VidBrats's video: Washington Heights - The Memory Lingers On

Rare film footage -- some previously unseen -- and photos of Washington Heights, a U.S. military family housing installation in central Tokyo. It was established in 1946 during the U.S. Occupation of Japan (1945-1952), a year after Japan's surrender in World War II. Built to house U.S. Army officers and civilian personnel and their families, it was among the first such housing installations built overseas by the military and served as a blueprint for other housing areas to follow. At the time, it was a remarkable representation of a small American town in the heart of the world's largest city. Washington Heights was returned to Japan in 1963 so it could be used to domicile 7,500 international athletes during the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Shortly thereafter, the complex was demolished and soon redeveloped as Yoyogi Park, one of Tokyo's most popular municipal parks. This film also includes rare footage of Palace Heights, a small dependent housing installation near the Imperial Palace. Special thanks to Ken Hoppe, Tim "Jazzbo" Stinson and Mike Skidmore for some of the vintage archival photos and film, Jon Yim for the FEN "Teens On Parade" audio, and most especially to best-selling authors Lois Lowry (who lived at Washington Heights during the Occupation) and Elizabeth A. Edwards for sharing their reminiscences of growing up in Japan and Tokyo during those special times.