Souvenir book from the 1964 Summer Olympics that were held in Tokyo.

It was a wonderful time for the people of Japan to show the world how far they had come since the end of the War.

Olympic grounds and village.

The site used by the Olympics was once used by the JIA during WWII as a training ground. Later, the U.S. Government took control of the area. Here’s an excerpt from an article written at the time of the Olympics…

TOKYO, Sept. 15 — If the members of the United States squad at the Olympic Games think that the Olympic Village, formally opened today, was designed especially to make Americans feel at home, they will be right. It was.

The conversion of the former Washington Heights United States military housing area has not substantially altered the intentional resemblance of the 165‐acre site to an American suburb. Wide green lawns bordered by evergreens, cement sidewalks and the buildings themselves reproduced an American town so faithfully that the Americans who lived there needed to foot no contact with an alien land outside the guarded gates. The presence of Japanese servants supplied the only local touch.

The athletes from other countries, who have never been to the United States, will find in Tokyo’s Olympic Village a complete sampling of American suburban living. The principal difference is that the new refrigerators, washing machines, television sets and other household equipment being installed in the tidy cottages bear Japanese instead of American trademarks—but the design is essentially American, part of the debt owed to United States industry by Japan’s booming economy.

The 249 cottages built for American servicemen and their families and the 14 block‐like buildings that once were bachelor officers’ quarters and residences for single women employed by the United States forces will house more than 8,000 athletes and officials from 98 nations.

There’s even an interesting video on YouTube that shows a bit of the history of the area. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov4wOvCdQCM

The book was originally purchased at the large Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo.

Occasionally these books will pop up on various online auction sites like eBay and Yahoo Japan Auction. Thanks for stopping by! – Chris

Comments are always welcomed as I’ve learned quite a bit from reader feedback. As always, thanks for stopping by, and while you’re at it, feel free to visit my camera shop at http://www.ccstudio2380.com (CC Design Studios hosted by Etsy). – Chris Whelan

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