM OR GRANDMOTHER A SET OF NORITAKE, YOU WERE DEFINITELY ON HER S.... LIST. THANKS TO BILL FOR SHARING HIS TOUR OF DUTY IN JAPAN AND KOREA BACK IN THE 1950S...............

FredsPix1954FredHisCamonaJapan

FredsPix1954FredHisCamonaJapan
Originally uploaded by wa7oec

THANKS TO BILL FOR SHARING THESE PHOTOS OF HIS TOUR OF DUTY IN THE U.S. AIR FORCE IN KOREA AND JAPAN BACK IN THE 1950S. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PHOTOS THAT ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN COLD BUT SO OFTEN ARE LEFT IN DUFFLE BAGS, IN STEAMER TRUNKS OR ARE IN THE CORNER OF A DUSTY AND UNOPENED DRAWER MARKED "MEMORIES OF LONG AGO." ROBERT

FredsPixSquadronHangOutAshiaJapan1953

FredsPixSquadronHangOutAshiaJapan1953
Originally uploaded by wa7oec

THANKS TO BILL FOR SHARING THESE PHOTOS OF HIS TOUR OF DUTY IN THE U.S. AIR FORCE IN KOREA AND JAPAN BACK IN THE 1950S. THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PHOTOS THAT ARE WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN COLD BUT SO OFTEN ARE LEFT IN DUFFLE BAGS, IN STEAMER TRUNKS OR ARE IN THE CORNER OF A DUSTY AND UNOPENED DRAWER MARKED "MEMORIES OF LONG AGO." ROBERT

FredsPixAT6JapanAF53

FredsPixAT6JapanAF53
Originally uploaded by wa7oec