BQ78 said:

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The moment baseball was introduced to the Japanese.

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So about 1872?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Japan

I was also very surprised to learn about the origins of baseball in Australia too. Introduced in the 1850s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Australia

For the OP, I don't things really started to take off until the 1970s.

My father's first business trip to Japan was in 1974 when he was working on the TransAlaska Pipeline.
When I was a kid in Valdez, I remember seeing many Japanese tourists in Anchorage. That's where I learned my first Japanese word - Good Morning - pronounced just like the state of Ohio. "Ohayo"

Little known fact, when "we" built "The Pipeline" in Alaska, the steel mills in Pittsburgh wouldn't build the spec of steel that was demanded for Alaskan conditions but, the Japanese were happy to oblige.

Also, for the OP, with large populations of Japanese on the west coast, there was always going to be some relationship there.

And one other little known Texas fact, there was a road near Beaumont called "Jap".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boondocks_Road

HollywoodBQ said:

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BQ78 said:

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The moment baseball was introduced to the Japanese.

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So about 1872?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Japan

I was also very surprised to learn about the origins of baseball in Australia too. Introduced in the 1850s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Australia

For the OP, I don't things really started to take off until the 1970s.

My father's first business trip to Japan was in 1974 when he was working on the TransAlaska Pipeline.
When I was a kid in Valdez, I remember seeing many Japanese tourists in Anchorage. That's where I learned my first Japanese word - Good Morning - pronounced just like the state of Ohio. "Ohayo"

Little known fact, when "we" built "The Pipeline" in Alaska, the steel mills in Pittsburgh wouldn't build the spec of steel that was demanded for Alaskan conditions but, the Japanese were happy to oblige.

Also, for the OP, with large populations of Japanese on the west coast, there was always going to be some relationship there.

And one other little known Texas fact, there was a road near Beaumont called "Jap".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boondocks_Road

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In the early 30s we had a Japanese football player ! Canyon beat me to it !

I would agree that there was still a lot of animosity into the 1970s. My grandparents lived through the Great Depression and WWII. They and others of their age were not fond of the Japanese. But in the '70s, I began to notice a lot of imports in the auto industry.

FAT SEXY said:

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How quickly after WWII did the United States and Japan develop a friendship?

I'm aware I can use google on this, but I like the perspective of a lot of posters on here.

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As soon as the Emperor told them to be become friends. My great uncle was on MacArthur's security detail during the occupation. He relayed stories of how friendly and compliant everyone was. He was a big semi pro ball player in Oklahoma before and after the war. The big thing that surprised him was the joint love for baseball. He played lots of games against local teams.

CanyonAg77 said:

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I'm fairly sure "Jap Road" is near the home of A&M's 1920s football star Taro Kishi

http://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Taro_Kishi/A_M.htm

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Very interesting story, thanks for sharing.

To clarify, the colony and the "Jap Road" mentioned by Hollywood, and the one I mention, appear to be different roads. His reference is to the Mayumi colony, which is SSW of Beaumont, near Fannett, off 365.

The Kishi Colony was SE of Beaumont, Google up "Kishi Japanese Cemetery", which is off of 1135 SE of Vidor.

Both groups immigrated to the area to grow rice, as land was hard to acquire in Japan. Sort of like a lot of families from Midwest were moving to the Texas Panhandle at the same time, as agricultural was booming, and if you weren't the first born male child, you weren't getting the farm.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kichimatsu_Kishi

https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hvk49

https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM27K4_Site_of_The_Kishi_Colony

I got to meet Taro Kishi in 1986 when a friend (Pat Thomas) was inducted into the A&M Sports Hall of Fame.

CanyonAg77 said:

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I'm fairly sure "Jap Road" is near the home of A&M's 1920s football star Taro Kishi

http://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Taro_Kishi/A_M.htm

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I love the old Longhorns for lots of reasons, but one is that the students' nicknames are printed under their photo. Kishi was known as "Terrible Togo".

I bought a Honda Accord in '85 and my Dad wasn't happy about it. Told me he fought a war against those people. I asked him if his great grandfather was angry when he bought his Chevrolet. End of conversation!

