HOME MOVIES: OCCUPIED JAPAN

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1960s

Format: 16mm

Description: One of a series of extraordinary home movies shot in Occupied Japan immediately after WWII, this film shows scenes from an aerial tour of the islands. It also includes footage shot at a fishing village, at an active volcano, and on a railway journey. The man who filmed these was a Harvard graduate ('43) and U.S. Army Intelligence Officer named Robert Ryan. Ryan may have very well worked for the OSS, although it's not clear. He definitely worked as an instructor at the U.S. Army's AFFE Intelligence School, and toured Vietnam in the early 1960s to conduct strategic vulnerability surveys. These films dates to the period July 1947-May 1951, when Ryan served in the Department of Defense in the Geographic Branch, Theater Intelligence Division, Far East Command. During this time he served in Occupied Japan and in the Korean theater. This film shows the Akakura Kanko Resort (also known as ‘Akakan’), which was one of the first European-style ski resorts in Japan. The resort was established in 1937 and remains one of the most popular resorts in Myoko. During the Occupation of Japan, the resort became a recreation center for members of the Eighth Army and diplomatic guests. This film begins with images in a fishing village, of local residents pulling a fishing boat (which is offscreen) and pushing another one into the ocean (:57). At (1:33) a woman displays fish which are ready for drying. At (1:41) a bear cub is seen on the beach, playing with some food scraps that have been left for it. At (2:42) an active volcano is shown, name unknown. At (5:27) aerial footage shot from a small plane, presumably of the same volcano shown earlier. At (6:21) an electric locomotive or interurban trolley car arrives at a mountain station, and then there is a shot of the motorman at the controls (6:30). At (7:06) a small U.S. Army Stinson L-5 observation plane, tail # D1567, is shown taking off from a small airport. Various aerial scenes follow, including shots of the rugged coastline, factories, cities and what appears to be a volcanic dome (11:50). At (14:50) a second plane, tail D1607, is seen airborne. The film concludes with similar aerial footage shot in the wintertime (16:40).

Complete Record: