Yokohama Navy Exchange was where?

For years I wondered what we were still doing in Korea, but now I'm thinking maybe we ought to hang in there until things settle out a bit.. and yes its been 60 years. Would south Korea be able to defend itself ? Would Japan ? Any Army that goose stepps qualifies for the screwball award.

Special offer: NH Leaves, Buy 3 get all free. Just pay shipping and handling. [ I come cheap].. comming soon, free Ice ! [I can't wait] still haven't completely cleaned up from last year... Anyone on the forum live in the south ? Like a houseguest for the winter ? My speciality..polish brass.

Ready for the next one..ok want to read the health care bill of a thousand pages? Sorry..your government just voted to not put it on line..John Kerry says its a lot of legalese.. and we wouldn't understend it.
So much for transparency...

Pardon my rant.
I see our new president woke up this morning and discovered Iran was building nuclear weapons.
Suh-prise, suh-prise.

Peter-san: North Korea is only a danger to itself. In spite of attempting to develop a nuclear capability and long-range missiles it does not have the capacity to wage war with either South Korea or Japan. It would need massive help from either China or Russia, just as it did in its earlier invasion of South Korea. We give the North Korean government credibility that they don't deserve by treating them like a threat. Japan has never been successfully invaded and has the industrial capability to rapidly build up militarily and counter any military threat from North Korea. China and Russia have both fought wars with Japan in earlier times and lost. Neither wants war with Japan or the US. We need to be promoting peace instead of militarism.
Nobody in congress knows what is in the health care package but many of them want to pass it now. You can be sure it is full of pork that the politicians don't want to highlight. Who will be helped? Insurance companies if everyone has to have health insurance. The poor are already getting free medical care. Who pays? Everyone who is not poor. What's broken is congress, not health care.
Dave-san

I don�ft want the government running our healthcare system, I would even take those greedy insurance companies over government bureaucracy. I was in the Army Medical Corps, and I love the Medical Corps and the people in it, but an Army doctor told me the Med Command was about ten years behind the private sector, and I believe it. And, it is not the doctors�f and nurses�f fault, it is the fault of the bureaucratic system that supports them. As a civilian contracting officer with the Defense Department you wouldn�ft believe the underhanded tactics, rule-bending and outright law-breaking I had to do just to get the necessary equipment and training the military needed to operate their hospitals.

For instance, military hospitals have to be accredited just like civilian hospitals and in order to get accredited all the med services are required to have annual training in the latest techniques. In Europe the training was contracted to a major university under an umbrella contract, at an annual cost of around $300K, which required an Army Audit Agency price analysis prior to award, which could not be accomplished in time to perform the necessary training and therefore all the Army hospitals in Europe would lose their accreditation. So, I broke the requirements apart to get them below the dollar threshold for the price analysis, which was a violation of federal acquisition regulations, and awarded each discipline separately via small purchase procedures, so that the hospitals could keep their accreditation.

In another instance I manipulated the selection process so that an Air Force hospital didn�ft get stuck with an MRI machine that was a piece of junk (which was offered to the government at a foot-in-the-door price) and awarded the contract for a proven machine at a higher price. This is two of many instances and I probably should be in jail right now, but most contracting officers won�ft take the chances I did, and I don�ft blame them, look at how the CIA is being investigated right now. So, you see how the government works, if I hadn�ft pulled the stunt I did, the Army hospitals would have lost their accreditation, and what would have happened to their patients? The Air Force loved the MRI machine I bought them, but I wonder how many hospitals got stuck with the other machine and ended up scrapping it a few months later and had to buy another machine? This is what we can expect under national healthcare, only ten times worse. Please don�ft tell anybody about what I did, okay?

Someone sent me a note the other day comparing Obamacare to the events of several thousand years ago. See if you can find it while reading Genesis 47: 13-27.

