Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Hi everyone, I'm still alive. These movie clips are Bluff and Yokohama street cars. Yokohama has big changed, but our friendship and memories will remain forever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuBP1vb-DU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy9UHIdq0hY

Stay safe,
Kaoru

History of Yokohama street cars, this is Japanese:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0WcagX8zqQ

I remember the trolleys very well. Our stop was "Kominito''. The fare was 10 yen I think, not sure. Because of the cheap fare it was one of the reasonds I never got a car.
Thanks for the videos Kaoru san. Many nice memories.

The streetcar island and tun-around were less than a block from our house on Ave, D (Homoko-dori.) I could walk to the streetcar island in less than a couplr of minutes.

I remember our earthquake instructions-- slow easy rockers were little danger but the big "up and down" hammers could be dangerous.

Just as one of the cars was switching direction, a big one hit. The car was halfway across the cross track when the quake lifted the front off the ground. The streetcar was stranded.

The driver and conductor began yelling and ordering everyone off although the first step was a big one.

In half an hour, a big Isuzu wrecker arrived and put the car back in its proper place...

I mourn the passed people and who lost their homes in the tornadoes.

Kaoru-san,
Thank you for the Bluff video. Although Yokohama has changed tremendously since I called the Bluff home nearly seventy years ago, much of the Bluff is still recognizable. As you said, our memories will remain forever.

I lived two blocks West of the Exchange from 1968-1970 at #347 Honmoku 2-chome and worked at Negishi Microwave close to the Grandstand. I think the Exchange was located at 35.432337, 139.654369 (just plug into Google and it will show up)? The Cafeteria had great cheeseburgers for a quarter. The Bill Chickering theater was adjacent to the Exchange (on the East side). I think they charged ten cents for entrance with a military ID into the theater when I was there. It totally filled up twice when I lived there: 2001 a Space Odyssey and Gone with the Wind in 1969. The street in front had trolley cars at that time and there were two very popular late night after hour clubs just up the street to the East where lots of servicemen hung out, drinking and dancing (The Starlight and Italian Gardens). I played Defensive end for the US Navy's Yokosuka Seahawks team and at 6'4" worked on the side as a bouncer at the Italian Gardens so I met some interesting people and heard some interesting stories. People called me Tiny and Kuma-chan in case anybody remembers me? There was a beautiful nisei (American father and Japanese mother) named Nancy, about 22 years old, who hung out with us at these after hour clubs. I found out in 1972 that she worked for Navy Intelligence and her task was to investigate the Communication Techs from Kamisea to see who had loose lips as a lot of classified info flowed through the base. There were also white Russians who lived in the area that were rumored to be spying for the USSR. Thousands of soldiers from the US, Australia, UK, etc. passed through the area so it was ripe for spies to try and gather intelligence. During this time period the USS Pueblo was captured (Jan 1968) and in April 1969 North Korea shot down an EC-121 90 miles off the coast of North Korea and all 31 Americans (30 sailors and 1 Marine) on board were killed. There were some rumors at the Yokosuka Naval Station that the distress messages from the Pueblo had been mishandled but I have never been able to verify this, However the Admiral in charge of the base was transferred. So it was a prime target to gather intel.

Hi Terry
Welcome.
I was there when the Pueblo was captured.
Working as a food inspector was generally a quiet job but on that day it was pretty somber.
I learned that some crew members lived nereby and that the wives supported each other during this time. I was very touched hearing this.

Movie of Motomachi shopping street.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMOjYPfFyBk

Back in Yokohama when I was 10 or 11...

I would curl up next to my dad's big Zenith radio, tuned to the Far East Network, as the family waited for Santa to arrive. The FEN announcer would call out a Santa sighting over Hokkaido, minute after minute.

It sure took Santa a long time to get to Sannotani but he usually did after I'd fallen asleep.

