Yokohama’s New Grand Hotel - MacArthur’s First Japanese Home
By Romulo 'Mo' Ludan

Published Thursday, August 23, 2007  | 0 comments  | Print  | E-mail

[Note: The historical images in the PHOTO GALLERY capture the historic events starting with MacArthur’s arrival on August 30, 1945 and ending with his departure from New Grand Hotel on Sept. 2  to officiate in the formal surrender ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri  in Tokyo Bay, 22 miles away. The “today” photos chronicle our recent visit to this charming city:]

Photo Gallery

Click the thumbnails for larger images

Historical Photos

An unarmed MacArthur, corncob pipe in hand, lands on Japanese soil at Atsugi Airdrome, 1945. UPI

“Banquet, enlivened by many toasts and band music, is given aboard Perry’s flagship before treaty signing,  Port of Yoko-hama.”  LIFE, Sept. 16, 1945, p. 62.      Below: Commodore Matthew Perry, his four menacing “Black Ships” (Kurofune Raiho to the anxious Japanese) in the background, opened Japan to world commerce, 1854.  MIT Press.

MacArthur is met by Eichelberger (right) and Joseph M. Swing, commanding general, 11th Airborne Division (left).  MacArthur’s SWPA chief of staff, Richard K. Sutherland is third from left.  U.S. Army Signal Corps.

Img. 12.  Surrounded by newsmen.  Atsugi. At right are Eichelberger and Sutherland (partly hidden).  U.S. Navy.

Yokohama in ruins, 1945.  The majestic New Grand Hotel (right) stands virtually unscathed.    Photo from Hotel New Grand.

Portrait of  Mr. And Mrs. Yozo Nomura.  Photo from Hotel New Grand.

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