Yamate-cho Naka-ku, Yokohama,Japan

Hello,
I lived in Yokohama from 1961 till 1969. Loved every moment of it. Would love to see photos and street map of that area. Please help me see my old home again!
Thank you,
Ana W

Ana,

I know exactly how you feel, because I lived in Pasadena, California from 1969 till 1973, loved every moment of it, would love to see photos and street map of that area, and would love to see my old home again!

I now live in Yokohama (Kanagawa-ku) and Naka-ku is still a nice place with a lot of expats. This is the Ward's official website. Click around for photos especially on this "History and Sightseeing" page.
http://www.city.yokohama.jp/me/naka/sighthist/index.html

Also, have you ever thought about writing a letter to your old address, addressed to "Whoever lives there"? I'm thinking of writing one to mine so that whoever lives there can respond.

I've never tried it myself, but I'm wondering if Google Earth might be fun as well.

http://earth.google.com/

I lived on Yamate-cho (241) as a boy from 1957-1959 (Sagiyama Ridge, then the Bluff). I would be nice to find others who lived there at this time. Especially old schoolmates. Tried Google Earth but it's hard to locate stuff. Anyone have any recent pics?

Additional to the link on my first post, the following is what I get when I type "Naka-ku Yamate-cho" in Japanese on Yahoo Japan Images.

http://images.search.yahoo.co.jp/bin/query?ei=UTF-8&fr=top_v2&p=%E4%B8%AD%E5%8C%BA%E5%B1%B1%E6%89%8B%E7%94%BA

Yamate Royston Church now stands at Yamate-cho 241-1. If you search this name, you will get photos of the church.

I couldn't find photos for Sagiyama, Naka-ku.

By the way, you can type "bluff" into the "Search Questions" square and you will find several similar questions which might help you up-date your info on the area.

I will be going to Yamate area at the end of July. I actually have to attend a few days at a Yamate school in Yokohama.

anything in particular you want to see? I live there now, so no problem...:-)

we lived in Yamate-Cho 1968/69 in oposite of the entrance of Intern School,
close to the habour overlooking park.

We loved in Yokohama from 68-71. We were in Girl Scouts and climbed Mt. Fuji. Attended Yo-Hi with Mark Hamill- Luke in Star Wars. Did lots of bowling on and off base. Lived on the Bluff - Yamate Cho, across from a girl's school. It was hard to find on Google Earth, but located Marine Tower, Motomachi, went up the hill, and there we were. Saw Mt. Fuji on the way out and still hoping to go back...Lord willing.

sorry--We lived in Yokohma- (and loved our time there!) :-)
Also remember Miss Phelan, Art Teacher at Kinnick Middle School, Miss Bunch, Typing Teacher, Miss Satre, HomeEc, wonderful PE jumpsuits with elastic around the legs, and Yaki-soba at a restaurant for lunch.

We lived 227-1 Yamate-cho 1967-1969. I just spent an hour exploring Google The Earth. Found Gaijin Bochi, but not Futaba Gakuen which was across our driveway, nor YCAC, nor Y.I.S. Help, onagaishimasu!

Our home was across from the Ferris Girl's School, on the corner of the little street that led down to the Chinese School. Lived in that home on Yamate-Cho from '65 to '69 and before that on Takanue (spelling).

I miss Japan and am blessed by the experience.

Wishing you and your family every happiness.

I lived in yokohama from 1967-197. My father was in the Navy and we lived on base housing. I was 8 years old and was a girl scout there. I was looking for pics from that time of girls scouts. i went back to japan in 1979-1980. I joined the navy and took pics of base housing in yokohama. i love japan and would like to return with my husband who is a Marine.

I too lived in Yamate Cho from about 1961 to 1965.

Of course, I was very young, about 8 years old when we left.

My dad thinks we lived at 223B Yamate Cho or Yamamoto Cho...since all the maps on Google Earth and Microsoft Earth are in Kangi I can't read any of them.

