Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

I never went to Karuizawa but I looked at it on Google earth. It seems pretty far from Mt Fuji, but you know what you saw. I have often wondered how much "target information" the bombers actually had. A friend of mine claims that the crews knew of the Kirin brewery plant near Tokyo and avoided
it so the occupation troops would be able to get beer. Unsure if this is a urban myth or not. In looking up Ofuna it was clearly a POW camp. Its most famous resident was Pappy Boyington of Black sheep fame. I saw part of a movie last night where a european boy receives a chocolate bar from a ww2 GI. Thought of you Steffi.

yokusu Sp?

I looked up Karuizawa also - and I think you're right, Peter. I guess my 6-year-old's memory wasn't as good as I thought. It's not near Fuji, but is near an active volcano - Mount Asama in Nagano Prefecture - that must be what I remembered seeing. I read that the area was first discovered and promoted as a mountain resort by Western residents of Japan in the late 1800s, which I guess is partly how we wound up there. Regarding the Kirin beer story - I never heard that one, but who knows? It might very well be true.

The "White Lady" statue at ofuna is a Kannon statue. Kannon is as close to an "angel" as can be found in Buddhism. She is able to grant wishes of those who ask in the right way.
I don't think the White Lady is the Lady of Ofuna in my movie. I'll keep digging to find out who she was...

I believe you're thinking of Yokosuka. Most American Military personnel mispronounce it, saying Ya-kuus-ka (long u sound in the middle syllable. But the proper Japanese pronunciation is Yoh-kohs-ka (long o's).

There is actually a Navy Exchange facility in Yokohama, currently in the Negishi Heights housing area. In past years, it had been along Avenue D (Honmoku area near the waterfront) and even before that in downtown Yokohama (Isezaki-cho area). It takes a long time to read this whole thread, but if you can take or make the time, you will read that others have posted this info, also. There have also been some links listed that you can look up for pictures. Enjoy!

Why don't they pronounce it Yo-ko-su-ka, since they pronounce Yokohama, Yo-ko-ha-ma?

From my limited knowledge of Japanese pronunciation (though my Japanese friends told me that my pronunciation was exceptionally good with VERY little American accent)....anyway, in general when a "u" follows an "s", the "u" is almost not spoken. A Japanese friend told me, "you kind of swallow the "u"". Hope that helps.

I seem to remember that Tokyo was pronounced ''tock-yo'' instead of ''toe-kyo''. Also, there are frequently no accented syllables in Japanese - ie, as in Yokohama, which is pronounced with all the syllables equally strong. Is that correct?

When traveling, people would instantly know we were from Yokohama, apparently we spoke with a decided accent but of course we didn't know the difference. The Japanese language is full of subtalties that are lost on most of us. In basic training for the army there was a guy from Mississippi and I simply could not understand what he was saying. I think I have done well to lose my yankee accent but in a pinch I can still turn it on. Steffi, i wonder if you have a pinch of German in your voice.

The book you found, "Tokaido Road" was not the same one I read, because I first read my book in the 1960s and Robson was still doing research on her book in the 1980s. Although, Robson's book seems similar, and I think I would like to read it, so thanks for finding it for us. I probably have the title of my book wrong, but it was about traveling up and down the Tokaido Road starting in the 15th century, and is a discourse on the Japanese civil wars, and the founding of the Tokugawa Shoganate, etc.

Wally, Perhaps a way to try to find the book you are trying to remember the exact title and author of would be to contact a (nearby) university that has a "Far East Studies" (or specifically Japanese studies) department......just a suggestion. Good Luck!

Wally you might also try ABE.com or bookfinder.com These are sites that thousands of booksellers list online and its easy to use and no sign in. They list the available books by price and be sure to note condition and 1st edition status. I think you are looking for a "reader copy".

If Wally is unsure of the title and doesn't remember the name of the author, someone who is very familiar with (or an expert in) Japanese culture (such as someone at a university's Japanese Studies department) MAY know that book and be able to give Wally the info he's seeking.

I think I have no trace of German in my speech because Japanese was actually my primary initial language, and also because due to my music background I have a good ear. I spoke Japanese with no accent - although according to Peter there is a Yokohama accent, which I didn't realize - and could mimic the slightly nasal sing-song Japanese of the north, for example, but I did mispronounce German and still do - could never do the gutteral rrrr, for example.

First of all, there are many Japanese dialects. For instance Northern Japanese say "Sayanara," whereas Southern Japanese say "Sayanara y'all." (Just kidding). I found the book I was talking about. The title is "Japanese Inn," and the author is Oliver Statler. You can read the preview on www.books.google.com. Mr. Statler was from Illinois, was a WWII vet, and worked for U.S. civil service in Japan after the war until 1954, but he stayed in Japan for a few more years, and published the book in 1961. The book is very historical in a narrative form and takes place at a Japanese Inn on the Tokaido Road over a 400 year period starting in the 15th century. It is mostly about the Tokugawa shogunate. It is very accurate, and you can learn a lot about Japanese history in an enjoyable way. Eric's dad might have known Mr. Statler, as Statler worked in accounting in Yokohama. He was also a friend of James Michener.

In my previous post I spelled "Sayonara" wrong. Sorry. Several years ago I read a study that claims that very intelligent people cannot spell. Peter must be a genius.

Guilty as charged. You think my spelling is bad you should see my hand writing. Thank you Wally sometimes I need a dope-slap. I will endeavor to strive to the high standards you-all have set. Or is that endeavoUr? At least I don't use the :) signs. On second thought :)..
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Your description sounded so familiar - so I looked on my bookcase, and there it was - a brittle brown paperback 1962 copy of "Japanese Inn" that I also remember enjoying many years ago. It says that Statler served in the 33rd infantry during ww2 in New Guinea and Philippines. He subsequently took a job with the Army civil service in Japan in 1947. While in Japan, he became interested in modern Japanese prints, subsequently writing a book about them, and working as art critic for the Asahi Evening news, a Tokyo English-language newspaper, and producing monographs on Japanese artists.

I just noticed that this book is illustrated with countless beautiful prints by Japan's most famous artists - Kuniyoshi, Kangetsu, and many by Hiroshige. They're unfortunately in black and white, except for the cover.

Just kidding you! I personally cannot write a paragraph without having a dictionary in my lap.