I have believed for many years that we could do all the South Korean defending we need to do or that it is possibile to do from Guam. If the most likley scenario plays out, NK will initiate hostilities via a surprise attack. Since Seoul (the Seoul National Capital Area) has half the country's population and is within easy striking distance of the North, the city and its population will become hostages.
All the troops we might have on Okinawa and Guam won't make much difference.

Wow, guys and ladies. Lots of ideas here. As for Obama, as the only New Yorker here, and having been schooled and indoctrinated in some New York ideas which aren't typical perhaps elsewhere, it's interesting to hear all of you from other parts of the country. I have to admit I voted for him, but now it turns out he has no substance or special knowledge, especially about foreign affairs. I think we thought Biden would even things out in terms of experience, but that isn't happening. We should have taken his affiliation with Rev Wright more seriously.

I agree with Wally and Eric that Obama's being very harmful in dealing with Israel, which cannot go back to earlier borders if it is to survive. It also can't keep on giving "land for peace" - that hasn't worked any time it was tried. The Palestinians will never settle, don't really want their own state, just want Israel out of there, which is also what the surrounding Arab countries want. On the other hand, when the media isn't around, they admit that if Israel were to eliminate all the settlements in the West Bank, and were to withdraw as it did in Gaza, that entire West Bank area would simply become a base for terrorism, which the Arab countries don't want. And the Arab leaders ironically also do want Israel around to complain about - to detract their populace as well as the rest of the world from the failings of their own terrible governments, which are so corrupt, abusive of women, poor, and unproductive. So this is an insolvable problem, and the Israelis will have to try to stand their ground until Obama passes from the scene.

It should also be mentioned that Israel is a democratic country, the only one in the Middle East. Twenty percent of Israelis are Arabs, who are full citizens with equal rights as Jewish Israelis, and have the highest standard of living among surrounding Arab countries. There are also black Israelis, specifically the Jews from Ethiopia who were secretly airlifted into Israel years ago. So when words like "apartheid" are tossed around by the likes of Jimmy Carter, it's a totally false accusation.

As for health care - I haven't been following the constant changes in the proposals and find all the comments and things I read confusing. Just one thing - I have been on Medicare, which is a pretty good medical care system, so I don't quite understand the fear of "government control" that I'm hearing. I have a work-related secondary insurance that is also a government plan, one that is offered by the state I worked in. I see nothing wrong with extending this kind of care to others. It seems to work well, and has given us care when we needed it while keeping exorbitant doctor/hospital costs down, while maintaining our choices of care - my husband, for example, had a kidney transplant two years ago, which saved his life, and was paid for by Medicare.

Also, when you look at medical statistics, it's not altogether true that we as a country have the healthiest people or the best medical care as compared to other countries. The Japanese, who have national care for everyone, are the longest living. Our infant mortality numbers are quite poor. And bankruptcies that are often related to bad health in this country don't happen elsewhere. But It's all very complicated and we shouldn't rush into any plan that will not be good for our country.

http://www.armchairgeneral.com/yokohama%e2%80%99s-new-grand-hotel-maca...

http://www.powresearch.jp/en/pdf_e/b29/b29_tezuka_e.pdf

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sua/2224012722/

http://www.military-brats.com/yokohama.cfm

Everyone, I apologize for disappearing for so long.

Peter, I think I have figured out why the size of the location I told you for the milk plant doesn't match your memory of the place.

Between what is now a park and the train tracks to the back of the park, there are some buildings now. I believe the milk plant property went back all the way to the train tracks when we worked there. I know for sure there were no buildings back there then but I don't remember clearly how much of a right of way separated the two. That said, I have been back to the old neighborhood again... The park is now open and there is a sign that mentions the return of the milk plant to the Japanese. I don't remember the details on it though and the photos I took didn't turn out well. I happened to drive out there on a very hot day. It was interesting the memories it brought back sitting there in the park. Mostly I remembered how hard all the Japanese employees worked. And how though the contractor, government, labor and inspection functions all had quite separate interests we also came together and produced a heck of a lot of a badly needed product. And I undeerstand that in bygone days they produced even more. I can't help wishing there was some sort of commemeration of the way so many contributed so much of their lives... The hot day took me back to the time in the plant. Of course, there was no air conditioning or climate control and the place was an absolute sauna.

