In the early 1920's Tachikawa airfield started up with a one-balloon squadron. Civil aviation started in the late 1920's.
Later, an aircraft manufacturer moved there. Followed by two more.
In the early 1930's the airfield returned to military use. By the late 1930's the site was producing thousands of aircraft; fighters, bombers, carriers. Imperial Army technical schools were established there. An Army/Air Force Air Wing was moved there along with various other maintenance training units.
The base endured intense bombing by the United States rendering the place unserviceable. The United States Army took over.
Tachikawa operated as United States transport base through the Korean War and the Cold war, runway disaster killed 129 people there, continued operations through the Vietnam war, eventually returned to the Japanese in 1973.
Part of the site remains as operating airport. However another nearby airport is more important. Part of the base is turned over to various emergency services clustered there. The largest part is now a public park and a small portion is left to desuetude rust and jungle overgrowth.
Of the hundreds of photographs I looked at here none of them showed what lodged in my mind the most. It is something I definitely would have photographed, the flags, always in threes, the US, Japan and United Nations.
In Momote Village not far from here we had a view of Mt. Fuji from our front porch. It was not so close as this.
Coordinates: 35°42′39″N 139°24′11″E
Oh man, that's a rush, the way Google Earth swings you right there and plunks you down in it.
Next two photos should be clickable.
Oh my God, look how compressed that city is. It's like New York over there! Oh, the humanity. It makes me want to fly away.
Look how compacted it is, how organic the streets are all around the base. Then opened up BLAM it's like Central Park, and that is just half of the site.
It's turned out to be the most incredible park. Eejo, in cray dablay. This may be racist, but I don't care, Japanese really do know gardening.
They are like Capbility Brown on steroids.
The park is called Shōwa.
Shōwa is a name change thing that happens to Emperors when they ascent unto heaven, or something. It's like, Amonhotep IV, you cannot stick with the same name. It is the new name for this emperor.
Right, Hirohito. Shōwa is the name of his era, it is how he is known in Japan.
We're guaranteed top quality photography of present day Tachikawa and lot of it. There is much more right there in Google Earth. I urge you to look, I am certain you will be impressed with what they've done with the place.
5 comments:
I've been to Tachikawa. I've also been to a place, called "Summerland", iirc. It's very close to Mt Fuji. This place was the first indoor mall type setting that I had ever been in. 40' palm trees. Huge swimming pool, and I beleve it even made waves. 1968.
"It's like, Amonhotep IV, you cannot stick with the same name. It is the new name for this emperor."
Same thing with Popes.
I did not know popes change their names.
Great post, Chip. That second Grist photo, with the ascending stairs, from dark to light, is cool. Would make a great print.
Popes get new names when they're elected, Japanese emperors get theirs when they die. Well, at least, they do these days. Back in the old days, they re-named emperors at the drop of a onmyouji's silly little hat. And oftentimes retired the emperor to a respectable monastic retirement as soon as he started growing a beard and any semblance of a spine. More often than not, the emperor's father-in-law ran the court for his juvenile son-in-law... it probably sucked to be emperor.
Oh, the era-name is used during the emperor's lifetime as a date. We're currently in Heisei 26.
Post a Comment