A U.S. Coast Guard officer has been putting on Christmas light shows since late November at his duplex on Yokota Air Base, Japan. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — A Coast Guard officer stationed at this airlift hub in western Tokyo is lighting up the holiday season one last time.
Lt. Cmdr. Irving Cintron has been putting on Christmas light shows since late November for any of his neighbors on Yokota’s west side housing area who wants to watch. Each evening at 6 p.m., the 10- to 15-minute displays dazzle spectators with synchronized music, with a new genre featured each week.
Last week, Cintron played contemporary Christmas classics, such as the theme to National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation,” “Last Christmas” by Wham! and “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey.
The inspiration for Cintron’s holiday tradition goes back to his enlisted days.
“I was an electrician’s mate during my enlisted career, so playing with electricity and electronics had been part of my duty before,” he said Nov. 27 after that evening’s show. “Looking at light shows throughout the country every time we [changed duty stations] made me want to try putting on my own.”
He began his tradition in 2005, adding music synchronization in 2012.
Since arriving at Yokota in 2020, Cintron has adapted his displays to base living. Initially uncertain about how his quadplex neighbors would feel about his elaborate decorations, Cintron was met with an enthusiastic response.
“At our previous duty stations, we lived off base, so we had a house and no issues with decorating,” he said.
Cintron’s neighbors not only welcomed his displays, they encouraged him to expand them. By 2021, he was decorating the entire front of the building.
A U.S. Coast Guard officer has been putting on Christmas light shows since late November at his duplex on Yokota Air Base, Japan. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
A U.S. Coast Guard officer has been putting on Christmas light shows since late November at his duplex on Yokota Air Base, Japan. (Akifumi Ishikawa/Stars and Stripes)
“Everybody has been so nice to allow me to continue to decorate,” he said.
This year’s light shows are the final chapter for Cintron at Yokota, as he plans to retire in June.
Yokota Air Base is home to the U.S. Coast Guard Activities Far East headquarters, which routinely sends personnel, like Cintron, to inspect ports and ships bound for the U.S. in over 40 partner countries to ensure they comply with port security regulations.
“My wife is a civilian and will continue to work for the Air Force, so we’ll have to see where we’re going to see what happens next,” he said.
