Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

My understanding is that local districts ARE responsible for school lunch programs. For better or worse, they decide menus, and also what is sold in school vending machines. I think the federal government is only involved in helping pay for kids' lunches (and sometimes breakfasts) whose parents are below poverty income levels. The feeling is that kids can't learn properly if they're hungry and badly nourished. Unfortunately school lunches are pretty bad for most kids, and not very nourishing.

Obviously parents should be responsible for what kids eat, both in and out of school. However, judging from national figures, parents themselves are in trouble, with two thirds being fat. One third of our population is overweight, one third is obese. This is especially true among the poor, with the poorer states having the worst record.

There is lots of money to be made from sugar, and they're advertized and pushed as we all know - sugar's addictive, and more and more is put into drinks and prepared foods, along with fat. As a result we're fast approaching a national health and economic crisis - more diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart attacks - with not much being done about turning this around.

I think they should also get those vending machines out of schools - that's a recent phenomenon for which local schools get lots of money - too bad.

Hi,

There are Yokohama guide and Motomachi shopping street's link, try English site.
And enjoy short movies.

http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/tourism/

http://map.motomachi.or.jp/html/history/history/index_e.html

Dave -san please extend congratulations to your daughter on the completion of the boston marathon. It is quite a feat..or two feet as it were..I hope you weren't there cuz if you were and didn't drop in to see me I would not be happy. I am only an hour north.
And Thanks to Kaoru for the link and pictures. I have many happy memories of Motomachi. I remember I almost bought a statue of Kannon in an antique shop there. It was one million yen!! What a beautiful peice of work bronze and about 5 feet high and wonderful detail..should have been an exporter..upon leaving we did purchase 2 strings of pearls for our mothers..price ok about $65 each.
Never did climb the stairs..I wonder if they are still there ?

Peter-san

The shops around Kannai changed. As for Isezaki-chou in particular, customers decreased. There are many closed shops. I think that Motomachi is the same as 1970s. The old store was rebuilt. The lively one is a surrounding of the Yokohama station now. There are a lot of customers because Motomachi sells a good commodity. The number of customers have decreased to Mycal Honmoku avenue D.

Peter: Look on Google Earth to try to find out if the stairs are still there.

When I lived in Yokohama in the 1980's, I remember an Ethan Allen furniture store in Motomachi. I took a picture of a cute little Japanese girl sitting on the huge red wooden chair outside the shop. (The chair was in the style of a dining room chair.)

Lori-san
I tried google maps ect..no luck, really didn't think I could spens the time. But thanks anyway.. Hey kaoru..are the stairs still at Motomachi ? I think they called them the 100 steps..not sure.

Question answered. The 100 steps are now gone. In its place is a large steel beem..figures. Found a neat old photo on flicker 1880's

Regarding Motomachi's "100 stairs," the following link with pictures may be the same place Peter mentions: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2408793503/ I lived on the Bluff not too far from Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 44 Yamate-cho from 1952-54, have explored some of the old Bluff streets on Google, and found old stone steps that go up the hill from Motomachi to Yamate-cho (the old Bluff Road), probably near the church or where Dave-san used to live on the Bluff. Google doesn't take you up or down the stairs but gives you a good view of them. P.S. Peter, I liked your recent Samari/sumo haiku. Thank you, Karou for your links, much appreciated.

Here's a charming 1880s picture of the same Motomachi/Bluff area - a great picture including stairs up the hill: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2409631100/

My apologies, Kaoru, for misspelling your name!

Thank you Barbara san. Perhaps, this picture is the 100 stairs.

http://www.digitown.co.jp/spot/index421.htm

Motomachi Steps
The long steep steps that I remember climbing came up by the girls high school and are shown this 1956 map. http://yohidevils.net/kanto/1956yoko/56yoko05.gif They can still be seen on Google Earth but appear to have been modified from straight steps into zigzagged steps in a couple places.
The hundred steps shown on the old photographs were destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and were not rebuilt.
http://map.motomachi.or.jp/html/history/pictorial/pictorial_06_e.html
1880s http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2409631100/
2006 http://www.flickr.com/photos/24443965@N08/2408793503/
Negishi Steps
There was also a very long steep set of steps that I remember going down from Area X (Negishi Heights) below Bldg. 501 leading down to Ave. D (Naka-dori) by the Negishi Elementary School.
http://yohidevils.net/kanto/1956yoko/56yoko08.gif
There are still a lot of other steps in Yokohama that can be seen on Google Earth or in Google Earth Map.
Peter-san - I did not go to Boston for the marathon. I have a standing deal with my kids that any time they want to visit me I will pay for their ticket. If I visit them I have to get two tickets and a hotel room and figure out how to kill a lot of dead time while they are doing other things. I've only been up to Boston once since the late '70s. That was when two of my kids were graduating from Tufts in 2009, fortunately at about the same time. BA for my son David and a MPH for my daughter Katie. David has been thinking of going to Law School in Boston (2 of the 8 he just got accepted to are there) so I might have to go back up in three years.
Kaoru-san - Thank you for the links. Glad to hear that your heath has improved.

