YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- A few weeks after holiday lights started to illuminate the homes and trees of Yokota Air Base, members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Operational Support Wing came to the 374th Airlift Wing headquarters building Dec. 16, to add to the decorations with a touch of Japanese culture.
Kadomatsu are traditional Japanese decorations made for the New Year. They are sharp cut bamboo trees adorned with pine and flowers and placed in front of doorways and gates. Their presence is intended to welcome ancestral spirits or kami of the harvest into homes and buildings to bring health, happiness and prosperity.
JASDF members have been sharing the tradition of Kadomatsu with Yokota AB for more than 10 years and present Kadomatsu to the 374th AW building every year.