Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Ericks post kindled some memories that were off post. You are correct that this is not the place. I trust I am forgiven. It was a part of our lives however.

I�fm sorry, but my time in Yokohama was inexplicably linked to the Vietnam War. When I think of one, I think of the other. When I recall those alluring Yokohama nights I realize that I would not have been able to enjoy them if it had not been for the war, and I always have a tinge of guilt about it. I even went to Vietnam, albeit in a civilian capacity, to try to make amends, but I will never be able to get over the fact that some of my friends were killed in Vietnam while I was living it up at the Peanut Club. I think there are many of us who feel this way, and will be haunted by the ghosts of Vietnam for the rest of our lives. If the �gdomino theory�h was correct, American soldiers died for the freedom of the Japanese people as well as Americans; so Eric�fs friend was a hero, and a brother to us all, both Japanese and Americans, and it is altogether fitting and appropriate that we honor him here in this forum.

Each one of us has those memories that either reach deeply into us or cry to be forgotton. Wally was much closer to all of this than I was. My wife and i choose to try and live our life in Japan with making the best of what we were given and be happy. We were fortunate in that we were not faced with the daily horror that others were having to deal with. It is understandable that some might not want to revisit that part of Yokohama life that is so painful. Wally was in the thick of it and is valid in his reflections. As am i I hope. To " The Other" I recoginze that you wish to keep all of this separate. As i suppose I did when I was living there. And to the extent that this was formed as a light question where was.. is what the format is supposed to be but not limited to, I guess. It has transcended that, as it has. In respect to those that are troubled by these topics Perhaps it is best to stay focused . I for one would not otherwise limit Wally or anyone to express his recollections that may be important to him. Perhaps The other might give his/her thoughts on this? I do not want to forget. I spent a lot of time at The Peanuts Club, and I too thought of those that were fighting and dieing .

I was stationed near Yokohama at Atsugi and Oppama in 53 and 54, spent a lot of time in Yokohama but was never aware of a Navy Exchange there. It was all Army.

The Navy took over the Exchange and associated housing ectfrom the Army in about 1959. Since then much of the military base [ Bayside Courts] ect have been returned back to the Japanese. What now remains is the Navy Housing at Negishi near the racetrack.

My dad worked at Camp Zama Engineering Depot when we first lived in Japan. I heared him mention Opama many times.

Where did you and your wife go to sample the night life in Yokohama? The 106th enlisted crowd frequented many places. The Zebra Club for a cheap dinner and drinks, sometimes a show. Then on to the Peanuts Club. Sometimes the Red Shoes Bar in Chinatown. The backstreets of Isesaki-Cho had some quaint little bars that were fun to go to. The Admiral put many Japanese bars off limits, but that didn�ft stop us. Some Navy and Army NCOs owned a bar in Isesaki called the Tasagara. When an NCO would rotate back to CONUS he would sell his interest to an incoming NCO. A Japanese man they called George ran it. There was a tall building across from Isesaki which had a nightclub on the top floor. The club was big and was called the Cow Bell. They usually had a band. Sometimes we would go to the Stars and Stripes Club in Tokyo, and end up in Akasaka or Shinjuku. The Red Shoes Bar was where the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines came together so there was usually a fight . Did you ever notice, there were a lot of Brits and Aussis that frequented the Zebra Club. They were pretty good guys and got along with everybody. The Seaside Club was usually for the NCOs, but we would go there when they had a big act from the States. Outside of Peanuts, did you go to the other places?

