Anyone live in/near Kanto Mura 1970-73?

Holy minko cards, Batman! I just discovered this forum by accident, and I hope it's ok to submit a totally random post!! Hello all. I've been enjoying the postings and have some of the same memories you folks are sharing...the minkos, the "clacker balls", the hole in the fence!!

I remember Mr. Baker - He had been there for over 10 years when I was in his 8th grade Social Studies class (isn't that what they called it back then?). He was pretty fluent in Japanese, and I loved going on field trips with his class.
Anyone remember Mr. Miller? Great teacher. He took us on a 3-day Geology Class field trip to Oshima Island, which had (if I remember correctly) 3 active volcanoes. Very appropriate for me - many years later I worked on the design and re-construction of the Mt. St.Helens highway after she blew her top in 1980.
Sorry to be so wordy here on my first visit - I'll be back!
Oh yeah...remember that nasty tasting "Indian Gum" that we all loved...lol

Hi everyone. I lived on Kanto Mura from half-way thru 7th grade to half-way thru 10th. Remember the caves in the hills behind the runway? Ramen off base for 120 yen? Military scrip? View of Mt. Fuji on a clear day? I remember teachers baker, miller, moriwaki and others. Those were indeed the wonder years.

I was stationed at Tachikawa AFB from 1969-1971 and lived at Kanta Mura. My kids attended Chofu. I went to the Baptist Church rigtht outside the back gate at KM. This was a really great assignement then..

Our family lived at Kanto Mura from 69 to 71. Remember the hole in the fence very well. Went to Chofu elementary for 1 year and 7th and 8th at Chofu middle school before returning stateside and my family retiring in 71. He was stationed at Fuchu Air Station and was the postmaster at the base post office. I have not been in touch with anyone since. I worked at the Kanto Mura commissary bagging groceries for about a year before we left. One of my favorite recollections was taking a co-ed overnight field trip to Shimoda, Japan. The Osmond family was staying at the same hotel (minus Donnie), the girls went nuts. Had a girlfriend named Valerie, her dad was a colonel if I remember correctly. Remember bingo every Sunday at Fuchu, big easter egg hunt at the softball field and bowling. Too many memories to recall, had a blast. If anyone remembers some of this, please respond.

My wife Jean & I were at Kanto Mura from 71-73. She taught 4th grade at the Chofu ES, and I subbed at all 3 schools, as well as a doing PE during the fall at Nerimas ES the last year it was open. We too were in the theater during the earthquake when they evacuated it. When the base closed we relocated to Misawa AB and stayed there 30 years, retiring in 2004.

Lived there 66 to 70, in fact Dean Synan is a familiar name, remember the Timberlake brothers Patrick, Stuart and Boo Boo, or the Schenks, Jackie Chamberlain and her mom's whistle, had a friend named Roxanne with her dog Kiki, my dad is Bill Gaedke, he always ran, used to race kids on their bikes, lived across from the school, wow what memories and of course the hole in the fence. Had a Japanese friend Stella Colucci, remember so well because she had five middle names and to this day I remember all five! Hope to see more names that I recognize!.

The Turpen family lived in...810 D? from 71-74. It was south across the street sort of from the movie theater. I attended 3rd through 5th grade, and remember Miss Link. Yes, we had cheap model tanks and airplanes; we'd take the models of jets, shove a firecracker up the tailpipe, light it, and drop it out a second story window to watch it blow up just before impact. I remember catching pinhead grasshoppers, hummingbird moths and cicadas. I still have menko cards somewhere... My best friend was Bill Hansen who taught me how to throw a fastball. My father was a radar shop chief at 610 MASS at Yokota, and one took me into the cockpit of a C-5. Living in Japan, meeting my relatives (my mom is Japanese), seeing the sights and learning that the world really isn't as big as we think it is so we'd better get along was priceless.

We lived in Kanto Mura from 68-70, I went to Chofu Elementary for grades 3-5. We lived near the rear(?) of the base away from the school, movie theater, teen club, etc. I remember a long grass field that seemed to run the length of the base. There were baseball fields there also where I played Little League. I also remember a sharp vendor who had a store just outside the fence. He would sell us menko cards, little science kits, firecrackers and of course, Japanese candy. There was also an American kid who was famous in school because he had starred in a Godzilla (Gojira) film. Brings back lots of memories!

Hi there! my family lived in Chofu from 1967-70. my brother, Clarence Ching, played football, basketball and baseball. plus he wrestled. my sister's names were Collette Mahe Ching and Claire Haunani Ching.
My younger sister and i attended Chofu Elementary School.
I don't remember any childhood friends names except someone by the name of Denise Powell. Her brothers were pretty popular and played football with my brother, Clarence Ching. :-)

We were there from 67-70. I also remember playing Minkos and buying stuff from the hole in the fence from "Mama San" and "Papa San". I took Judo lessons at a building close to the BX. My dad was part time manager of the base movie theater, so we got in for free. He used to give my brother and sister and I a quarter each for the snack bar and that was enough to get either a soda and a popcorn or a popcorn and a candy! I remember when these trucks would come rolling through the housing streets spraying bug spray that would just fog out the whole neighborhood and we kids would play and run around in the insecticide cloud.....couldn't have been a good thing healthwise. I remember hunting butterflies in an area we called "The Green Strip" and playing on a play
ground that had what we called, "the big slide" that seemed really big as kid.

Phil Powell - I remember a Powell, but I thought it was 'Mike' Powell. Phil...are you pigeon-toed? :) That's the one I remember - we and Shorty and others used to hang out. Anyone else remember the Fishers? They were all musicians on the base...really good too! I STILL want to find out anything about Theresa McAtee...she was beautiful back then.

I was born in Nagoya. I lived at Washington Heights and went to school at Yoyogi Elementary. I moved to Kanta Mura in the early sixties and left in 1964. Yoyogi was bulldozed for the 64 Olympics. The commissary and theatre was just down the road at Kanto.....my neighborhood consisted of the Colonel and Mrs. Arrington, son Wayne, Sato's, Major and Mrs. Hessler....does anyone recall?

OMG yes ! I was there from 68-71. My favorite teacher @ chofu was ms swan..I was on the "surfers" swim team, I also got to b in 2 movies I think it was called "oh oda" about a kid n his dinesour..wow memories..I remember the hole in the fence, catching Japanese beetles n putting them in my butterfly cage I bout off base...my best friend was April Sanders !!! And was in Girl Scouts ....

My family and I were at Kanto Mura in unit 656-D back in 1970 and 1971. Easy to remember going to EXPO '70. I was in 8th & 9th grades, marching in the band at Chofu High. Mr. Miller was my science teacher and had Mr. Baker for Social Studies. Had very memorable experiences in Japan!

Yes. My family moved there October 67 and we stayed until 71. I was in the 5th grade in 1967 and remember trips to KEEP, Shimoda (with the Osmonds), and Kyoto for the 6th grade.

I heard that the elementary school is now a Japanese school.

I definitely remember mama-san at the menko store and the little boxes of gum that tasted like orange. Still have my brother's menko cards.

I lived across the street from the pool. 299-A . I had Mrs. Flowers for 6th grade. Anyone know of her?

Hole in the fence! My name is steven white live there from 69-73.Lived near the pool.I had a older brother & sister russell & sandy white.My father was stationed there.My mom was president of the wives club for 3 years.She always got groups of kids together,got a school bus and took us on trips.she would get the pool at night and have swim parties,She always looked out for the base kids.She wasn't just my mom,but she had clout! Dont know if anyone remembers the field trips she put together for kids in the summer ,but we had a ball.If anyone ever attended the swim parties at night,that was my mom.good ole days.good times!

Hi Everyone. I am so glad to learn about this thread and thank Pamela S for setting it up. I really enjoyed reminiscing on all the memories about Kanto Mura and Chofu Elementary School. My family is the McCray's family and lived at 343-C from 1967-70. I want to ask Julie Kapua Ching that I remember her brother Clarence very well as he and my brother Mike were football team members. I also remember a classmate name Julie in Mrs. Ewing's 6th grade class and want to know if she is the same Julie. It would be way cool if that is her. Is that you Julie?

Yes, we were there @ Kanto Mura 1970-72(?). I remember playing kickball in middle of our court. I was in the Girl Scouts and I remember the meetings being in round metal building in the back side of the base. How about the skating rink? I also remember Rod Stewart's Maggie Mae being really popular at the time.

I lived at 299-C, right across the street from the pool. The Cravens lived in A, the Caliguires lived in B, and the Lorenzsons lived in D. I remember the hole in the fence, running in the white cloud of bug killer spray behind the bug spray truck in the summers, and spending the night out in tents we made from blankets. Many fond memories!