First Impressions (cont.) (81)

     Gene's letter to Beth continues with his impressions of Japan.  He had treated Japanese soldiers and picked up many items of clothing, photos, post cards, etc. they had left behind.  He had also read all the information provided by the army about Japan, but that wasn't the same as experiencing the country first hand.  As long as he couldn't go directly home to his beloved wife,  Beth, he wanted to see the situation for himself and take photos of ordinary things.

Smiling family (the man is tipping his hat) in Wakayama with cars parked in the background on the left side of the street

15 Oct. '45 [continued]
    
     We went on down the street, on which the car tracks ran. They drive on the left side. There were a fair number of civilian cars and trucks - some charcoal burners and 3-wheeled motor cycle affairs. At intervals we would look at stationery shops, radio shops, etc. All of them were more like junk shops than anything else.
     In some of the home shops we stopped in I looked at their living establishments. The first room off the street-level shop room was raised about 2 feet and covered with straw mats. They stepped out of their clogs when entering it. They sat on flat cushions or pads. There was always a large urn (about 2 feet high and 2 feet in diam.) full of sand in which charcoal was placed. If there was a table, it was low. They sat cross legged. Eating, of course, was accomplished with chop sticks. Understand all these were poor people's homes. Out in front might be a couple of dozen pieces of kindling wood drying, or some chicken manure carefully gathered together on a piece of paper, or some sawdust!
     When you'd go in a place they might have on display a bowl or some wooden buttons or fancy hair pins! Kimono prices were something - 2 or 300 yen [$13 to $20] for punk-looking stuff. We passed a few shrines - torii gate, stone lantern pedestal, upright stone tablets. I saw one temple that was off limits but got some good pictures - the horrible looking figures you see in museums, a curved roof affair and black with age. The walls were open around the gates so I wasn't trespassing (t'ain't healthy!)

On the back of this photo Gene wrote: "Stone lanterns.  Steps beyone the Torii lead up to a hill-top shrine.  Woman behind the post of the torii is stretching & drying an obi (sash worn about the kimono) after washing it."

     The further south we went, the better the shops became.  Several times men would stop us and ask if we wanted to look at things.  So several times we sent down devious narrow streets and alleys to go to more private homes to look at more kimonos!  Most of the nice appearing places were surrounded by stone or stone and 'dobe [mud] walls.  Most of the homes had heavy tiled roofs - rather ornate - the tile being almost black in color.  There were pine trees (small versions of our Ponderosa pines) and ones that may have been cypress, all about - none very large.  There were small hills along some of the streets and not much of the area was thickly built.  The houses were mostly of unpainted, weathered wood.  They had garden beds stuck everywhere.
     Finally we began to find lacquer work in the stores.  We took a narrow side street and it turned out to be a short cut to where we wanted to go.  I had 2 packs of cigarettes and he finally traded for 2 lacquer rice bowls and covers that aren't very fancy.  The guy wanted 45 yen [$3] each for them to start with.  Of course we aren't supposed to barter but it is practically impossible to get a thing otherwise.
     Down at the end of the street, we were directed to the pier - where we arrived about 1 P.M. and our boat didn't leave until 5:30.  We just happened to talk to the mess officer of the base [the officer who procured food and oversaw its preparation] and he said to go to the officers' quarters and go to the mess.  We looked in where the field grade officers [senior to company officers but junior to general officers, i.e. major, lieutenant colonel, and colonel] stay.  You have to take off your shoes to go in!  They say the officers sleep on regular floor-level Jap beds and like it!  There is a rack for their shoes!
     We went into the mess and didn't have to go barefooted!  Along this water front is quite a resort spot, with fancy hotels built along the cliffs over the sea.  These places were supposed to be visited by members of the Royal Family at times.  The mess hall was a former private theater with beautiful screens and a marvelous stage curtain all hand embroidered and stitched.  These places had windows from the ceiling to the floor on the sea side.  We were served by Jap girls who knew a few words of English.  Then we sat a while.  I used the latrine.  What a spot!  There were conventional urinals, but the stool was a fine heavy porcelain oblong box set in the floor, complete with a curved shield at one end and self flushing.  A neat trick, that!

Toilet stool in the floor at a theater in Wakayama that had been converted to the mess hall

     Then we went along a wide curving walk, thru 2 short tunnels, with homes, hotels and shops along the way.  The whole place swarmed with sailors at that time of day.  At 3:30 we were back at the officers' club and had a few drinks, then came back at 5:30.  Yours truly feeling quite light hearted and gay [in other words, he'd had a couple of drinks!]
    The Major bought a pearl.  I'm not certain but what it is a fake.  He paid 3 packs of cigs for it and it is as large as a fair sized pea.  So ended the Odyssey.
     All my love, Eugene

First Impressions of Japan (80)

     Gene finally gets to go ashore.  He is interested in absolutely everything!