And now for your photo. To be honest, I have had a hard time trying to orientate it with what I know. From the China Town gate that is across the river from Motomachi did you say your place was two blocks? Was that towards the water or away from it?

Do you know what the large maybe 5 story building in the upper left portion of the photo is? (p48) Knowing that would help a lot. One thing about the photo that doesn't match this area now is that the street is so narrow another is that the water level of the river compared to street level doesn't look right.

The street these days is much wider with proper sidewalks on both sides. So, if the photo is of the street between the China Town entrance and the river, it would seem the river has been made narrower and dredged. To me, that photo looks like it is taken towards the bay... If I have a chance, I will print the photo and show it to some people that pre-date me.

I have to run... well sleep actually. This site is particularly bad for keeping one busy on the net until all hours...

Do you know if it is possible to post photos on this site?

I hope everyone is doing well.

Hey ! So nice your back ! I thought I had run you off or creeped you out.
OK My old apartment bldg was about 1/8 mile from the park by the bay [ Yamashita] it was two 'blocks" from the gate of Chinatown [ I think] there was a bridge accross the canal that went over to motomachi but is likely gone [ that is where the photo was taken from ] The large bldg in the back I don't know about it. but I believe that it was on the western side of a road that went up and through The Yamato tunnell that led to Honomuku dori. Does this help ? The canal was wider then and no doubt was narrowed in when they put the highway over it. In my collection I have a photograph that shows this area and was taken in about 1910, the canal was tree lined and very quaint.
The Milk plant I still can't picture well but I thought we both had found it on Google earth.
Please post your picture I would love to see it ! It may require that you put it on some site like flicker and link it from there.
I hope you liked the photo of the old neighborhood, print it out if you can and show it around to see what you can find out..
While your at it see if anyone remembers a German restaurant and german woman that was just around the corner in Chnatown. It was called " Betty's Kitchen".
I am so happy that you have come back.
I was a 91 R 20. tell me when you were there and what was the set up then.?

Forgot. My apt [ the one in the photo} was away from the bay [and park] that would be west. does that help ?

Thanks to Eric, Uji-san, and to others who participated in the interesting and informative conversation regarding Japanese politics and politicians and other passionate political concerns. Special thanks to Dave-san for the links to additional material about old Yokohama. I learn so much on this forum and love to collect fascinating bits of trivia -- for example, did not know about the Yo-Hi alum, Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill (flicker link). When I saw American children jumping rope in Area 1 or 2 near their houses (flicker link), I thought about Steffi jumping rope in Japanese getas and later suggesting that jumping rope might be a universal children's game, as indeed it might be. Also, I sailed on the U.S.S. Buckner on one of my trans-Pacific trips, so appreciated the information on that and what to expect living in Japan during the fifties (the Military Brats site).

Best of all was reading the article and seeing the pictures regarding Gen. MacArthur's stay at Yokohama's New Grand Hotel in the Armchair General magazine. The article reminded me of an article that I read some years ago in American Heritage -- a memoir written by James M. Lamont, Jr., who was ten years old when he traveled to Yokohama in 1949. His father was an Army Colonel, "chief procurement officer (later comptroller) of the 8th Army.... We were members of the occupation aristocracy, and much of our life smacked of America's Gilded Age of a half-century earlier. Included were a magnificent Western-style house overlooking Yokohama, with four servants to run it; a private railroad car at my father's disposal, with its own staff of servants, in which we traveled throughout Japan; extravigant weekends at imperial retreats and festivals...luxurious vacations at exotic resorts that once catered exclusively to Japanese nobility...." He goes on to describe living and traveling in Japan in great detail. The Lamont family lived on the Bluff: "The awesome destruction our bombers had wreaked on Yokohama in the waning days of the war also could be seen from our front gate. Our house faced west from atop the ridge of an ancient volcano now called Yamate-Cho that fronted on the harbor. Any clear morning, on leaving for school...I was greeted by two sights: sunshine glinting off Mount Fuji, which rose majestically on the far horizon, and the plain before it, still blackened from...a horrific firestorm that Curtis LeMay's B-29s had visited upon Yokohama on May 29, 1945." Lamont, Jr. attended Nasugbu Beach Elementary school, "where only four years earlier the building had held Allied prisoners of war." These bits that I'm quoting do not convey the wider scope of the article, so for those who want to read more (the article is really worthwhile reading), I've found an internet link to access this article: http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1995/8/1995_8_70....