This is PDF's map.

http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/naka/english/wardoffice/englishpublicat...

This is PDF's map.

http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/naka/english/wardoffice/englishpublicat...

Konnchiwa, Dave san

I operated gallbladder two years ago. It was hospitalization of 40 days. I am healthy now. Work is management of real estate. I learnt junior and high school of "Zushi". Going to school was JR Yokosuka line. Marines who often dressed up had gotten on train. US naval forces and marine's uniforms are cool. And, they were gentlemen. I enjoyed the travel of North America in May, 2002. It was visit to the main sightseeing spots from NYC to LA, wonderful memories for me.

Arigatou / Thanks

Thanks everyone..you-all found it. I loved the 1880's photo and the quaintness it represents. Remember that I lived just on the north side of the bridge for a few months.
Kaoru..I'm happy that you are better..40 days in a hospital ! Thats a long time..[I should know]
I think I am ready for my next "Haiku Challenge" that was fun..[admitt that my last one was not so good] topic anyone] ?

Ohayougozaimasu Kaoru-san - The map you posted, http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/naka/english/wardoffice/englishpublicat...
is excellent because it easily shows where three of us lived. I lived where at #13, but it was then US Military housing, 8-599 on 1956 map, http://yohidevils.net/kanto/1956yoko/56yoko06.gif. Barbara-san lived where Yamate-Hon-Dori meets the left side of the map, 8-506 on the 1956 map. Steffi-san lived at #8, Barrack Hall (Berrik), called ARC Billets on 1949 map, http://yohidevils.net/kanto/maps/15ympblf.jpg which also shows 8-599 and 8-506 but the numbers are very hard to see.
What years did you attend school in Zushi? I remember when I rode the trains during the day I would see many students in school uniforms. The students were always friendly and polite. I thought the Japanese school uniforms were very attractive.
Arigatou.

I lived on the Bluff for three years - 1945 to 1948 - and remember coming down the hill frequently, but I was little and don't remember whether they were steps or steep streets.

My laptop is staging a slow-down, but I'll keep trying to see the pictures. So far, I've seen Barbara-san's wonderful older pictures - I love the "then and now" series - thank you, Barbara. And thank you to Dave-san, and Kaoru-san, and Peter - we look forward to another poem.

Hi, all

Yes, there are many private schools in Oofuna, Kamakura, and Zushi. I learnt at boys' private school. I attended classes in 1973 to 1979, am 50 years old now. The vicinity of Yokosuka and Negishi lines have more girls' schools. The boys in the junior and the high school in Japan wear a black school uniform. And, the button is gold.
Recent uniform is jacket and the necktie.

Arigatou

Hello all. I stumbled across an interesting site with present day pics of Yokuska and Yokohama.

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/1709/Yokosuka.html

http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25455/Yokohama+Photo+Walk+2.html#land...

California Teen Gives Up Solo Voyage
AP MARINA DEL REY, Calif. (April 25) -- A 16-year-old Southern California girl hoping to become the youngest person to sail around the world alone has ended her quest and will head to South Africa for boat repairs.
Abby Sunderland wrote on her blog Saturday that it would be "foolish and irresponsible" to keep going after losing use of her boat's main autopilot. She expects to land in Cape Town in about two weeks.
Even with her nonstop attempt over, Sunderland writes she will complete her trek back to Marina del Rey.
Sunderland, of Thousand Oaks, embarked Jan. 23 after older brother Zac completed a westerly solo circumnavigation at the age of 17.
The record for the youngest person to circumnavigate is held by 17-year-old Mike Perham of Britain.
http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/california-teen-abby-sunderland-...|verizon|dl1|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolnews.com%2Fnation%2Farticle%2Fcalifornia-teen-abby-sunderland-gives-up-solo-voyage%2F19453345