Places in Yokahama in 1950

I lived in Yokahama from Jan., 1950 until Dec, 1951 with my mother and part of the time with my father ( several months after we joined him he was deployed to Korea.) My husband and I are going to visit Japan this summer and I would like to find some of the places we frequented. My father was with the eighth Army in Yokahama. My father lived in an area that had officer quarters before my mother and I joined him. This is not much information, but would anyone know where these quarters might have been? He told me (before he died) that the quarters contained guys from different units and the quarters were across town from where we eventually lived ( on the bluff). I also would like to know if anyone knows where the officer's club would have been. I have a memory of going swimming there, and being able to look over the cliff to the ocean below. When we first arrived in Japan, in January, 1950, housing was not yet available, so we stayed in the Gorha Hotel. My father told me we stayed there because we could not get into the Fujiya Hotel. Is the Gorha Hotel still there? Does anyone know if the Gorha was close to where the Fujiya is? My father told me that after we stayed in the Gorha Hotel for three weeks we got housing up ''on top of the hill''. Does anyone know where this might be. My mother taught at Yokahama American High School and so where we lived was probably close. Also, I attended the first part of first grade in Yokahama and am not sure what school that was. Does anyone have an idea which elementary school would have been closer to Yo-hi? I am appreciative of any information people can provide.Thanks, Bonnie

It's kinda hard. There is now no place around Yokohama Yamate/The Bluff area that now looks directly into the water from a cliff!!!! All of the nearest cliffs now have reclaimed land there.
The area near Sankien gardens has cliffs which were once adjacent to the bay. I think that area was fairly close to US army housing around the Honmoku area.

Maybe it was around there, or closer to Yokohama International School, which has cliffs nearby.

Hi Bonnie,

As mentioned, I'm afraid Yokohama has changed greatly since 1950 and most U.S. Military fascilities have been returned and developed.

As mentioned Sankeien (is the correct spelling), Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery and other touristical brick buildings are among the very few that remain as they did in the old days.

The best place to ask for more details is probably the following "Yokohama Navy Exchange Was Where?" thread.
http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+6789

Sorry, just to clarify, Fujiya Hotel is the one in Hakone, right?

Hakone is a mountain and hot springs resort a couple of hours from the city of Yokohama. Fujiya Hotel and Gora (or Gohra) Hotel are famous hotels proud for its tradition and still is there in Hakone partially with new buildings.

"Gorha" is not a Japanese way of spelling a word, so I assumed you'd mis-spelled it for "Gohra" unless you have a different hotel in mind. Here are the hotels' websites.

http://www.fujiyahotel.jp/
http://www.kitetsu-hotel.jp/hakone/

Btw, Yokohama is very hilly and most quality houses stand "on top of the hill". If you have some photos, you may want to bring them along and show it to the people at the City Hall or someone at the history museum in the center of Yokohama. Or you can simply post a URL of the photos on the other "Navy Exchange" thread to see if anyone can identify them.

Currently, about the only residental-like residental area for the U.S. Military is the one in Negishi and it is pretty much "on top of a hill" like a lot of the other houses in the city. Next to it is the big grassy Negishi Park where the old horse race track used to be, and on the other side there is the Japanese cemetary that was always there.

I hope you have fun in Japan this summer.

Thank you for your information. The hotel I was referring to is the Gora Hotel in Hakone. I am glad to hear it is still thriving. The officer's club I mentioned was the place that overlooked the ocean and I saw from some other information I had that my father referred to it as Whiteside. I will follow the "Yokohama Navy Exchange Was Where" thread. I do have photos and will bring them to Yokohama and show them to someone in the history museum. Great idea! Thanks again. Bonnie

Bonnie, The officers club that you asked abour was located on a little hill at a place called Bayside Courts. Bayside Courts was an area about a mile-less from the navy exchange. It is not there now and I do not know if the officers club is still there. Also not familiar with Whiteside. I was there in 1967-69. I envy you in a way in being able to revisit Yokohama. You will not recognize it as it is all changed.. several times over. A friend of mine now had family in Yokohama and they tell me that If I go back [health permitting] that I will be disapointed as it is all changed. They may be right but i would go anyway, if it keeps on ticking.

Its been many years ago, I worked for the Eight Army Officers Club in Yokohama from 1947 to June 1950 when the Korean War started and I went to Korea when Eighth Army deployed to Korea. The Eight Army Officers club when I was there consisted of The Bankers Club, The New Grand Hotel, a Country club in Hodagia (that may not be spelled right) and the White Insign Club. Myself, I lived in the New Grand Hotel and was Bar Manager there among other things. As I recall the swimming pools in the area was under Special Services, and did not belong to the the Eight Army Officers Club.
The Hotels you mentioned I am not familiar with. After I rotated from Korea (Nov 1951) I did return to Yokohama for a short stay and for reassignment and during that short peroid of time I worked in the headquarters i believe it was JLC located in the same building that once housed Yokohama Command as I recall, but like I said that was years ago and my memory is not all that great, I am 87 years old now. But I do remember the Bluff Area and as I recall there was a special service swimming pool there, also a Golf Driving Range.