The first time I was in Japan was in 1965 during a short visit while serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) during the Vietnam War.  I have fond memories of the hospitality of the Japanese people, especially during a trip I made by train to Kurihama to see where Commodore Matthew Perry, my great, great, great uncle, came ashore in 1853 on his first visit to Japan.

 I saw the statue dedicated to him and also remember the local restaurant that was named "Black Ships."  Some children walking by the statue accepted my invitation to have their picture taken with me, which I greatly appreciated. 

Commodore Perry arrived on a peace mission from the President of the United States, but he arrived with a show of force using a full squadron of black ships belching black smoke from the steam-powered engines.  When he arrived, he had four ships: Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga, and Susquehanna.  Despite the state of isolation that Japan was in at that time, there was a fisherman, Manjiro, who had been rescued at sea by an American whaling ship captain, William Whitfield, and educated in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, in the United States. 

Japanese leaders were aware of progress in the outside world.  This knowledge was aided by the Japanese Manjiro, who had returned to Japan and briefed leaders in Japan about the United States.  Because he spoke fluent English, he acted as an advisor during the negotiations for the Kanagawa Treaty.  He was probably not the behind-the-scenes interpreter that some historians have stated. 

While in the harbor of Kurihama, Commodore Perry's squadron was greeted by Japanese officials and the Dutch words "Departez," which clearly ordered the squadron to "go away, do not dare to land."  

However, with persistence, a demonstration of good will, and a show of force, Commodore Perry went ashore in Kurihama on July 14, 1853.  He delivered the letter from President Millard Fillmore and said he would return for a reply to his offer.

The Commodore returned to Japan on March 8, 1854, and went ashore in Yokohama amidst a grand display of friendship and pageantry.  After several days of celebration and the exchange of gifts, the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed on March 31, 1854.  Foremost in the Treaty was the agreement of peace and friendship between our nations.  The Treaty also allowed trade between our countries and friendly treatment of shipwrecked sailors.  Over the many years since the treaty was signed our countries have been "more often friends than enemies, more often tolerant than critical."

It was a personal pleasure for me to be return to Japan on July 28, 2009 to take part of the Grassroots Summit in Miyagi Prefecture sponsored by the John Manjiro Whitfield Commemorative Center for International Exchange. 
It also was a pleasure to be there with Scott Whitfield, the great, great, great, grandson of Captain Whitfield, who befriended Manjiro, and also with several descendants of Manjiro.  It was exciting and rewarding to continue this long history of friendship between our countries. 

In July 2015, I visited Kurihama after a 50-year absence. 
I returned to the monument and had hoped to enjoy a meal at the Black Ships Restaurant.  The restaurant had changed, however, and it was more of a take-out facility.  The iconic black ship silhouette on the roof was gone as a result of a typhoon. 
I learned more details of Commodore Perry’s landing and personal relations he had there while visiting the museum that had been constructed since my earlier visit.  I thought it would be nice to discover some of the kids I met in 1965 and have another picture taken with them, but alas, no time for that.  It was exciting to relive my earlier trip there while in the Navy, but to obtain more knowledge of Commodore Perry and a much broader understanding of international relations between our two countries.