Still, I think I found it, that and the Bluff Hospital, now a clinic, the foreign cemetery where we used to play among the headstones (my friend leslie's family lived across the street and his dad owned a bunch of properties and was big in real estate in the area), the International School where I went from K to Grade 1 or 2 and the infamous YCAC where we seemed to spend mosts of our time. My dad was big on field hockey and cricket there, mum played tennis and I hung out at the pool, the bowling alley or in the restaurant ordering cokes and cinnamon toast on my Dad's tab until he got the bill at the end of the month!

Anyway, I'm trying to put together a Google or MS Earth tour for my dad who is 79 now and would love to see how the area has developed.

223B was the second house in from the corner, just before the bridge that went over the main road leading to Yokohama. If you turned left and went down the hill before the bridge you would end up at the start or Motomatchi. To your right was the road to the Bluff hospital and YCAC and to your left was the road through the district to the US base and immediately in front of you, if I recall was the tram terminal.

It's all gone now, from what I can see on the satellite and maps but any clues would be appreciated.

I'm not sure where 223B is/was, but I live about 50m from the Bluff Clinic, which is on a corner overlooking Motomachi Koen (park). How far is/was 223B from the Bluff Clinic? (The Bluff Clinc is only small. Are you sure it used to be a hospital?

Yes way back it was a hospital and I had my tonsils out there.

It became a clinic many years later.

Here's what my dad said in his email: 223b Yamate or Yamamoto Cho (not sure which)

He's 79 so his memory isn't perfect but its not bad.

Our house was across from a tree nursery and the road lead from Bluff Hospital on one side and to a large (well seemed large to me) orange/yellow bridge which was popular for suicides, especially at grade report time. We'd often see outlines of bodies the next morning.

Just before the bridge you turned left and went down the hill to the shopping center and the tram terminal.
Ours was the second house in.

I have a picture of it somewhere I could post on my website and link to it here if anyone is interested if it could help identify it.

The house wasn't that far but it's hard for me to estimate distances from childhood memory.
However, I remember walking the distance to go to my friend's house near the cemetery more than once and I also recall walking all the way to the YCAC which freaked my parents out.

I'd had a swimming lesson set and my mum told me it was cancelled. I didn't believe her so I got my towel and trunks and walked all the way there. Mum was frantic because I didn't tell her I was going!

They were gobsmacked I'd not only walked all the way to the club which was a good couple of miles but that I'd found my way there...but of course, in the summers we'd drive it nearly every day.

Ok, I think the bridge you mean is in Yamamoto-cho. It's a big orange bridge spanning a big cutting. It's quite some distance from there to the Bluff Clinic and Yokohama International School. Were you on the Bluff road (on which the Bluff Clinic is located, but at the other end), or in one of the side streets?

If you can post it on your website, I can take a look. (please post website address!!!! :D )

Yes, yes, that's it!

We were right on the same street which wound through the gaijin neighbourhood then hooked back around to the main road which took us past the Bluff Hospital and then the cemetery and then we'd turn right to go to the YIS.

As I said,my memory is that our house was the second one in from the corner of the intersection right before the bridge on the left side as you approach the bridge coming from the Bluff hospital or clinic now.

If you turned left you went down the hill which ran parallel to the main road below which passed under the bridge and led to Yokohama.

I went through the family albums but found only one picture of the front of the house but it's of the garden which doesn't do much good.

I do recall better pictures and they may be in a suitcase under the stairs - you know how it is when you end up the family archivist!

Anyway, I will dig it out and go through it..hopefully there is something there.

You can reach me off this list at iharvey AT rogers.com. I now live in Canada. My website is pitbullmedia.ca. I haven't put any pictures of Japan up there yet but I'll offer it up so you know I'm a real person and not some sock puppet wasting your time!!
What I'll do is see what pics of the area we have and scan a few in and create a photo gallery.

Thanks for keeping this thread going!!


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