Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Regarding Eric's ships......I think the name of the ship that brought us from Yokohama to San Francisco in spring 1948 was called the General Grant....

I'm reading that our old hometown is taking a beating from a typhoon.

It was "Typhoon Vera" maybe...
Japan had serious damage by the super typhoon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Vera

Vera was the name of the typhoon back in '59. I was 11 years old.
My dad was building a boat in our yard with the assistance of a japanese carpenter.
I thought if we experienced a flood from the sea, we could just get aboard the boat and ride it out...

I was trying to think of the name of the story teller I saw in rural Japan who narrated his tale with small sign boards. He was a Kamishibaiya. Thanks, Kaoru san.

A movie maker and friend of our family, Robert Lang, was taking film of gathering silkworm cocoons in preparation for making silk. I was introduced to the story teller while on one of the film trips. I believe silk making is gone from Japan today. Mr. Lang, now rests in an Izu cemetery. He and wife lived in Kamakura.

Stumbled onto this thread. Everyone from those days are scattered throughout the world. Went to St. Joseph from '66 to '71. My sisters went to Santa Maria; brother went to YIS. We lived in Yamate. Used to hang out at Area 1 and 2 on the Naval base: Bowling alley, Neet Nac Club, football games at Kennick... and Motomachi. Had friends that lived on the base & also Negishi Heights. Used to listen to FEN (810 on the dial). Rode the buses and trains everywhere until I got old enough to ride motorcycles. Then we ran around on Dax 70s, SL 90s, and Yamaha 50s. The older kids drove Mark IIs & Fairladys.
Went back a couple of times in the '90s. St. Joe's was on its last leg. The base was gone. St. Maurs, the foreign cemetery, & bluff hospital was still there. So was the tree lined paths and steps that led down to Motomachi. I was surprised to find that some of the kids at St. Joe's never left Japan.
Anyway, that was one chapter - a fond one at that. Then after we came back to the States another chapter unfolded: Cruising on Whittier Blvd in our SS Chevelles, Fairlanes, & Mach 1s; hanging out at Bob's Big Boy; going to every rock concert that we could. The Vietnam war was off our minds. That was another fond chapter. After that I ran around the U.S. on a motorcycle and lived as a nomad for a few years - hanging my hat all over the country, living hand to mouth - free as anyone could be - like Easy Rider... Denver, New York, New Orleans, everywhere. That was another chapter.
When I went back to Japan it just wasn't the same. Same thing with Whittier Blvd... Bob's Big Boy is gone and so is the Classic Van Club. I guess you can never bring it back. You can only think back.
Ever since I settled down it has been just one long memory stretch - one year indistinguishable from the next. I look over the same view of the city year after year. I kinda wish I can be a rolling stone again. All that's left of those years in Japan are the St. Joe year books I still have. Next stop might be Madrid... or Belfast... or..

Hi Mandon2....welcome to this thread. Most of us on it wander off for periods of time but then return to check on each other. And thanks for sharing your interesting life with us. It sounds like you did what you wanted, saw a lot, experienced life. And you did that for your own reasons, not because you had to, I assume. Now you're settled down, but that doesn't mean you have to be regretful or bored. You have time to put it all together, figure it out, maybe even write it down for posterity so others can share experiences that may not be possible for them. And of course, none of us can go home again, as a famous writer pointed out.
That is true for those of us who were forcibly moved by circumstances beyond our control......I can never see the exact place I was born, because I don't know exactly, or raised, which was in wartime Japan, because much of what I knew are at best "historic districts"........so the best thing is to remain engaged in the present, explore via the amazing internet, reconnect if possible with people you might have known to see what's what....
give advice on what you've learned through the years to be absolutely true to younger folks, who will of course neither understand or listen to any of it ......so scratch that........and above all remain healthy, strong and happy.....

Mandon2:

Please check in often. I'd like to hear more of your times in the 60s Yokohama.
We left in '61. Japan had already started construction work on the '64 Olympics. It was a colossal public works project that removed many of the older buildings, including the little storefront grocery stores with mom and dad and the kids living in the back.
In the 50s, there were still wide areas unreconstructed in Yokohama and Sagamihara. It could be said '64 marked the beginning of the real recovery.

