From Bryan Eckert

It was the mid 1960’s that our families (the Naitohs and Eckerts) met one another. The details of how Yutaka came to the US and collaborated with my father, Roger, are not precisely known to me. What I do know is Roger presented a paper in Tokyo in 1966. I believe Yutaka hosted him and among other things took him to see a sumo wrestling match on that visit. Of course, Roger was particularly impressed with his visit to Japan and upon his return we quickly adopted various Japanese traditions at home, such as removing shoes when in the house. This tradition stays with us until this day. So I remain grateful to Yutaka for that too! Very soon after this meeting the Naitohs were spending summers in Woods Hole, probably 1966 and 1967, at the MBL. We lived near each other in cabins surrounded by woods. What a beautiful time that was. I was a young child only slightly younger than Yutaka and Toshiko’s son Takuya. Our families spent a lot of time together and very much enjoyed each other’s company. I always remember both Yutaka and Toshiko to be so kind and enthusiastic and Takuya to be particularly intelligent. I believe the Naitohs also very much enjoyed their time in Massachusetts and then in Los Angeles where Yutaka’s collaboration with Roger was very productive and continued until about 1975. During those later years I often went to the laboratory and really enjoyed seeing all the complicated hi-tech electronics, glassware, and serious work that was going on. Yutaka was always exceptionally kind and patient with me in every interaction I had with him. After Yutaka left UCLA, I saw him one more time in the US when he graciously attended Roger’s memorial. Subsequently, many years passed with our families out of contact until we sought to know how the Naitohs fared in the great earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in 2011.

We were so pleased to make contact through Tomomi Tani and to hear that Yutaka and family were safe. This contact was subsequently followed by annual visits to Japan which included short visits with Yutaka, Toshiko, and Takuya. Yutaka and Takuya went out of their way often to meet with us as we passed through Tokyo. Sometimes they even rented a car to make the journey from Tsukuba to Tokyo to meet only for an hour or two as we passed through Narita. On occasions when we made it to Tsukuba, Yutaka and Takuya showed us the various local sites, including the giant Ushiku Daibutsu buddha outside Tsukuba or a local Shinto shrine. More importantly, was the time together that we spent. What particularly impressed me with was how sharp Yutaka’s mind remained. Yutaka exhibited an extraordinary memory at his age. On one occasion, Yutaka vividly recalled in detail how he witnessed the Tokyo Doolittle raid of 1946. He also spoke in detail of seeing burning wreckage of an American war plane that crashed behind his house and how impressed he was of its size. These were, for me, incredible stories! And also a testament to how wonderful and international the academic society is. To have such warm international collaborations and friendships occurring between wartime enemies after a mere 20 years is very special.

During the time of our visits, Yutaka and Toshiko were living in a care home as they had recently sold their home. Yutaka continued to exhibit and extraordinary amount of vigor while possessing a very keen and active mind. He spent many of his evenings on the top floor/roof of their care building meticulously recording various celestial phenomena. Yutaka also displayed a genuine love, respect, and affection for Toshiko as he was always particularly concerned for her comfort and wellbeing.

Yutaka was clearly an excellent scientist of international stature, a rare and exceedingly humble man, and a true mensch. He is a model to live by and admire. We will miss him!