The Bluff Yokohama?

I live in California, in the United States. When I was a baby, my father was stationed in Yokohama during the occupation of Japan after World War II. He was there for about 9 months. During that time he made friends with a young boy named Edmondo da Silva. Edmondo was Japanese and Portuguese. My dad was Portuguese and so they became friends. Edmondo's mother allowed him to go with my father as a young translator and he helped him go sight seeing in Japan. Edmondo was in the 6th grade at this time. My dad even had a little army uniform made for Edmondo. My dad spoke of this da Silva family all of his life and he was always so sad as he lost his address book on his return home and was never able to get in touch with the family again. My dad died in 1999 and even the week that he died he cried, thinking about Edmondo and how the family was so nice to him and he had never been able to find them again. They had some friends once look for them in Japan with no luck. I was going through some old letters last week and found a letter that Edmondo wrote to my mother in 1946 during the time that he was with my dad. The return address says "179 Bluff", Yokohama, Japan. I just did a search on the internet and your site came up.

Do you know the area that I am speaking of.....179 Bluff? Would you have any idea about this family....or any idea about how I might try to find someone who belonged to this family? I would just like to tell them how much my father spoke of them and how much he really loved them...and that he never forgot them. I have some pictures also, that they might be interested in seeing.

I know you might thing this is a strange letter.....but I just thought I would try to do this for my father's memory.

Sincerely,
Susan Vargas M

My dad's name was Ernest Vargas.

It might be Yamate in Yokohama. Yamate has been a famous town for non-Japanese residents even before the WWII. And just google Yamate and Bluff, and you will find the info on the place.
Though there is no exact address like the below, but Japanese postal office would never be neglect your postcard because of minor address mistakes if he still live around the area.

His address would be as follows:
179 Yamate-cho, Naka-Ku, Yokohama 231-0862 Japan

About Yamate Area
http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/tourism/spot/spot1010.html

Wish your good luck

Thank you Pacman for your thoughts and the website. I enjoyed looking at the Yamate area. I may trying writing to the address that you suggested. I think there would be little hope as these people lived there 59 years ago, but it is worth a try.
Sincerely,
Susan

The Bluff is the high area south of downtown Yokohama. It starts south of Motomachi shopping street & Yamashita Park. Strictly, it is bounded by Honmoku Dori on the east, but I think the high areas around Yamate Station and YCAC(Yokohama Country & Athletic Club)south east towards Negishi Shinrin Koen are sometimes considered to be part of the Bluff.
The Bluff stands high above the surrounding area, and include the International Schools.

That is the most poignant story I have read in along time. I have no real infomation to help you apart from post in forums such as this oneand also http://www.japantoday.com (look for forum top right of screen) and maybe some geneology sites (family tree) and friends reunited would possiable be worth a search.
I wish you all the luck possiable.

Thank you both....for the location and the good idea. I just posted my story on two genealogy sites. A wonderful idea!
Susan

Hi - I was up on the Bluff yesterday looking for the adress you referenced and could not locate it. Below is a link to a 1949 map. You can click on the Bluff to get more details, but I could not locate 179. Good luck in you search.
http://yohidevils.net/kanto/maps/moremaps.htm

I am so pleased to help, I hope it is successful. Please come back to let us know your news.

I was very touched, Steve, by the time it must have taken you to look for that address. Thank you so much for doing that...it gives closure to part of the puzzle...to at least know that the addresses have changed...so now I know that I cannot follow that clue. The map site you sent is wonderful...I have been studying it. I have all of the letters that my dad wrote during the time he spent in Yokohama and many pictures. With this wonderful map....maybe someday I will "return" for my dad and follow his footsteps. That was always his dream. He guarded the 8th Army Headquarters and I can see that on the map!! Thank you!
Susan

Hi Susan,

I live in Yokohama and Yamate-cho is not so far from my place.

I checked the map ...and Bluff(Yamate) 179 is still there.

I'll call a realtor and ask if they know anything about the old families.

FYI
http://www.yyfj.net/index.htm

Although this site is in Japanese, you can see the pictures of that area today by pointing the cursor to the left columns that are showing the names of places.

I hope this will be a lead to your father's old friend!

Smile :) from Japan

Sorry, the link for the page is this:
http://www.yyfj.net/sakamiti.htm

Wow, Smile:)...that is good news. I will be very interested to hear if your realtor would have any idea about this family. It was really so long ago that I don't have a lot of hope, but you never know who will read these boards...maybe even someday in the future. I just looked at my dad's photo albums from Japan and there is a picture of the Da Silva family....besides Edmondo, there was an older sister and three younger brothers.
Thank YOU Smile:)
Susan

Hi Susan,
I called a realtor to ask ... their office is at The Bluff 179-5.
Unfortunately, they knew nothing about the Da Silva family. But I'll ask another realtor on Monday.

Have a nice weekend,
Smile :)

Smile you might want to pull up the history of the property. Ask who the past owners were in that time period (after WW2) so i'm guessing 1945-1950. I'm not sure if the realators keep records for that long, ask them how you might go about finding out who lived or owned that address back then.

I just want to thank you again Smile....and also all of you who have responded. I am just so impressed by all of you. You have been so kind and helpful. If I ever get any feedback from the genealogy boards I will come back and let you know. However it comes out, I do feel good about this, as I finally feel that I at least tried to follow up on my dad's wishes. THANK YOU!!

Susan, perhaps you could contact the local Catholic Church that's on the 1949 map. If Edmondo was born in that area, surely he'd have been christened there. If he spent most of his life there, they'd even have confirmation and marriage details.

By searching out particulars of his family you may have more success - as you'd know, da Silva is not an uncommon Portuguese name.

Best wishes for a fruitful outcome.

Cobalt...that is just a terrific idea. I did a search on Google.com and came up with Sacred Heart Cathedral (Yokohama Yamate Catholic Kyokai)
Yamate-cho, Naka-ku 231

Then should I put 231-0862, Japan as suggested in a previous note?
Thank you....Susan

There is another church in the area that might be worth checking out:

Yokohama Yamate Sei Ko Kai
(Christ Church)
235 Yamate-cho, Naka Ku,
Yokohama, 231-0862

http://www.inyokohama.com/ChristChurch/
According to this website:
http://www.yohidevils.net/kanto/landmark.htm
That church was in the area in the late 1940's as well.

I will write a letter to both churches...Thanks! I am going to copy the family picture I have of the Da Silva family and also send that along.
Susan

keep us updated, I would like to hear the ending to this story.