Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

Eric-san,
Glad to hear you were able to open the map. Maybe Peter will be able to open it too now that he knows I really wasn't trying to destroy his computer.
I think they've built a park where I used to live too. The Yamate Italian Hill Garden seems to be occupying the area where our house was in 54 - 55. I'll always remember it as the Army housing directly above the Cherry Hill entertainment district.
Dave-san

I enjoyed the picture of the Yamashita Park area. It sure has changed, the old ship is still there and the Marine Tower, Silk Center and New Grand Hotel, but that's about all I recognize. Also, the History Channel had a piece on the BAR not long ago, and evidently it is one of the most devastating weapons ever devised.

When you wrote the letter for the black guy, I bet his parents thought, "Man, sonny has only been in the Army two months and his spelling is worse."

Well.. the map didn't really crash my computer ..much.. I guess I was just impatient.
Kind of envy you with the oppertunity to use the M60 and the BAR. Do not envy you having to get shot at. Thank you for your service. If I can say.. i'm glad you made it.. I am sure you have known many who didn't.
I will open up the map when I can, How long were you in the Marines? Sounds like you made a pretty good go of it.

Bang-zoom.. I shooda seen that comming. As it turned out he rewrote it in his own handwriting so that it wasn't obvious that I had done it for him. And yes his handwriting was probably better than mine.. will beat you to it.

Dad and I frequently went to the seaside club when I was grade-schooler's kid.
I think that a left room was billiards with the bar. I tried to billiards for the first time. We and a good sailor ate the lunch of the hamburger steak in the restaurant. The picture of a big battleship was decorated on the wall of the restaurant. And, I found small red Torii in the garden. I wondered at why here was Torii. There is Torii in the Shinto shrine generally. The manager of the Seaside club was Japanese who said Gotou-san. Perhaps, I think that he is managing the bar at Kannai now.

I remember the seaside club very well but I didn't go there many times. It seemed to me that the Seaside Club was for NCO's and the lower ranked enlisted didn't really go there much. There was a room to the left that had a slot machine, I think it took nickels. I had never played a slot machine and gave myself a 10 dollar limit. Down Hill all the way, with a few gains, took me about an hour to lose it all, have never again gambled.
I don't remember the gardens, but I do remember the use of the Tori Gates. Americans mistakenly used the Tori Gate as a decorative object and would use them in a garden or elsewhere without regard to the religious significance of the Shinto Faith. I thought this was pretty tacky. [ Kaoru.. "tacky" means no style.. like plastic flowers]. Hope you are well, New hampshire is now beautiful in the springtime. I wish you could see it sometime.

Peter-san

Yes, I remember there was a slot machine in the room. I did not have the coin of ten cents though I wanted to bet. We went to the EM club Yokosuka. And, my family had dinner with other noncommissioned officer clubs. Because I was kid, cannot recall there. Where was the Peanut club?

Kaoru-san
The peanut Club was on Isezaki-cho. It was about 3 or4 blocks down the street and on the left. there was a bookstore next to it as I recall. The entrance was only a doorway with a glass case that held the pictures of the groups that were playing there and stairs led to the bar area. I first found it as we were just walking down the street had heard the lowd music. I am not sure when it closed down but it may have been in 1974. the reason we first liked the place is that the name was so sweet and friendly. I do not know what is there now. Perhaps nothing as Isezaki-cho has been all remade since then.

Peter-sama

Thank you for a detailed explanation. I did not know it though I sometimes went to Zaki, think the peanut club to have been closed perhaps. I did the removal operation of the gallbladder last summer. Alcohol makes me get drunk well. One vodka martini is drunk now. I recall the picture that you are drinking at Fukusima with two Japanese guys.

By Kaoru-kun

Peter-sama

Thank you for a detailed explanation. I did not know it though I sometimes went to Zaki, think the peanut club to have been closed perhaps. I did the removal operation of the gallbladder last summer. Alcohol makes me get drunk well. One vodka martini is drunk now. I recall the picture that you are drinking at Fukusima with two Japanese guys.

By Kaoru-kun

Oh My ! I hope you are OK ? I was wondering where you were.. now I know. Thank you for remembering the photo. It was called "The Last Night in Matsushima" And yes, I got pretty stinkey that night.. saki as I recall. That was a fun night, we had the whole ballroom to ourselves. If you find the picture can you re-post it?
We drove to Matsushima by car at night. Those Japanese boys could drive very fast ! like Kamikazi drivers ne?

Speaking of Kamikaze. We used to joke about the taxi drivers in Yokohama all being ex-Kamikaze pilots, because they all drove fast and crazy. One night in a taxi, over behind the Silk Center probably near your apartment Peter, we went around a curve and there was a little old lady dawdling across the road. The cabbie didn't slow down one bit, and when we went by the old lady, either the breeze or the bumper caught part of her kimono, and when I looked back she was spinning around in the road. Probably still spinning. In Okinawa in 1978-80, I worked with an actual ex-Kamikaze pilot, obviously an unsuccessful one. His name was Mr. Goto and he emigrated with his parents to Canada, but they went back to Japan at the beginning of WWII, and he joined the Kamikaze corps. He showed me pictures of himself in his pilot outfit and of the hodgepodge of airplanes they had, including a captured American DC-3. Mr. Goto was a real gentleman and a good friend, and he never did try to crash his desk into mine.

The large army of Mongolia had attacked Japan with the ships in the 12th century. They were two times. The major typhoons were made to withdraw Mongolia armies at that time. The general in Japan believed the typhoons to be a miracle by the patron saint in Japan. The myth was believed until the end of the WW2.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_invasions_of_Japan

Sorry, Kamekaze is typing by mistake. Kamikaze is correct.

Kaoru-san
You use the term "Myth" when talking about the Kamikaze. And a miracle that came from the patron saint of Japan. Who was this patron saint of Japan? I have read the article which is wonderful, but still do not know who this person is.
At for the term "myth". I do not believe that it is a wrong term in this case. These events did happen in history and were not fiction. I suppose that there is a question as to the relationship between the prayers that were given to defeat the mongol army and the typhoon that distroyed the invading ships. This "cause and effect" relationship is a matter of faith, but I would not call it a myth. What do you think ?

I do believe that it is a wrong term in this case. Sorry, my mistake.

Peter-dono

Your opinion is correct. Japan's two attacks from Mongolia were true. They were typhoons to obstruct the warships of Mongolia. Japanese at that time were believed for Kamikaze to blow and to have repulsed Mongolia by a peculiar god to Japan. The idea originates in Shintoism. Try this link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamikaze_(typhoon)

Thanks

I'm sorry, Please try it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamikaze_(typhoon)

I am interested in the name of the Shinto God that was prayed to that brought the typhoon [devine wind] that sunk the mongul ships. Do you know the one ? The link that you posted, gave WW2 view. Thanks, is there a link to that one ?