Oh Wally.. This may take several installments. We Loved peanuts and that was our main place as we got to know one of the bands that played there. They were called the Voltage and we partied with them a lot. They would come up to our apartment for a sleep over and we would play language games. They would howl at out attempts to write kanji as we would make the strokes all wrong. Yes there were many brits and aussys at Peanuts some were even younger than we were. One cute guy gave my wife [ she was cute too and looked 15] a scarf from his school and even got me high [rare in Japan and dangerious too but I did]. Zebra club was a bit of a large venue and we never ate there . I didn't think they had food!. The go-go dancers were a bit sad but that was then. The Zebra club was starved for women and the guys there would talk with Ozzie [ my wife] Mary Ann. They had a good time but as I posted a long time ago many of these guys were literally two days out of combat and needed some civilization skills. I hosted several friends on R&R and we went to several places on the edges of chinatown and Isezaki cho. For the life of me I don't remember all the names but I do remember the times. Most of these places were small and one especially was very weird. I was pretty naive and what was going on with the bar girls and the friends I brought i'm still not sure. I think you would call them hostess bars now. The women would see my ring and try and inquire as to my marital status { if that mattered] anyway I would spend a polite hour or so with my friend and then bow out to let Nature take its course or whatever. Never went to any places in Tokyo like you memtioned or did not know of the "time share" bar. Yet our friend Kaoru did post that a man named George ran it if my memory serves me. Did not spend much time at the Seaside club as that was for " lifers". We did like a place in chinatowwn called Bettys Kitchen run by a nice German woman . It was not a bar per se but she did have the only Henniken in the country. Loved Kiren. There was one place off Motomachi that fancied itself a psychidellic bar with lights and "groovey" sounds. Have I dated myself yet. By that stage my Japanese was pretty good and the Japanese people we met thought we could speak much better than we really could .. so we smiled a lot. Went to this " disco" where all of the songs on the jutebox were in english so we were the only ones to know what to play. So we would put on like.. mony mony.. or a whiter shade of pale.. and they would discretely slide up to the jutebox to see what the song was. My wife would have conversations with the Japanese women. There was much we had to fathom about the status of women in Japanese society and it made for some interesting "conversations" about equality. The Japanese guys didn't seem to get it. But as we had a " prime directive" of being non-judgemental there was not blame or anything to this. The women we met were very interested in wanting to know about the nature of our relationship and decision making process between ourselves. Climbing Mt. Fuji I had to struggle to keep up with her.. no 5 paces thing here. As she may now be following this thread I invite her to pipe up any time.And thanks for the loan of the photos!. How many bars were there in Yokohama in 1969.. Thousands!!! Many of these places had 4 or 5 tables and a bar for 5 people. My favorite drink was Whiskey KO KO or Whiskey and Coke. The local brand was Suntory but Our friends loved Jonny Walker. We could get a bottle at the Seaside club package store for $1.20 On the Japanese market was about $ 80.00 I think so there was no boubt room for some enterprenureship. I was vaguely aware of "off limits" places in Tokyo Shinjuku ? But as I said, we didn't need to travel to find a place to water down. I do not remember ant "strip clubs" but there was a stage show on the ginza in Tokyo that featured a Hollywood style review. Strange thing.. it was only about an hour long .. just enough time for a lunch break if you were a busy Japanese salyman. Once tried to get into a nice looking place near chinatown and were not so politely told that we were not welcome. To be honest they were terified at seeing us. It was like AGGGHHHH you cant be here!!! go now quickly. We were non plussed.. oh? ok.. there were other bars in chinatown. As I mentioned, my first apartment was on the edge of Chinatown next to the canal. Before my wife joined me I would just walk around " the neighborhood" How wonderful and strange it was, all the little shops the smells of the food vendors the places selling things that I didn't know what they were. And the cute little man that asked me if I would like a butterfly.. Boy was i green.. I for a second I thought he was selling pet insects.. like crickets in a cage or something. Given another place and time I might have taken him up on that.. at least to check it out. But alas, I thanked him for his offer to sell me a pet butterfly and kept walking along the crowded street in a land where at that point I had been for three weeks. green from New Hampshire and landed in one of the worlds most vibrant and exotic cities. Enough for now. Thanks wally Oh.. Kaoru-sama ikemaska?

Hi, there

Today's Yokohama is comparatively warm. I went to Cowbell of Zaki several times. It was popular a restaurant. However, it has already closed.

There was Band Hotel in�@Shinyamashita.
The lounge in the top floor at the hotel was a club said, "Shell room". The atmosphere there was very good. To our regret, the hotel was closed. Yokohama had the substantial change.

I say the funny story a little. My father said this to me. It was a happening in the Seaside club. The Japanese who had gotten drunk went to the rest room. He ans washed his face in a toilet of stainless. His stature was short, and mistook the washbowl for the toilet. I think that he was drunkenness. This is a story of the truth.

Kaoru sama
It happends to us all sometimes. Remember my photo of the Last night in Matsushima.? I remember my first Japanese type toilet. At a Ryokan somewhere. was very clean and nice, there was a breeze [ of air] comming from the hole and it was exposed to the outside but hey.. we loved it. Today here it is still cold . Over the last week we had much snow and rain on top of that, making the snow all freeze up and become hard as ice. My friend on the other side of the state says they could not even plow it with a truck and is now all frozen in untill spring in another month! They are living off of food stored in cans in the basement. pretty bad. Hey did you ever find out anything about my old friends The Voltage ? the rock group or as they called it then ' Group sounds". As Rock and Roll is hard for Japanese to say in english. Hope the new computer job is going well. Maybe you can come to my house and give me a lesson on the computer. We have Vodka Martinis for you. Two olives or three? speaking of ice I remember my two friends in the picture. When I was moving out they asked me if they could have the trays for ice in the refrigerator [ resoukiou?] I gladly gave them the trays and thought that they only had the small size cubes and that I could import ice cube trays to japan. It was a little late for that. Do you remember the honmuku Exchange being torn down? You must have been about 20 then. I remember the Japanese asking me when the US was going to give back some place maybe Okinawa. As if a Spec 5 would know these things. bewteen bottles of sake i told them that I would give it all back, they laughed, knowing that I really did not have the authority tokoyu to do this. Did you ever hunt for yama imo ?

I lived in yokohama from 1976-1978.My Father was stationed on the USS Midway.I was in elementary school at Richard E Byrd, so please help out about the Navy exchange.I have a lot of memories, and a lot to share.

