Cacapon (AO 52) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 51 text:

The statue in Nagasaki honoring the Madame Butterfly of Puccini's Opera A View of Tokyo from the grounds of the Emperor's Palace What a typrcal Japanese woman wears sho in fabovey In Ja an the women r PP, 8 - P work Just as hard as the men fr-belowb. Sasebo seen from the top of a hill.

Page 50 text:

In Japan flowers grow every- where in profusion. To the Japanese, flowers have special meanings g for ex- ample the cherry blossom is 'associ- ated with life and the chrys anthemum with royalty. The Japanese enjoy their flowers so much that they often name their daughters after them. They also hold festivals in honor of flowers and decorate their homes with them in every season but mid- winter. A country the crew of the CACAPON will long remember is Japan where they visited Sasebo and Yokosuka. Part of Japan's charm is its mixture of the old and new. Although it is Asia's most modern nation Japan has re- tained much of the traditional. The crew saw many graceful temples and shrines like the Dia-butsu fGreat Buddhay, shown at left, seen while on a tour to Kamakura. The ship also sponsored tours to Tokyo, where the crew sampled the night life, and to Nagasaki, where they visited the Peace Park, a shrine to the people who perished when an atomic-bomb was dropped on the city during World War II. Many of the Japanese customs seemed odd to the crew, such as taking one's shoes off before entering their house. Also quite different is the custom of bowing instead of shaking hands when greeting another. As in Hong Kong, shopping in Japan was an adventure. The huge department stores found in the large cities were fascinating. More than mere department stores, they were actually cultural centers that dis- played everything from priceless artworks to toys and novelties. The Cac sailors were dazzled by the shops selling such items as china- ware, cameras, and beautiful fab- rics. Most of the crew found them- selves wanting to buy more than they could afford.

Page 52 text:

Caohsiung, Formosa is a port that every ship in the Seventh Fleet would like to stop at. This is because the prices are very low and the girls are plentiful. This little island is only one hundred miles from the Red Chinese mainland, so the port city is heavily fortified against attack. Because Formosa does not recognize the copyright laws of other nations you can buy an exact copy of an expen- sive book or record album very cheaply. This is of course illegal, is is ag