On the Way to Las Vegas

James Dean died on this highway in 1955. But not right here; there is a different rest stop at the actual site where you can buy a meal or a piece of pie. Here is the text on the memorial plaque:

Tribute to a Young Man

His name was James Byron Dean. He was an actor. He died just before sundown on September 30, 1955, when his Porsche collided with another car at a fork in the road not 900 yards east of this tree, long known as the Tree of Heaven. He was 24 years old.

Aside from appearing in several Broadway plays, he starred in three motion pictures--East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause, and Giant. Only Eden had been released before his death. Yet, before he was in his grave, James Dean was already a legend.

Every day, somewhere in the world, at the cinema or on television, James Dean lives on. Cinema is no longer just celluloid. Every day we find reminders that drama of James Dean is the theme that we live.

He was a youth yearning for one precious touch of warmth between parents and their offspring. He was an individual struggling in this huge land of infinite promise and many races. He was a rebel searching for that cause we must all possess. This young man, seemingly ordinary yet possessing a talent and individuality that were unique in their combination, has come to personify a generation awakened.

Many are those who feel strongly that James Dean should not be forgotten. There are some things, like the hatred that accompanies war, that are best forgotten. There are others, like the nobler qualities of Man, to which this young actor directed our attention, that should be preserved for all time.

James Dean is all the more with us today because his life was so fleeting.In Japan, we say that his death came as suddenly as it does to cherry blossom. The petals of early spring always fall at the height of their ephemeral brilliance.

Death in youth is life that glows eternal.

Text dated September 30, 1977
Monument dedicated July 4, 1983 by Seita Ohnishi



When I posted this originally via IPad, I missed something about confirming the date and it went to the wrong place. Now that I'm home I can juggle things around til everything fits. I had to move 2 comments, and that looks kind of weird, but now the photo sequence will be ok. That's important to me even if no one else cares...