Hi Natalie.. Welcome aboard
I was in Yokohama before you in 1967-69 and lived in a Japanese apartment near the Exchange. Where did you live ? Kaoru-san who shares with us worked on the misway as a young man. He changed out lightbulbs in the passageways. How long were in Japan ? Visit The site yohi devils .net you will really enjoy it!

Asked you how long you lived there, sorry you already told us that. What is your fondest memory of your time in Japan?

Konnichiwa, Peter Dono

I went to PX when I was a school child. My father had worked at the Yamate Police station in those days. Afterwards, he was transferred to the Isezaki police station. It was 1970s. I frequently went to the seaside club. A left room of the passage was a billiard room and a bar in my memory. I ate Beef Jerky for the first time with the counter of the bar. There was a picture of a big battleship in the restaurant. Sailors san enjoying play billiard. I tried to it only a little.
I worked part-time with Midway at 19 y.o.It was a huge aircraft carrier. I was puzzled to the big maze many times. USS Nimitz seems to be huger.
Yes, I remember the picture of Peter Dono. You are cool. I am glad of your possession of memories that Matsusima is good. A Japanese style hotel has a polite entertainment. But, it might not be able to keep private a little.I am not drinking recently. However, sometimes drink martini. The number of the olives is two. I gathered the yam only once. It grows up at a deep position of ground. It is very difficult to obtain.
I drank an awful lot at 30 years old . It was one bottle of Jack Daniel's. And, I suffered my liver. I am still drinking the supplement of the liver.

Arigatou Gozaimasu

Kaoru-san I think you mean "Bund" Hotel instead of "Band" Hotel. It was not far from the Zebra Club and Silk Hotel. The rooms were cheaper than the Silk Hotel, and I stayed there several nights. However, I don't remember the bar on the top floor of the Bund. Peter, the Zebra Club had great food, steak and etc. They also catered parties in the back rooms. And, don't forget the room full of slot-machines. I won a few jackpots there. I used to go the the Peanuts Club with a friend of mine who had red hair. He was a magnet for Japanese girls, as they were facinated with his hair and would come to our table and run their fingers through his hair.

Yes, it was Bund hotel. My wife's friend had the party of the wedding there.
Jazz was performed in the lounge there every day. Artists of the Honmoku Jazz festival were habitues at the hotel. The establishment of the hotel was 1930.
Was the Zebra club the vicinity?I know neither Zebra nor the peanut. EM of the Yokosuka naval base went several times. Honmoku is comparatively near from my house. The road is
always a traffic jam. There is a tunnel narrow near the Bayside Courts. It arrives at Mugita and Honmoku if
passing there. As for the tunnel, the construction made wide might have been done. I have not gone to
Sinyamashita recently.

I do not remember any slot machines at the Zebra club but I remember that they were some at the Seaside clum. I played them one night till my quatrers were gone losy 5 bucks . I am no gambler. Thanks kaoru yes I was cool.. now i am only cold here. There was only one tunnel running under the hill from Bayside Courts to honmuku. I see on Google Earth that there are two tunnels now. I walked to bayside every day and back from work. Looking at it now it seems furthur but it could not be. Watch that liver. less whiskey Ko KO's for me now too. got my car unfrozen today Yeah ! now for the work van and the one at the shop. I could use some palm trees !!

Wally -san..
Was wondering, why did you stay at the Bund Hotel if you had an apartment near Kishine? prehaps you were having a little get-away. A girlfirend perhaps. not that I am curious but simply nosey.
Perhaps a little easier to stagger back to than an apartment. Wonder also if there was an aragement that anyone had to share an apartment or house with several friends and have a live in 'housekeeper". dreamed that this might be an interesting arrangement.

Kaoru-san, I lived in a large apartment house off-post, which had a Western-style toilet. There was a diagram on the cover of the toilet paper holder on how to use the toilet in Japanese, with drawings of little stick men sitting on the toilet. So I can imagine someone getting mixed up in the Seaside Club. I probably had to have someone explain to me how to use a Japanese style toilet. Peter-san, re the Bund Hotel. Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, ha!

Wally san
Oh that.. ask me no questions..So let me see it goes like this. geroge is out on the town and at the Zebra club with a couple of spec 4rs. Several rum cokes later the band is too loud and wally decides to go for a walk in Yamashita park on a warm yokohama night. Gazing out at the lights Wally is reminded how Commidore Perry landed at this very spot.. when a lovely voice says "Hi.. Im Miki.. and i am thirsty.. I know a place in Chinatown..[ how am I doing ?] skip the details love is in the air and the bund hotel is just around the corner. Hows that ? senerio #2 Wally and the 2nd Lt nurse from grand Forks Idaho have been giving each other deep eye contact in the supply room for three weeks now and the tension is getting almost to the spontanious combustion point. They realize that its going to happen but the last vestige of propriaty thats left compells them off base and not in the supply room. She assures him that its more than an officer slumming, he could care less as long as they could get to it.The warm Yokohama night just got warmer.[its ok wall its just between us] #1 or #2?