Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Eric and Kaoru san
given the times back then i can understand the reason to remove weaponds of war from japan. This in retrospect and in my opinion was a great tragedy. It seems to me that the sword to the Japanese is much more than a weapon. It represents the heart and soul of the person, and by extension,
the family. These like the art treasures that were stolen in europe, to me represents a very sad loss to us all. Understand that I am an antiques dealer among other things so I take these losses perhaps more to heart than most people.

You said that a thousand years ago your English ancestors were cutting trees with stone axes. No wonder my Christian Norman ancestors were able to invade England in 1066 and kick your barbaric Saxon ass with our armor and iron swords. Just kidding!
Wally

Some of my ancestors (my dad's side) built stone circles and painted their faces blue to ward off those nasty Normans.

Yes they did. 1066 is a long time ago.. I'm not sure I remember 1966 very well. Ever think about why norman women are so pretty ? The vikings took all the good looking ones as slaves. Hows that for natural selection.
While we all were hacking up each other a thousand years ago the Japanese were having tea ceremonies and watching Kabuki.. oh yes.. and taking baths. Ever see Shogun staring richard Chamberlain?
Ok, to be fair, the Japanese were, chopping up people too
but with such style! By the way Im Scottish too, as for blue faces.. back to my snow shoveling.. Yours

By the way a thousand years ago Kaoru's ancestors were making their swords from steel not just iron.. Wally.. so there. And argueably the finest steel in the world. The Vikings were a ruggard bunch. See the movie the 13th warrier.

Hideyoshi united Japan in the 16th century with the help of peasants; however, as the Normans reinstituted the feudal system in Europe, Hideyoshi did the same in Japan when he became the supreme ruler, and he banned peasants from owning weapons, allowing only samurai possession of them. Although the European feudal system was cruel, the Japanese system was even crueler. European peasants were allowed a family life and could keep a percentage of their food. Japanese peasants worked in the fields all day, and in their homes at night they had to make crafts for their overlords. All the rice they grew went to the noble class, the peasants had to eat millet. The size of the European nobility was twenty percent of the population. I think the samurai class was a little larger. Swords probably mean a lot to the descendants of the samurai class, but the descendants of the peasant class probably wish they would stick them up their you-know-what. I like the Japanese people and their culture and the time I spent in Japan was one of the major highlights of my life, but I don�ft think the U.S. military was unduly harsh during the occupation. I think the Japanese people were pleasantly surprised with the way we acted. Most of us conducted ourselves like you did Peter.

Your analysis is quite correct and very insightful. I agree that the occupation of Japan was as humane as one could imagine after what had happened in the pacific. My comment regarding swords was more introspective than practical and comming from the apprecation driven from my work in the antiques business. Not all of the reforms under MacArthur were popular but my impression from the book American Caeser is that the Japanese were astounded at the fair treatment and thankful for the boatloads of food and other support after the war. I hope my impressions are not too tainted from my american perspective. Perhaps Kaoru might offer his thoughts. Wally, how are you doing with your input to the thesis about Kishini ?

Peter:

I have William Manchester's "American Caesar" on my bookshelf but its been a few years since I read it through. After the devistation of the war, certainly it was the hand of God that placed Douglas MacArthur in Japan at that moment and it would be hard to find a Japanese historian who wouldn't say his country was fortunate to have the old general instead of the country boken up into spheres of influence, like Germany and Berlin (which the Russians wanted.)
My dad got to Japan initially in the last year of the occupation but he never got to speak a word or hear anything from MacArthur directly. Dad's comment was that MacArthur's office devoured three or four trees every day to provide all the memo paper, in triplicate, of course.
MacArthur's memos ruled, but even he could bend his own rules when he found it useful public relations.
A Japanese newspaper reporter asked General MacArthur if it was true that occupation rules allowed any American serviceman to comandeer a taxi or streetcar for a ride free of charge. The general said that was true, but if he heard of anyone doing that, they would spend six months in the brig. MacArthur insisted respect be shown to local citizens.
The state department and the Army were charged with helping restore the basic industries in Japan after 1948 and had the same mission for S. Korea after that war. Several Army agencies helped Japanese corporations regroup, with contracts to make things needed by the Army. Dad always referred to the State Department money guys as "black passport" people. The passport wallet was code for the diplomatic corps. The diplomats stumbled mightily in S. Korea on several occasions by assuming Japanese businessmen would be welcome in SK. I believe that right after WW II, our government saw nothing wrong with using Japanese troops to stand watch and other assignments in South Korea which the SKs did not like.

Eric you certainly are well informed. it must be wonderful to have your father as a first hand reference for those times. I am still pondering the comment regarding removing gold from samurai swaord on the docks of yokohama and then throwung the blades into the bay. I hate waste. Perhaps my scottish heritage. Manchester also wrote a book called Return to Darkness or something like that . Dont have it here is at my other office. He recalls his servise in the pacific and does a retrospective journey. Pretty compelling. Another one is called Occupation that I read once but dont have it here. Goes into the war criminal trials which I believe were held in Yokohama in 46-47 ? Was a little to detailed for me at that time. Damn. a photo slipped through my fingers . came into the antiques shop we have called Sign of the Mermaid [ see . com] any way it showed some quanset huts and other post war debris. I sold it to a collector, later to realize that it was most likely photos of Bayside courts taken in 1945 ish. One photo had war materiel piled up on the docks all wrecked. one piece of metal was a very small japanese tank. Also there were several POW camps in the area one held "Pappy " Boyenton of Black sheep fame and who was a part of the Flying Tigers who took on the Japanese in China in 1940? I read his biography and it was full of high drama. Boyington was a bit of a sad character in reality being a heavy drinker. Eric.. I gather you are in Houston? if I may be so forward, what are you into business wise otherwise? I recall some earlier post of doing some business in Japan perhaps I'm not recalling correctly. Had another 12 inches of snow here in Kingston New Hampshire and more on the way for friday. My plow guy is wondering where to put it. I am starting to look into payloaders as snowblowers are just not cutting it. Already looking forward to spring. Unless I bail out to Key West for the rest of the winter. A question for Kaoru. Why did Geisha make there teeth black ? Do they still do this ? Thanks all

Peter san

I'm sorry. I do not have the time said busy now and in detail to you. Katana of my father's parents' family was made from iron. The sword of copper was found in the garden there. It was Katana of about the first century. It was offered to the museum in the prefecture. Black teeth are called "Ohaguro". Please try this link. I should work.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohaguro

It was at the beginning of the navy property, next to the high school. Several buildings almost connected into a horse shoe shape with the exchange and Bill Chickering theater next to it. Then came the food area and the bowling alley at the end.

Anyone from earlier years please contact me if you like.

Hi Calvin
I was stationed in Yokohama from 67-69 was at bayside courts for a little while and lived off base and worked at center pier and the Meaddow Gold Milk Plant.Was a food inspector with the US Army. What years were you there and what outfit were you in. Hope you enjoy the forum you might go over some of the previous posts as there is a lot of good information and much useless nostalgia that is a lot of fun. Ever go to the peanuts bar on isezaki cho? Welcome aboard.. oops thats a navy term.. forgot myself..

I asked Kathe a question about her name and if she had an older sister, but have not heard back. The reason I asked, was that I double -dated with a young lady's sister that worked in Registrar. I must have scared her off! Cheryl Ann has not contacted me re Kishine Barracks.

Wally [ aka the norman]

I remember the question to Kathe. It was totally harmless so I don't think that she was spooked by it. In fact I think it would have been very cool to actually connect with someone from that long ago. On both counts unless you have an E mail address all you can really do is to see if they re connect. Also to correct my prev post. normans were not vikings derrr... teaches me not to do this at 2 am. Am more scottish than english any way. If that makes a difference. Yours: Peter, Laird of Bandrum, Kingdom of Fife, Scotland.

Actually, the Normans were Vikings who had settled in England. The Saxons kicked them out of England and they re-settled in France, where they proliferated. The French called them Normans (Northmen). When they got strong enough they invaded England in 1066. I'm not certain beyond doubt that my surname "Cox" is Norman, but that is the main theory.

Wally;

How about that. I thought I got it wrong only to have gotten it right. I'm sure you have put up with this a lot but. Wally is a Cox..
Wally Cox. Remember him ? Was is Mr. Peepers ? it must have been a comfort to you being at Kishine having been transfered with the entire 106th as a group. Is that how it happened? cant believe that you guys didn't do a reunion or something.

Sorry about that, Not intended as a pun, joke or cheap shot.

My real name is George, but people called me Wally because of Mr. Peepers. Also, I didn't come over with the 106th from El Paso, which was in Dec 1965. I didn't arrive at Kishine until Jan 1967, and left there in Aug 1968. You were talking earlier about snow in Yokohama. I don't remember much snow, but I do remember one day we had a blizzard, but there was so much sulfur in the air that the snow was yellow. The weather in Yokohama reminded me of the weather in Missouri, hot and sticky in the summertime and cold and damp in winter. But I still loved it, and going to the beaches in Kamakura and Enoshima were great times. Before June Americans had the beaches pretty much to ourselves, but come June 1 there were a million Japanese there.

Wally:
I don't remember a blizzard but several snowstorms. from what I have learned the Japanese now in Yokohama don't believe how dirty the city was back then. I didn't really mind it as I didn't know the difference. Our first summer there it was very hot and humid. ran into an old friend who had saved my letters to her from then! I gripe about the weather as it seemed that it was the hottest in about 80 years. There was no central heating in out apartment and so we "kept warm" with one keroscene heater and one electric space heater. They had no provision for heating. loved Enoshima. The "island" was a magic place and the small street to the far end of the island was as quaint as a village could be. At the tip of the island we found a pretty large cave that was a sourt of tourist attraction. The guide gave us a run down on the story of the cave which we didn't understand at all in Japanese but we ah so'd at about the right times anyway. Later I learned that the cave was legioned to have been the home of a dragon in early times. very cool. Went to the beach in kamakura many times. Got into a little routine. We would sleep in on Sundays and then go to Kamakura in the middle afternoon. Take a bus to the beach area and beyond to the rocks to the east. get off at some point and walk. There always seemed to be some japanese kids our age with a campfire on the rocks so we would join them for a "chat". Stayed there until dark and take the bus back to the train. Once the bus driver apparently in an effort to help us, stopped to let us off at a point on the beach and a road leading to a marina I guess. Told him that we were going to the station which we did. In retrospect we should have gotten off and tried to see where he THOUGHT we belonged. apparently he thought that we were off of a sailboat or yacht. might have been an oppertunity to ship out or link up to some sailors. Oh well.

Maybe he thought you were going to the yacht owned by Morale and Welfare at Yokosuka. It was a 75 foot yacht once used by MacArthur. A bunch of us from Kishine rented it one weekend to sail to Izu Pennisula and back. Doctors, nurses, Red Cross girls, and some of us Corpsmen. A typhoon was coming so we couldn't leave the dock, but we continued to party. Some people got drunk and took off their clothes and were swimming around the boat, which unfortunately was parked in front of the Admiral's building. So, a Naval officer came down and kicked us off the yacht! We continued the party at Hakuraku. The 106th was a lot like M.A.S.H. on TV.