I am not sure of the exact date, but I believe my father was stationed in Tokyo, Japan, just three years after the end of World War II, He had a three year tour of duty where he was sent on temporary duty assignments as a radiologist in Mash units during the beginning of the Korean war.

My memories of Japan are limited, but I do remember being surprised by the many cultural differences. They had public restrooms on street corners in downtown Tokyo. They ate many things, like raw fish, that I could not comprehend at the time. I developed quite an appreciation for Japanese food, especially sushi, later in life.

Japan’s economy at the time was in shambles. Since my father was an officer, he was assigned a Japanese maid named Tomoe and a Japanese gardener we called Frank. I know that thirty years later, when my father revisited Japan with my sister Lisa, that they were able to visit them again. They had since married. I wish I could find pictures of them, but I cannot.

My parents bought a lot of Japanese furniture, many other decorative items and even some Japanese art. The furniture and much of the art was in the living room of our summer home near Green Bay until my father died in 2000. My nephew, John Bettinger, inherited a couple of the chairs and still uses it.

My bucket list includes a trip back to Japan some day, even though it is much different today. I just hope that I live long enough to have that happen.