I was stationed at Camp Zama in Honshu, Japan from 1977 to 1980. Camp Zama is approximately 25 miles southwest of Tokyo. The family enjoyed those three years in Japan. While at Camp Zama we were invited to visit the gym in Tokyo where Jesse “Takamiyama” Kuhaulula trained. He was born in Hawaii and was Hawaii’s first sumo champion. Jesse Takamiyama made his professional debut in 1964 and quickly moved up the ranks. His highest rank was Sekiwake, which is the third highest in the elite division behind Yokozuna and Ozeki. We were not allowed to use flash if we took photos as you can see from the photos that I took.
Included in the gallery is a series of photos taken at a traditional Japanese wedding in Kamakura.
Also included are photos taken on a tour where we visited Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Thailand in 1979. Our visit into China was into the town of Shum Chun (now called Shenzhen) which is just north of Hong Kong’s New Territories and was only for a one day tour. All photos are from scanned slides.