rdmaddog's Blog

I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan for nearly two years (1963-64) and I have incredibly fond memories of the Japanese culture and its people. My son spent many years in Tokyo and traveled throughout Japan (in the 1990s) learning to speak fluent Japanese and was deeply effected by the Japanese culture.

 

In 1964 I traveled to Northern Japan and spent a few days in Sapporo during the harsh winter. The extreme cold was only matched by the warmth of the people. The beauty of Sapporo, the surrounding countryside, and the gentle kindness of the people are still deeply etched in my heart.

 

I had the good fortune to meet a local newspaper reporter and she took me around to show me the many sites of the city, including a classroom of children, while introducing me to many of the local people and business establishments. This trip is one of fond memories, especially the memories of both the kindness of my guide and the laughter of the children. The tragedy of the earthquake and the tsunami combined with the unfolding nuclear disaster is almost beyond comprehension.

 

I think of these children, now grown up with children, perhaps grandchildren of their own, and my heart breaks for their families and for the suffering they must endure, but endure they will. The people I met had an inner resolve, a strength of character, as individuals and as a group, that will recover, rebuild, and go on with little complaint and the "woe is me" syndrome that is so prevalent in modern society today.