Christmas in Japan was a magical time for this 23 year old Army guy.
I was surprised that the Japanese celebrated Christmas as much as they did.
My parents from Massachusetts sent a large package with all kings of stuff that we really didnt need, like a small fake christmas tree. I was a nice thought, but the Japanese had many fine decorations. After thanking them I suggested some things for net year that we couldnt get , like New England Maple sugar candies and mayonase. We did have a bit of a surprise when the weather turned cold and we realized that our little apartment on the hill at Medori Gaoka had no provisions for heating. So we bought a little space heater that did the trick.
One cold day walking home from work I was about halfway up the hill when I heard singing from over a fence from a back yard. I peeked over to see this young [and very pretty] Japanese woman handing up laundry. She saw me and we both bowed. She was amazing.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR to all friends on the forum.
So. What was your single most memorable moment when living in Japan ?

It's hard to pick one item...

I liked to ride my bike to San Kaien Gardens, walk through to the bare cliff overlooking the sea shore. There were hand-dug steps allowing me to reach the shore where an old Japanese man rented fishing boats for Y 100.

I could bring up a dozen medium size crabs and share them with the local kids. I spoke limited Japanese and the kids spoke no English.

It didn't matter since we both knew what we liked...

On July 20th 1969 My wife and I climed Mt Fuji as we had planned. We started off from Gotemba about 10 AM and took the bus to the 5th station, buying one of the ''hikeing sticks along the way [which I still have]
We got to the 8th station about 101- hours later and naped for about 4 hours until the Japanese people started to move out, so we did too.
We got to the summit just before sunrise, which was nice but not spectacular. After that ,as it was cold we held up in a large hut and saw a group of other Americans hovering around a radio. We sat down to talk with them and the guy with the radio shut us up abruptly. '' Here it is..here it is..he kept saying. [We had not idea] finally he turned the radio up and th voice was saying something like..''coming left..down 6..then
a pause...then...Tranquility base here...The Eagle has landed''. I was not quite certain what that ment so I asked..they looked at me like I had two heads..''We just landed on the moon'' Then I remembered hearing about Apollo 11. We all got up and cheered and whopped it up. The Japanese looked at us cautiously until I
got out my dictionary and looked up man and moon, and I pointed to the sky, then they understood and ther was some claping and bowing. It was a moment I will never forget.
About 5 hours later we were back at out little apartment in Yokohama just in time to see the first steps.
I wonder to this day just how dangerious that flight was, as it seems that we are looking and planning to go back.

Russia and China are planning a joint moon landing sometime soon.
It may be too late since there's an American flag already there...

Hmmm..
I wonder what language the cosmonauts will be speaking?

Wonder how old all these posts are (didn't read them all)? Many from 2008, but...
The Navy Exchange was in Honmoku, practically across the street from the Yamate Police Station in Kominato on Avenue D.
Read a few posts that mentioned the Red Shoes Bar by Chinatown. Funny, my mom managed it (and Blue Gardenia) for a very long time, but probably before most of you remember or was in Japan. It was in the 50's. I left Japan in '69 (from '52) and came back in '72 for a few years. Another funny thing is, I didn't go to Vietnam while in the Army, but ended up there while in the Merchant Marines after I got out.
I remember many of those bars, I even worked in one as a bartender from '72 on inside Chinatown. New Japan. I liked doing that. Mostly navy boys and merchant seamen came.
Good times.
John

We were there 51-61.
We must have crossed paths a few times...

Interesting thread I stumbled into.

Resided in…
Kamakura 1958-1965
Honmoku 1965-1968
Negishi 1968-1973
Schooled in…
Sullivan Elementary
Richard E. Byrd
Yokohama Middle School
Yo-Hi 1971-1973 (Class of 76)

I wanted to thank my teacher who inspired me to pursue my career that I am about to retire from, but sadly I heard she had passed away. Loretta Lane convinced the school for an aviation class that I took exactly 50 years ago.

Growing up in Yokohama in the sixties was a huge experience for me & I’m enjoying the stories of the Grand Stand, Fire Engine Hill & Avenue D. I used to skip school & take the train to Akihabara. My father worked at North Pier & my mother worked at the Bluff Hospital. Anyway, thanks for the memories!

Kent, Captain, United Airlines, 777, SFO (I live in Seattle)

Kent:

Did you know Mr. Lang in Kamakura?

Eric