Misawa City American Day

Sunday, June 6: Misawa American Day

First of all, I wasn't sure what to expect during American Day in Misawa. I didn't ask anyone why June 6th was chosen. For some strange reason I remember from my American history class, and watching Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, that June 6th is D-Day - when allied Troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. Upon further internet search (an an episode of The Pacific), I also discovered that it was the Battle of Midway - when US Navy dive bombers sunk the Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four other Japanese carriers. I suppose that if Japanese remember WWII history and dates, it probably wouldn't be cause for celebration.

American Day in Misawa consisted of food booths filed with American foods (Turkey legs, cakes, cookies, chips, hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, nothing healthy or vegetarian based, etc.) and parade (American oversized trucks, a man dressed in full EOD gear riding a Segway, and cowboys. Probably what surprised me most were Japanese marching band, baton twirlers, and tall flags. Who knew that this (fill in your adjective here) American pastime would cross the Pacific and make its way to this small fishing village?! After the parade, Japanese dressed in cowboy garb line danced on stage.

American in EOD Gear

A military paper reported that there were over 80,000 attendees. http://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/thousands-in-misawa-turn-out-for-american-day-1.106004

The images left with me from American Day were gaijin with bad tattoos, not bad as in cool, more like bad as in tasteless and generic flash tats. Don't get me wrong, I am indeed a fan of inked skin, but these just didn't look artistic, at least in my eyes. (Maybe I'll have to eat these words if ever I decide to finally get my "sleeves" done.) Another common sight, as whenever Americans congregate in large masses for festivities on a sunny day, was lobster-red sunburns on melanin-poor skin, just unsightly. I think the funniest spectacle I saw was a flock of Japanese children trying to take down a giant bald eagle balloon. I should have taken a photo of it, but between carrying Camren on my back and navigating the stroller through the crowds, I just forgot, couldn't be bothered, to take out my camera. Boy, do I feel old.

Cell Phone Trinkets

Anyhow, it was something to do on a Sunday morning, keeping busy with the kids and spending some quality time together. As I told Kyle on the way home, I think that was my first and last American Day outing.

Interesting facts about June 6 that I cut and pasted from Wikipedia.

Events

1844 – The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.

1889 – The Great Seattle Fire destroys the entirety of downtown Seattle, Washington.

1925 – The Chrysler Corporation is founded by Walter Percy Chrysler.

1932 – The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States, at a rate of 1 cent per US gallon (1/4 ¢/L) sold.

1946 – The Basketball Association of America is formed in New York City.

1968 – Senator Robert F. Kennedy dies from his wounds after he was shot the previous night.

1971 – A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet fighter near Duarte, California claims 50 lives.

1990 – U.S. District court judge Jose Alejandro Gonzalez, Jr. rules that the rap album As Nasty As They Wanna Be by 2 Live Crew violates Florida's obscenity law; he declares that the predominant subject matter of the record is "directed to the 'dirty' thoughts and the loins, not to the intellect and the mind."

Births

1867 – David T. Abercrombie, American entrepreneur (d. 1931)

1914 – H. Adams Carter, American mountaineer (d. 1995)

1923 – V. C. Andrews, American author (d. 1986)

1952 – Harvey Fierstein, American actor

1955 – Sandra Bernhard, American actress and comedian

1955 – Dana Carvey, American comedian and actor

1959 – Jimmy Jam, American record producer

1959 – Colin Quinn, American comedian

1960 – Steve Vai, American musician

1974 – Uncle Kracker, American musician

Deaths

1799 – Patrick Henry, American revolutionary (b. 1736)

1941 – Louis Chevrolet, American automotive pioneer (b. 1878)

1968 – Robert F. Kennedy, 64th United States Attorney General and politician (b. 1925)

1976 – J. Paul Getty, American industrialist (b. 1892)

1979 – Jack Haley, American actor (b. 1898) - Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz

1991 – Stan Getz, American musician (b. 1927)

2002 – Robbin Crosby, American guitarist (Ratt) (b. 1959) - Born in La Jolla, CA

2006 – Billy Preston, American musician (b. 1946)