Typhoons Destroy Yamanashi Prefecture, 1959
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Many Japanese cities and farms were still recovering from WW II destruction when two typhoons devastated Yamanashi.
"[Richard Thomas] had visited Yamanashi, dramatically rimmed by mountains (including Mt. Fuji), vegetable gardens, and rice paddies tucked into every available space. And he had gotten to know people there." ~Ginalie Swaim, "The 1960 Hog Lift to Japan: How Iowa & Yamanashi Became Sister States,"
Iowa Heritage Illustrated 82, no. 2 (June 2001): 92 |
MAP: Japanese American Historical Mapping Project
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Photo: ISU Special Collections Department.
Master Sergeant Richard Thomas (second from left), surveyed typhoon damage in Yamanashi. When he learned of the storms' toll on livestock, Thomas wanted to send hogs from Iowa to replenish herds.
Yamanashi farm house destroyed by typhoons. Photo: ISU/Special Collections Department.
Video: TV Yamanashi (Japan) and KCRG TV (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)