An Air Force Brat Returns to Okinawa and Japan

An Air Force Brat returns to two places she lived as a kid: Okinawa and Japan.

My personal dream is a no-brainer- I'd return to Okinawa and Japan and revisit the places I lived and visited as a kid. I've wanted to do this for a long time, but did not have the means. Perhaps, this will be the way I can go.

I lived in Okinawa twice- once in '62 as a toddler (where my sister was born), and again in '70 as a 4th grader. I played in WWII pillboxes, and saw rusting remnants of beach defenses at the East China Sea off the end of the Kadena AFB runway. The words 'East China Sea' were not exotic to me at all- that was where I lived. C-5 aircraft (brand-new at the time!) and SR-71s were part of my life, as were local festivals and food. I tried my first bite of sushi while there- and our Okinawan landlady was delighted that I liked it. I even remember what it was called: Futomaki. The Stars and Stripes had regular articles warning us about old WWII ordinance. We found an old shell in our back yard while digging a 'basement' for our fort. The EOD people came out and took it to the seawall to detonate it.

Japan in 1970 was more urban than rustic Okinawa, but again, it did not bother me that the TV was only speaking Japanese- it was cool to have our first color TV! It was fun watching it- Bonanza in Japanese was fun, and their ads were hilarious. And the people were wonderful. My hair color gave many Japanese the courage to come try their English on me, and often, passing through train stations, I would end up with a train of little Japanese schoolgirls, all wanting to touch it. I let them. They were as exotic to me as I was to them. We had school field trips to Tokyo, and my dad would get maps and yen and we'd ride the trains or drive to various places in the country. I even went up Mt. Niitake.

I would love to go back- 38 years is a long time, true, and many things have changed. Some of the bases I lived at- including an old Zero factory near Tachikawa and the family housing area I went to fifth grade at- are gone, and Okinawa was returned to Japan after we left. Still, I would love to see Okinawa's Ishikawa Beach again, where we had a Christmas luau, and the temples at Kyoto, where I got some little wooden figures I still have. And I would love to learn more about the kiddie show my sister, brother, and I enjoyed after school in Japan.

Both places have left an indelible mark upon me. I love all things Japanese to this day. It would be wonderful to go back, and if possible, bring my father, who would be able to tell us much more about it.

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