Shot by an American serviceman or tourist, this 1952-1954 home footage documents a luxury autumn road trip to the coastal resorts of the Kanagawa prefecture in Japan – from the town of Hayama (to the south of Yokohama and Yokosuka), through the towns of Enoshima, Hiratsuka, Kozu, by the Yamanaka lakeside. The vacationing couple visits the shrine and the caves at Enoshima, the Hiratsuka gardens which became the Hiratsuka City Multipurpose Park.

0:09 Card: Arrival in Japan

0:13 Autumn foliage on the mountainous road

0:49 House with a yard, surrounded by a fence, some Japanese cypress trees growing in the yard. Entrance with an unreadable sign above it.

1:00 A Caucasian woman with a suitcase and a flower bouquet – the guest, wearing a fur coat, is met by a Japanese woman in a striped pattern formal kimono

1:16 Three young Japanese women – the hostesses, perhaps the ryokan staff or just the hired housemaids, and the Caucasian woman greet each other by bowing. The guest offers her flowers to them, then the four proceed inside, through the open door.

1:32 Card:”Our home at Hayama and our staff”. Hayama is a Sagami bay seaside resort town across the peninsula from Yokosuka and the US Navy base by the same name, which are located on the coast of Tokyo bay.

1:35 The house, built in a modern villa style, surrounded by a garden with rose bushes.

2:24 Garden shed and drying laundry

2:46 The three young Japanese women walking and showing their colorful kimono and obi belts

3:12 Our guest is putting on her overcoat, aided by one of the women

3:30 The abovementioned trio in standard Western maid clothing.

3:41 A Japanese man and a boy – most probably their gardener or factotum and an assistant boy, wearing well-preserved and well-kept discarded IJA uniforms.

3:53 Card: Sunrise at Hayama

3:54 Long take of the lightly-cloudy skies at sunrise

4:08 The summit of Mount Fuji is visible across the Sagami bay.

4:11 The skies and the sea

4:38 Mount Fuji again

5:16 Card: Cherry Blossom Ball

5:22 The cameraman’s visible for the first time, he’s dressed in a Yukata and Hakama – summer kimono and at 5:24 his wife dressed in a formal Japanese kimono joins him and they turn around for everyone to see their clothing.

:40 … and a double take

6:13 The detail of the obi belt pattern and tie, on the back, and the front obi overtie details at 6:26

6:30 Mount Fuji’s shadow at sunset.

6:40 Card: Shonan drive

6:41 A couple of people walking in a sunburned meadow, with mountains visible far on the horison. Shonan drive is completely built-up with private houses, now, but the mountains are still visible in good weather.

7:00 Card: Enoshima

7:04 View upon the Katase peninsula and Enoshima island, in Kanagawa prefecture, a half-an-hour drive from Hayama.

7:12 Badly-framed shot of a cliff face with holidaymakers underneath, pan continued

7:39 The entrance to the Enoshima Iwaya Cave

7:59 The lantern of the Enoshima Shrine

8:04 Card:Gardens at Hiratsuka

8:06 Hiratsuka located 30 minutes by car, towards the west or in the direction of Tokyo, from Enoshima, so 1 hour drive away from Hayama. The gardens area are where Hiratsuka City Multipurpose Park is located.

8:46 Seaside at Hiratsuka city

8:58 Card : Looking west from Kozu

9:02 Kozu is located a further 20 minutes drive away further along the coast west from Hiratsuka. The view is towards the chain of mountain extending to the north from the border of Fuji Hakone national park.

9:06 Card: Rope Makers

9:13 Three Japanese men, operating a traditional rope-making and coiling machine, similar to the ones which can be seen in many renaissance fairs or live history museums, one of them is wearing a discarded Imperial Japanese Army uniform jacket.

9:30 Card: Cherry Blossoms on Road to Yamanaka

9:39 Cherry blossom trees

10:01 Card: Fuji on Road to Yamanaka

10:04 Views of mount Fuji from progressively further and further away over the lake Yamanaka.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com