These photos of Japan, taken between 1983-1987 (except for a few historical photos), were recently removed from display due to sun damage, and scanned in to create digital images. They are presented in no particular order, much as they were displayed on the walls.
Tournament banners outside the Kokugikan (National Sumo Stadium) in Tokyo, circa 1986. Each wrestler in the upper two divisions gets his own banner, detailing their greatness. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Imperial Japanese Navy photo of the damage to Yokosuka Naval Base following the Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1, 1923. You can see one of the stacks of the battleship Mikasa at the center of the photo. Photo by Imperial Japanese Navy.USS Reeves became the fastest ship in the 7th Fleet when it was homeported to Yokosuka. Built in Bremerton, WA, as a Leahy-class destroyer, it was reclassified as a guided missile cruiser in 1975. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.US Navy photo of Naval Hospital Yokosuka in 1952. The hospital was completed in 1931, and built as an Imperial Japanese Navy Hospital, but was surrendered to the Allies at the end of World War II. Most of this building was torn down after the Japanese government built a replacement hospital for the US Navy, which opened in 1981.A little girl looks with longing at a carousel ride. Tokyo Disneyland opened on April 15, 1983; this photograph was shot in 1984. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, talken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Nikko, Japan, is both a beautiful spot and the final resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu and his grandson, Iemitsu, two of the most powerful leaders of feudal Japan. It is also a popular spot for historical reenactors, such as these circa 1986 Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Ventilation stacks of the battleship HIJMS Mikasa, flagship of the Japanese fleet during the Russo-Japanese War. Mikasa permanently rests in a park next to Yokosuka Naval Base. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken circa 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.At the moment this was taken, over a million people were on the grounds of Meiji Shrine in Tokyo to receive a New Year blessing. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken in 1984 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Itinerant monk in Kyoto. While many think of Buddhist monks as living in monasteries, quite a few spend their time in constant travel, living exclusively off alms. Note the Buddhist rosary. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken in 1987 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.A sailor lets his girlfriend borrow his cap aboard the frigate USS Kirk (FF-1087) in 1987 during a “family cruise.” Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Stone temple stairway leading to a temple gate, circa 1985. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.This hillside path in Kyoto has been trodden for at least 1500 years, with footfalls gradually grinding the surrounding rock into a rut. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, talen circa 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged and torn print.A bridge crosses a rocky mountain gorge near Kofu, Japan, on a cold Fall day in 1983. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.The battleship HIJMS Mikasa returns to Sasebo, Japan, following the Battle of Tsushima (May 27-28, 1905). Note the patches from repairs in the ship’s stacks from hits made by the Russian Baltic Fleet during the battle. Official Imperial Japanese Navy print.Gardners all over Japan seemed to dress the same and carry the same equipment. This one was working inside the Imperial Palace garden in Kyoto, in 1986. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Traditional Japanese farmhouse near Mt. Fuji. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken in 1985 with a Yashica TL-Electro. Scanned from a sun-damaged print.Straw bales in a farm field in rural Japan, circa 1984. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Kenchoji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura, and is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, opened in 1253. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken circa 1985 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Tanabata celebrates the love between the stars Orihime (Vega) and Hikoboshi (Altair), separated by the Milky Way but yearning to return to one another. The festival starts on July 7, when the two lovers are allowed to meet. Photo by Kathleen G. Charters, taken circa 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro. Scanned from a sun-damaged print.These Tanabata decorations were in Yokohama. Photo by Kathleen G. Charters, taken circa 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro. Scanned from a sun-damaged print.A mother and daughter visit Hachimangu to celebrate Shichi-Go-San. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Jizo shrine, Hirando, Yokosuka. Jizo is a Buddist incarnation that assists dead children to the other world. Small shrines like this are seen all over Japan, placed after a child dies or after a miscarriage. Note the Micky Mouse figure and toy bucket. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Shichi-Go-San (Seven, Five, Three) is a festival held on November 15, honoring girls of three and seven years, and boys of five years. This mother and daughter came to Hachimangu, the most important shrine in Kamakura, to celebrate the day. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken circa 1986 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Temple drum on matsuri cart, Yokosuka. This taiko (drum) is on a matsuri (festival) cart, so it can be hand-drawn through the city. The occasion was Chuo Matsuri (Central Festival), held in Yokosuka in the summer. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken circa 1986; scanned from a sun-damaged print.A moss-covered wall contrasts nicely with Japanese maples at the Imperial Palace, Tokyo, circa 1986. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Master swordmaker, Kamakura. A master swordmaker carefully polishes a samurai sword by hand at his workshop in Kamakura. A single sword can take months to forge, fold and refold, polish and finish. Taken circa 1987 with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.Islands in Japan’s Inland Sea off the coast of Hiroshima. Photo of islands taken in Japan’s inland sea, circa 1984, by Kathleen Charters.Stairway to temple grounds in Kamakura, circa 1984. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.LCDR Terri Gibbs and LCDR Kathleen Charters at the Nihonji Daibutsu, a massive stone Buddha carved into a mountain in Chiba Prefecture, across Tokyo Bay from Yokosuka. Getting there in 1984 involved taking a ferry ride, a car trip, and climbing a steep mountain on a bitterly cold day. Photo by Lawrence I. Charters, taken with a Yashica TL-Electro; scanned from a sun-damaged print.