I lived in Area 1 from May 1972 through December 1974. My husband was stationed on a ship out of Yokosuka. I was a newlywed and now I have been married over 44 years. I made lifelong friends that I still see today. It was a wonderful experience and I'm glad I was able to do it. So sorry the housing isn't there anymore. One of these days im going to go back to visit.

Yokohama is early fall it's fine this week. Many foreigners are enjoying Japanese travel now. Autumn is best.

Yokohama is changed big, but I remember 60s and 70s. My family lived in the apartment in those days. My dad's several friends seaman and officer's family were came every Sunday. They were very gentle to me but number of people were passed in VN. Sad...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twWywrRG5cQ

Thank you Kaoru-san for the video of the Naval Housing we called Area I, Area II, and Area III. It brought tears to my eyes to see it again as I remember it. I am glad we returned the land to your country as that is the correct thing to do. I loved, loved, loved my time in your beautiful country. Your people were so kind and friendly and we made many Japanese friends while there. My husband and I went on several trips while there. We traveled north to the mountainous area that has hot water spas and then south to Osaka and Hiroshima. My husband lived on the Iwakuni Marine base as a child so has fond memories of that area. He lived there from 1959-1964 and then earlier as a baby from 1953-1954 on Okinawa. So he really thinks of Japan as his second home. I just saw this area (Hommokuwada, correct?) on Google Earth and noticed that the roads are still the same. Is this true? Plus it seems like the housing that was built after the land was turned back over to Japan is quite nice. My hope is that for my 50th wedding anniversary we will go back and visit Japan as that is where we started our marriage and that is VERY special to us.

Hello, DevonJohn-san

Thank you for your posting. Yokohama is big change now.
This link is modern Yokohama. Please try;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_pTYc3PYBQ

Dear Kaoru-san,
I very much enjoyed the video you shared of modern Yokohama. I put it on Facebook for my Yo-Hi (Nile C. Kinnick) friends to watch. I know they will also appreciate the terrific update.
Thank you,
Louann

I also enjoyed the video. Thank you, Kaoru! There were some places I recognized from the time I lived in Negishi Navy Housing (early-mid '80's) and some of the places shown in the video have been built since then.

Hello, Louann R-san, Lori-san and all

You're welcome. Today's Yokohama is around 59F, fine and sometime cloudy. If I find nice clip, I'll paste it again.

Please take care of your health, Enjoy happy Halloween.

hi everyone

ran into a sweet you tube ''channel''
its called kyde and eric in japan. this is travelog that covers many japan places, including yokohama. they live in japan and bumble along trying to figure out trains, food, customs ect. its a very clever and slightly off beat look at there experences , much of which all of us can relate. ..

boy i wish i had a video camera when was there.
hope you check it out. kyde [ woman] is especially enchanting.

Hello Peter-san

Is this link right?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ET0X_yWmbYo

hi Kaoru-san

yes, that is the right link.
this video is somewhat more bland than some of the 80 plus others
in the series. they are fun to watch and bring back many memories of getting around, though much is changed.

where did kyde get the black eye ? ouch !

hope you like them !

Sadly, many of the places mentioned on this LONG message thread were essentially obliterated when they decided to completely redevelop the harbor during the 1980's and 1990's. :-(

Interestingly, it is really true that some buildings at Fleet Activities Yokosuka pre-date World War II? I believe unlike the Imperial Japanese Navy bases at Kure and Sasebo, Yokosuka was never completely bombed flat; in fact the US Navy took over the relatively intact shipyard at Yokosuka to become the current Fleet Activities Yokosuka base.

Many of us old timers will remember San Kaien Gardens faced the edge of the Tokyo bay. The garden park stopped at a cliff, and someone had dug footholds in the sandstone allowing us kids to make our way down to the seashore. I liked to rent a fishing boat and go after crab as they followed the tide in.
This area was landfilled and now is the site of an oil refinery and an auto assembly plant.

Hello Eric-san and all

This link is Old Photos of Japan, Negishi area in 1800s. Try it;

http://www.oldphotosjapan.com/en/photos/309/farms-at-negishi#.WCs4sGfJ...