Beginning with his meditation on the devastation caused by the atomic bombs in "11:02 Nagasaki," Tomatsu focused on the tensions between traditional Japanese culture and the nation's growing Westernization, most notably in his seminal book "Nihon." Beginning in the late 1950s, Tomatsu photographed as many of the American military bases as possible--beginning with those on the main island of Japan and ending in Okinawa, a much-contested archipelago off the southernmost tip of the country. Tomatsu's photographs focused on the seismic impact of the American victory and occupation: uniformed American soldiers carousing in red-light districts with Japanese women; foreign children at play in the seedy landscape of cities like Yokosuka and Atsugi; and the emerging protest- and counter-culture formed in response to the ongoing American military presence. He originally named this series "Occupation," but later retitled it "Chewing Gum and Chocolate" to reflect the handouts given to Japanese kids by the soldiers--sugary and addictive, but lacking in nutritional value.