CanyonAg77 said:

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I'm fairly sure "Jap Road" is near the home of A&M's 1920s football star Taro Kishi

http://hirasaki.net/Family_Stories/Taro_Kishi/A_M.htm

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My father knew him as they were at A&M at the same time.

Edit - just looked in my dad's fall sport issue 1925 and the bio for Kishi says his nickname was the "Terrible Jap" - also says he was a good musician.

CanyonAg77 said:

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I love the old Longhorns for lots of reasons, but one is that the students' nicknames are printed under their photo. Kishi was known as "Terrible Togo".

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you're slippin Canyon:



1926 Longhorn

ABATTBQ87 said:

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CanyonAg77 said:

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I love the old Longhorns for lots of reasons, but one is that the students' nicknames are printed under their photo. Kishi was known as "Terrible Togo".

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you're slippin Canyon:



1926 Longhorn

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Thanks for posting that! I was wondering why I couldn't find him in the regular pages of seniors - he wasn't in the Corp. I found him in the football section and T Club - as well as The Battalion Fall Sports program - his nickname in there was "Terrible Jap"

Slipping? Or a little lazy?

Looking at the old yearbooks, I assume "casual" means they won't commission. Usually international or physical disability. Wonder if Kishi was ineligible to commission, being born in Japan.

CanyonAg77 said:

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Slipping? Or a little lazy?

Looking at the old yearbooks, I assume "casual" means they won't commission. Usually international or physical disability. Wonder if Kishi was ineligible to commission, being born in Japan.

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My father was a battalion commander but he did not commission when he graduated.

Look to the right of Kishi and notice Lee, J. L. who is listed at War Veteran. It was common then and in my time we had a few from the Korean War. War Vets who had served in the military didn't usually join the Corp.

I came here looking for Godzilla references.

I am disappointed.

And I was looking for Harajuku Girls but we can't always get what we want

Super Kawaii

HollywoodBQ said:

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BQ78 said:

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The moment baseball was introduced to the Japanese.

---

So about 1872?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Japan

I was also very surprised to learn about the origins of baseball in Australia too. Introduced in the 1850s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_in_Australia

For the OP, I don't things really started to take off until the 1970s.

My father's first business trip to Japan was in 1974 when he was working on the TransAlaska Pipeline.
When I was a kid in Valdez, I remember seeing many Japanese tourists in Anchorage. That's where I learned my first Japanese word - Good Morning - pronounced just like the state of Ohio. "Ohayo"

Little known fact, when "we" built "The Pipeline" in Alaska, the steel mills in Pittsburgh wouldn't build the spec of steel that was demanded for Alaskan conditions but, the Japanese were happy to oblige.

Also, for the OP, with large populations of Japanese on the west coast, there was always going to be some relationship there.

And one other little known Texas fact, there was a road near Beaumont called "Jap".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boondocks_Road

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My Dad, Guy Wallace '51, was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He was part of the Army Corp of Engineers and was stationed on a base (I don't recall which one) where he was in charge of recreational activities. From his higher up, he was to create activities in an attempt to keep the soldiers on base and not go into town and tear it up. Among some of the things he did, he worked with another engineer (from Georgia Tech) and they made a nine hole pitch-n-put. He also formed a baseball team (he was a TAMU All-American Shortstop) from the American soldiers that played the local Japanese teams.

FAT SEXY said:

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How quickly after WWII did the United States and Japan develop a friendship?

I'm aware I can use google on this, but I like the perspective of a lot of posters on here.

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The Japanese were pretty surprised when instead of looting them, we guaranteed their security, converted their war factories to consumer goods and industrial equipment plants, and opened up our consumer market to them, all after they LOST the war. Why? Because we were already planning for an eventual war with the USSR, and drafted the capable Japanese as allies. "friendship" is not really a thing, we had common interests and chose that path.

Terrible Togo!

Did Japan buy up a bunch of real estate in the US?
That's what some old WWII vets said to me. Don't know where the source is. Probably meant Japanese individuals.

TRD-Ferguson said:

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I bought a Honda Accord in '85 and my Dad wasn't happy about it. Told me he fought a war against those people. I asked him if his great grandfather was angry when he bought his Chevrolet. End of conversation!

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Chevrolet was founded in Detroit, right? I don't understand.