Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Lori......and a very happy birthday to you as well!!!!!

So Kaoru-san, you were born in 1959, but you are 62 years old, not 61?

Thank you for the birthday wishes Steffi !

Hello Steffi-san,

I'm 61 years old in 9 Oct. Thank you very much.

Keep in touch,

Kaoru-san, thank you for the clarification, though I am still not totally clear.

I hope everyone here is staying safe from the virus and maintaining sensible precautions. Looking at national figures, it is discouraging to see that infection rates are once again going up at an alarming rate, including in some parts of the New York City area.....we are now in a third wave. However, we are now able to do contact tracing here effectively so that we know exactly where the outbreakes are, and where restrictions have to be implemented.

Hopefully a vaccine will come along soon, though we are told it will be just 50% effective, approximately, and many will refuse to take it, so precautions we are taking will still be necessary.

May we all stay safe and healthy and get back to normalcy as soon as possible.

Yesterday in central Missouri, temps rose to nearly 90 degrees. Today, temps are falling and its low 50s and breezy.
Time to defrost some of our frozen chicken for my world famous Thai Noodle soup.

Back when we lived in Yokohama, my dad like to take over the kitchen and turn out some blazing, spicy India curry with rice. A recipe for the dish came from his time in the C-B-I Campaign.

Masako, our maid, could not stand the curry aroma so would invent a need to attend to at her dormitory.
She would return only if the kitchen had been "aired out."

It boggles my mind that this thread starting in 2004. Very impressive indeed.

There are eight million "Americans in Japan" stories floating hereabout.
I always enjoy reading them...

Eric-san,
Your story of the Indian curry rice reminded me of the one and only time in Japan that I got sick from eating. I ate curry rice at a restaurant in Yokohama station. Bad choice as it all came back up soon afterwards. I have not eaten curry since and like Masako, hate the smell of it.
It is suddenly quite cold here in Alexandria so tonight I will make chicken soup from the remains of the Costco rotisserie chicken we had yesterday.

As a US Army food inspector stationed in Yokohama I was very aware of the chance of getting sick of the local food, especially street vendors, they even warned us about it. But, I went ahead anyway with no problems what so ever. However one day I had lunch at North Pier, I had the egg salad, which tasted ok but about two hours later ol' Sal Manilla visited me with chills fever and overall yuck. I finished my shift and went right home to a very bad night of more chills and fever. I did go to work the net day but was wasted. How Ironic, with all the times I ate out in otherwise ''questionable'' street vendors, I got sick at the Navy Comessary. I never went back.

Hello Dave san,

Oh it was disaster, currently Japanese foods are relatively safe. I know the curry shop it is located in the Yokohama station building then on 4 or 5th floor, which has been in since 1960 still opened. Yokohama st. is now a large new building. When I was a junior and high school student, often ate Indian curry by this shop. Fortunately I was no problem. I went to school on the JR Yokosuka line, I saw the Marines in formal wear at the trains they were cool I remember.

Stay safe keep in touch everyone,
Thank you.

Japanese food is wonderful , yet I developed a trick that would help me enjoy it even more. I realized that Americans have some pre conceived notion about some ingredients that might seem distasteful. So I ordered what looked good, or asked for
the special. Then when finished and settled I would find out what was in it. That way
I could enjoy it with an open mind not knowing what it was until after. Occasionally
I thought later that I might have not decided to try some exotic food had I known what it was beforehand. I remember ordering some fish, only to later find out it was Fugu, a pufferfish that has neurotoxins that can be poisonious if not cleaned properly. It tasted fine but had I known I might not have taken the''risk''.

My dad's favorite eatery was named "Forbidden City," more Chinese than Japanese.
I always ordered the battered shrimp and a bowl of sharks fin soup.

The soup was "crunchy" and I understand harvesting the fins in regarded as cruel and wasteful...

We had a favorite restaurant. I was called Bettys Kitchen. Located around the block from my first apartment on the edge of Chinatown. It featured German food, as Betty was German. She asked us to call ahead before we came and place our order so it would be fresh.
When my parents visited Japan we went there and had out picture taken . At the time I thought it was a waste but now it is a fond memory. We also went there on our last night in Japan, she was tearful that we were leaving, me too.
Betty arrived in Japan on the day of the big Kanto earthquake [1933 ?]
She was a nice lady, with a touch of sadness about her. I suspect that she is long gone now. But I still will always remember her , what a remarkable life. I wonder what ever happened to her.

This website is Hikawa-Maru in Yamashita park at Yokohama port. This old liner can have for parties and
weddings.

https://hikawamaru.nyk.com/en/

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. One thing I'm thankful for is the happy memories of the time I lived in Yokohama during 1952 - 1954.

Yes Happy thanksgiving also.
living and working in Japan was indeed one of, if not the, best time of my life.
I have met several people in my life who were stationed in Japan. Every single one without exception, had a great time, enjoyed the friendly people, exciting and historic culture, and learned a lot. Memories that we all will cherish forever.
And now it is time to thank the people at Japan Guide, for hosting our forum.
Would it not be wonderful if we all could get together in person.

Hi everyone.....

Good to hear from you all......a very Happy Thanksgiving weekend.......it seems like we all have lots to be thankful for, including our respective opportunities to have lived in beautiful Japan, for various reasons and at different times.

I join Peter in thanking Japan Guide for allowing our long-standing conversation. It has allowed me to meet you all, and also reconnect, through their seeing this thread, with people connected to my childhood, which has been amazing and important for me...

Please continue to take care and be careful, everyone, and stay safe.

Regards,
Steffi

So incredible to see this thread still going for so long. I know you all have discussed so many great topics. I for one have been enriched by this and have also benefitted from it. Back in 2006, I found this post and received some great information about ordering kosekis for my wife. I was able to meet a new friend here in JR, who knew my wife's first adopted father, Arthur Carpenter. Both JR and Arthur lived in Yokohama, JR still does but Arthur has passed and is buried in the The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery.

Long story short - back in Aug 2017, my wife and I were able to meet her mother for the 1st time. We also connected with JR who showed us around Yokosuka Naval Base and Yokohama, including the Negishi Club (through the fence) and the Abandoned Negishi Grandstand (I believe sort of in your old neighborhood).

So, in this season of gratitude. I want to thank this thread, all of you for letting me jump on here, the information I received and ultimately being able to reunite my wife to her mother.

Introducing this site reminds me of my time
I was happy.
I found a picture of my mother for 50 years on the album of Kinick School.
My mother died 10 years ago, but I had good memories.
I haven't found a friend I played with yet, but I'll slowly search for the album.

I think the original YO-HI was renamed "Nile C. Kinnick" High School after the US Army transfered control to the Navy in '58 or '59. In later years, the old YO-HI building was given up to Japanese control along with the land under Area 2, the PX complex, etc.
I believe the Navy transfered the "Kinnick" name to a school building in Yokosuka...

We left Japan in 1961 so if I've missed the dates, please add a correction.