Visits to Hiroshima

In a January of 1952, I was sent to Japan to take a course for a supply specialist by my company commander. The supply sergeant was an old man and was going to retire soon. The school was at the former Japanese Naval Academy on Eta Jima, an island in the Inland Sea, off the coast near Hiroshima. When I got to Tokyo in a 4 engine C-54, we got there at night. The downtown area was very well lit but your could see hundreds of acres of small lights. Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world.
I was put on one of their high speed Bullet Trains and had a stateroom to myself. We were told that it would be an 8 hour 500 mile overnight trip to Osaka where we would transfer to a ferry boat to go to the island. Right on time, I woke up, looked out the window to see the city limit sign for Osaka flash by.
The barracks we stayed in was a four story building and the PX was in a building with a massive brass door with a heavy bronze scene commemorating Japan’s victory over the Russians on the Tsushima Straits in 1906. I recently acquired the second issue of LIFE magazine and on the inside was a picture of Emperor Hirohito sitting under a canopy watching a Sumo wrestling contest. In the background was the same building that was my barracks.
I was at the school for 3 weeks and took the ferry to Hiroshima three different times. Many remembrances of those times. When I first got off the ferry boat, I went past a Samurai sword store and in the window was a genuine jewel covered children’s sword for $20. Boy, do I wish I had it now. It would be on eBay where I see this kind of thing often.
As I walked into town, I noticed a lot of British and Australians as this area was in the British Occupation zone. Their soldiers had their hands deep in their pants to keep warm. It is very cold in Japan at that time of the year. A British Red Cap MP was directing traffic from a wooden stand. When he saw me with my hands in my pockets, he stopped traffic, walked over to me and yelled “Get your bloomin ‘ands out of your blasted pockets!”
As I walked into town, I noticed a Danny Kaye movie “On the Riviera” at one of the theaters surrounded by Japanese characters on the billboard. I should have gone in and watched Danny Kay speaking Japanese!
Further in town, I saw this horribly mangled man shuffling toward me. He turned his back toward me and it was a massive burn scar. I was sure he would incite the crowd to string me up for being on the side that dropped the atomic bomb. However, he turned back to me, showed me a photo taken by a Japanese photographer with his back on fire. He then bowed and handed me a card which read “K. K. Kikura Number One Atom Bomb Sufferer” and wanted to sell me his autograph.
I went to a stage show there which was sort of like a burlesque house here. I knew enough Japanese to get a laugh at the “Baggy Pants” comedian’s routine with the two very cute girls. The theater seating was unique. In front, were loge seats and behind them, two rows of reclining seats behind glass with piped in sound. Behind those seats, were two bedrooms behind glass with shades to pull if you didn’t want to watch the show!
Near the railroad station was a 7 story department store with a central atrium and mezzanine shops. On the roof of the store and extending over a neighboring building, was a small amusement park. One attraction was a fish pool where a child could catch a goldfish for her aquarium.
I ate at the Australian army PX a few times. I got a 7 course Australian steak dinner, gave the cashier 50 cents and got back an Australian coin worth 3 cents. Once, when I walked in, there were some drunk Australian soldiers. One of them loudly yelled “There’s one of them goddam Yanks. In Korea, we had to eat hardtack and they got tutti fruiti ice cream!”
I got to know a corporal from the Canadian Army who was in the Princess Pat Regiment from Victoria, B.C. and a Lieutenant Commander from the Australian Navy. In the latter case, I would have to stop him and ask what he said. He was speaking the King’s English but it surely wasn’t American English.
When I went back to Tokyo to prepare to go back to Okinawa, I went to the very large Tokyo PX. It was 6 floors jam packed with goodies, pearls, cameras, silks and other items. They have a register there where you first came in and I signed my name. On the previous page was the signature of Lt. Bob Heilman from Live Oak (he had been in WW II and had been recalled for the Korean War) and Ernie Eisenhauer who I had gone to high school with. I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around there was a black soldier from basic training with a $20 bill in his hand. I had loaned it to him before he went overseas after I was held at Ft.Ord waiting for my glasses.
My last remembrance was of when I was in Yokahama on my way home. Since the ship was going to be there for a day or two, we were able to get shore leave. I was getting hungry but, at the time, I didn’t like Japanese food. I went to a Hotel Green which advertised “Japan’s Finest Italian Food” and had some pretty good spaghetti. Now I like Japanese food much better than Chinese.
The ship took 11 days to get back by the Great Circle Route coming within 500 miles of the Aleutian Islands. The morning of the last day out, I got up early. The ship was paralleling the California coast before going under the Golden Gate and it really felt good to be there. A lot of the guys that I trained with at Fort Ord, didn’t make it and I consider myself very lucky.