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 Tokyo, including a parade of U.S. Army forces, and an "air show" put on with control line model planes. 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 begins with shots of a traditional dance and music performance, probably Gagaku dancing which is normally performed at several court functions at the Imperial Palace, at State Dinners and on the occasion of the Spring and Autumn Garden Parties. Here the location unknown -- the building in the rear appears to be Beaux-arts style. At (2:00), railroad workers or gandydancers are shown at work on the roadbed. At (2:18) a group of workers, including at least one in a former Imperial Japanese Army uniform, are seen working on a wooden water wheel. At (2:50) a stone mason carves a piece of limestone. At (3:30) a crowd watches as a knife sharpener works on what appears to be a machete. At (3:40) a man sells turtles and at (4:30) lettuce or cabbage is seen in a farmer's market. At (4:50) a wonderful long shot of the street with market stalls. At (5:30), street urchins watch the cameraman. At (5:39), an ox cart. At (6:25) a wooden building is shown on fire, unknown circumstance and location. At (6:54) nearby residents evacuate their belongings. At (7:37) members of the fire department are seen on scene. At (8:08) view from what is probably the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo, looking back towards the National Diet Building. At (8:06) the Kanei ji Temple Pagoda, Tokyo. At (9:11), an elaborate event attended by thousands of people, including possibly political figures. It's unclear what the event celebrates but some of the signage seems to indicate "May Day" and commemorate the 21st anniversary of something. At (11:29) workers pull wooden buckets from a manhole. At (11:57) view of Mt. Fuji in the distance and cherry blossoms (12:32). At (14:45), a parade of U.S. Army occupation forces. At (15:23) a color guard parades past the camera. At (16:13) halftracks drive on the parade grounds. At (19:13) a man, possibly Robert Ryan, goofs around with a pumpkin or gourd. At (19:13) a monk rings a bell near a temple complex. Buddha statues are shown on the grounds (20:20). At (21:53) a smiling woman in a traditional kimono walks down the road. At (22:02), members of the occupation forces relax and fly gasoline powered model aircraft, apparently control line planes, including at (22:43) a miniature B-29. A sign in the rear seems to say "Nile High Stadium". At (23:52) advertising on the exterior of a second hand goods shop. At (24:00) a caucasian man plays a piano in the shop while local kids look on. At (24:39) money changes hands and the piano is sold! It is put in a car where the new owner is shown playing it from the rear seat (24:50). At (25:00) and following, a machine which is fired with small pieces of wood is used to make what appears to be popcorn (25:50). At (25:55) snow has fallen and at (26:30) a U.S. Army tow truck is used to free a stuck bus. At (26:51) an early model helicopter flies over the city. At (27:21), in traffic in the snow, headed towards what appears to be the Dai-Ichi Seimei Building, which served as headquarters for the U.S. Army. At (27;24), Japanese trolley cars are seen in the snow. At (27:40) additional footage from the events shown at the start of the reel -- the Gagaku dancers.

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