Tokyo Yokahama

One of the most memorable scenes was the wing of a B29 leaning up against the side of a building. On another occasion, I went into the half of a building that was still standing, and I may or may not have bought something, I can't remember. But the cash register they used was a US made National Cash Register.

Oh, I forgot to mention, as our ship entered Tokyo Bay, on the right, I saw a Japanese "baby flat top", one of those conversions of a cargo ship changed into an aircraft carrier. It was painted all an olive drab green, and had a list to port of about 10 degrees.

"Honey barges" would come and service all the ships in the harbor, taking off all their waste, to keep the harbor clean. I also saw a top hat floating on the water there.

To get back to events on shore: When our motor whaleboat first came up to the dock, we were next door to a US destroyer escort, tied up to a dock there. Someone aboard was playing a Japanese record rather loudly over the ship's P.A. system. Another thing of first impressions: Even before I got up to the main street, I could hear a very loud clatter of wooden shoes. It seems that all the civilians were wearing them. The automobile traffic was virtually nil. Once in a very great while we might see a car, but it was running as I was told, on fumes from charcoal.

I did get to see the moat behind which was the emperor's palace. But I didn't see anything there that was impressive. All the people I saw, and all those I met appeared universally healthy and for the most part quite friendly. I only made one mistake: as I started my walk on the sidewalk of perhaps the main street of Tokyo, from force of habit (and not thinking), I kept to the right, and started almost bumping into people. At this point, I do remember encountering one or two men of military age, who more or less "looked right through me".

I came back with a small Japanese battle flag (rising sun), some post cards showing Jap war ships, a miniature of the Empire State Building, and a very delicate and colorful rectangular glass container within which was a Japanese fisherman fishing from a pool surrounded by a rock garden, a bridge, a path and some trees. I managed to take it home, and we had it for many years (but no more).

So much for the two afternoons ashore. Eventually it was time to leave, and we went down to Okinawa and picked up 500 Seabees to bring them back to the US, as they had accumulated enough "points" to get immediate discharge. It was rather crouded with all them aboard, but still quite livable. We took the great circle route back to the US and passed within 200 miles of the Aleution Islands. I'd always wanted to get to Alaska, but the closest I've ever gotten was within 200 miles. On the way home, I checked the ship's library, and checked out a book on Alexander Botts, the World's Greatest Salesman (for the Earthworm Tractor Company, Earthworm, Illinois). It is a "screem", and I highly recommend it.

On the way home past Alaska the weather was cold, cloudy and rainy. The trip took two weeks and all on board could hardly wait 'til we got there. I stayed up the night before and waited until I picked up land on the PPI monitor hooked to the SK radar. We went up the Columbia River, and took a turn and continued up the Willammet River to Portland, Oregon, and arrived there in time for Navy Day, 1945.

The ship was open for civilian tours, and crowds came aboard. I got liberty.

To be continued.