A Japanese women on the street in Wakayama

15 Oct. 1945
Beloved,
     In later years I want you to remind me that this birthday marked my Jap beachhead!  We left the ship about 8 on an LCVP [landing craft, vehicle, personnel].  We called at another ship and then went on up the inlet.  The map showed "an old fort" and "a fort" on each side of "the creek" (for size) but I couldn't make out a thing but a small hill.  The factories which we passed (which we'd seen from the ship) are really huge affairs - possible steel mills.  We went up this inlet about a mile and landed at a sort of dock.  I talked to the crew man and he said this wasn't the regular place to land, but some Lt. Col.s wanted off there.  I was the only one not getting off there so decided I could at least stick with the others!  Besides another Major had a map!  Well, these Col.s wanted to go to Osaka 20 odd miles north.  They got a truck to go to Headquarters first and we rode along.  We ended up in the so-called Kobe Headquarters in Wakayama, about 8 miles north of the place where the regular shore landings are made.  It was across the street from an old castle area, now a reservoir.  In places there was a moat about 30 feet wide and a stone wall 20 feet height around a small hillock.  We went into the Hq. and procured more maps and found out where we were and where we wanted to go.  It was plain sailing after that - one street to follow south.  The mess officer Lt. and the other Major and I teamed up.
     The people - what a sight!  Out of thousands of women, I saw maybe 5 that wore skirts!  90% wore a variety of pants and about 10% wore kimonos.  The pants are amazing.  Imagine a cloth of gray in a pattern of squares - a kimono top with full sleeves closed at the wrist with elastic, tucked inside pants which are fairly voluminous at the waist and a very baggy seat, tapering sharply to a jodhpur-like leg below the knee, closed with elastic about the ankle!  The feet encased in white cotton "shoes" with a separate toe and wearing a wooden clog with two cleats.  Some kimonos were worn by elderly men, but most men and boys wore a variety of army uniform.  Did I take pictures!  About 30 black and white.  Mostly of people, too.

Wakayama street cobbler wearing army-like clothing

     Bicycles were everywhere - men and women riding them.  Some kimonos were made of a heavy material like the material in men's suits.  Others were every conceivable figure and material, as were the pants affairs.  I saw several slack suits, dark material and of a state side style.  Some kimonos have a sort of bustle affair - like a flat, oblong sofa pillow, tied to the small of the back with a wide colorful sash!  Babies are carried in a sling on the mother's back and seem perfectly happy.  It is alarming to see the angles their heads take when they sleep!
     The street cars (off limits to troops - no room anyway!) are crowded something remarkable.  People hang on the front and rear cornices.  They have real-sized horses (Gene objected to the small ones the Filipinos had - B [Beth added]), a few hauling long carts.  Any time you go down side streets, and often on the main streets, there is a marked odor of feces!  The honey bucket carts (drawn by hand) are prevalent and unmistakable!  There were quite a few bombed and burned out places - all interspersed with gardens, and lots of wreckage already cleared.  We saw a few modern buildings.  Some people were quite pleasant.  Only a few looked sullen.  Many just looked straight ahead.  Most of the women and girls looked discretely down at the ground.  The youngsters, as anywhere, were quite boisterous.  We came past several batches just returning from school.  They came romping along and shouted "hello" and laughed and smiled.  A few of the shop keepers would bow to us.  In all, it was hardly a conqueror-vanquished relationship!

Wakayama children going home from school

     Well, the Major had some business to attend to, so I stood outside and took pictures of people.  Then we caught a ride about 2 miles on our way (a regular army bus line from HQ. to the billets) and then we started walking.  I certainly laughed at this Major.  He has been overseas just a few months.  He's about 45 - has sons 18 and 21.  Well, he had to look into every place even remotely resembling a shop to try to buy a kimono.  We went slowly, needless to say!
     I spent most of my time out on the street looking and taking pictures.  When you stopped to look, a small crowd would gather.  It you went into a shop (just hole-in-the-wall places) they closed the sliding door and offered you seats and then the parley began.  All these shops were very, very poor - a handful of goods only.  One could do well with our Jap phrase books (Gene wrote before he left the Philippines that he had looked thru the book and decided to learn just 2 phrases - "how much" and "that's too much"! - B).  The natives could turn to the appropriate pages as well as could we!  Prices, of course, were outrageous.  Everyone had rolls of yen notes and weren't interested in selling for money.  They wanted to trade for candy or cigarettes.  The standard exchange is 15 yen for a dollar.  Well, the kids on the street would cluster around offering 10 yen for a pack of cigarettes!  The usual price was 20 or 30 yen.
    
     Gene's letter is so long and enthusiastic (and with so many photos!) that I am going to break it off here and continue it in the next post.