Like most baby boomers born just after WWII, I was not a fan of Japan or the Japanese when growing up. As a kid I read comics showing fanatic soldiers waving swords and screaming Banzai as they attacked brave Allied soldiers. During my teens, my family was assigned to Singapore and there I learnt about the Japanese occupation of Malaya during WWII. I attended Changi Grammar School and passed Changi Prison each day. Even the Chinese lady who ran the school “tuck-shop” conjured memories of the war. She received that concession from the authorities in gratitude for the clandestine support she provided for the prisoners-of-war in Changi. The passage of twenty years had not softened memories of the war and I absorbed a general prejudice against Japan and Japanese with no firsthand knowledge or understanding of either.
My prejudices began to change in 1988 when I was assigned by Mobil to work with a Japanese engineering contractor in Yokohama. This was followed by two more assignments to Yokohama allowing me to spend about four years living in Japan. Thereafter, I worked with Japanese engineering companies and made regular business trips to Tokyo and Yokohama until I retired. Suffice to say, that those four years living in Yokohama and the long working relationship with Japanese colleagues educated me and changed my opinions from prejudice to admiration for Japan’s culture and a deep respect for the capabilities and qualities of its industry.
Terminal 2 - Narita
Kannai Station - near Yokohama
Leaving Narita for Guam [Apple iPhone 4 pic]
Fashion for Summer
The Maid of Isezakicho (Bronze by Sato Tadayoshi 1978)
Preparing for the festival
Portable drum - but stationary piano
Not everyone in Japan conforms
Venus observed Here!
Late afternoon - from Landmark Tower
Lost in thought
Minato Mirai 21
Where did you get that suit?
Heading for School - Yokohama JR Station
Favorite diner - Nogecho - Yokohama
An inner courtyard - Sankien Gardens
Okanomiyaki restaurant - Yamate
The corner cafe - Yamate
Fast food- traditional style