And now I'm off to watch the Penn State/Iowa football game . . .

Thank you, Barbara-san, for posting James Lamont's lovely article. I remember reading it, though I thought I had seen it elsewhere. It seems James came to Japan just as I was leaving it in 1948, at which time we were both 10 years old. So he was an American kid learning about Japan, while I was close to being a Japanese kid, about to become Americanized.

My son Jeff is about halfway through his trip to Japan, and is presently in Kyoto, which he says is spectacular, and from which he will do some day trips. He's been staying in some Japanese-style hotels, and is about to get a taste of present-day Japanese homes since he will move into our friend Michiko's house tomorrow. He says most people do not speak English beyond a few words, which was contrary to what we had heard, so he is relying heavily on his dictionary, and the rudimentary survival Japanese he's learned. It also appears that the trains and transport in general is pretty easy to maneuver, since I haven't heard any complaints in that department. The young Japanese ladies seem to be friendly, but no details there. Otherwise there is little to report since he's a man of few words, at least on email. He has not spent much time in Yokohama yet, since he's saving that for the latter part of his trip. He has sent some pictures, but I have no clue how to share them with this post, unfortunately.

21-10.
I believe the line was PSU by nine.

Peter-san & Japan Ginger-san: Is this the place you are talking about?

http://www.kindaikenchiku.com/yokohama/mo_milkplant.htm

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://www.kindaik...

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0XPQ/is_2000_April_17/ai_619687...

Barbara-san: I couldn't watch the game but did find the sad result. STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Adrian Clayborn returned a block punt for a touchdown and Iowa left soggy Happy Valley with an 21-10 win over No. 5 Penn State. A year after Iowa's stunning 24-23 win knocked the Nittany Lions out of the national title race, the Hawkeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) beat Penn State (3-1, 0-1) again in drenching rainstorm. Eric-san and Wally-san are probably going to be gloating for the next few days.

Dave, that is indeed the milk plant. Thanks much. The first photo was taken from a pedestrian walkway (that I had forgotten about) that crossed the railroad tracks to the back of the plant. You can see the distance between the tracks and the building well. So the area the plant and facilities occupied was considerably bigger than the current park.


Peter, no you didn't creep me out or anything... It was a time thing.

The link to the Google map with the milk plant location that I previously posted is below. I seemed to recall that you didn't think it was the correct location due to the current size.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=
100037329813345983921.00046dfb8f2b84f4203be

It is Sunday here and I just had coffee with a friend that grew up in this area. We looked over your photo, discussed the river, road and etc.

I'm not sure if you are the one who shot that photo or just happened to find it on the net. At any rate, we believe you are correct in that it is across the river from Motomachi. The friend said that she remembers the river and road being worked on(perhaps even rerouted a bit). She agrees that it was narrowed and the walls made higher.

The building I asked about is either a government office building that has been torn down in the last year or so or a hospital that still stands. I will have a good look at both the photo and the hospital one of these days to try to determine if it is the building in the photo.

Yes, for Penn State fans it was a sad and disappointing night in Happy Valley after a hard-fought, night-time football game played under a constant downpour of rain. Penn State ended the first half leading Iowa 10 to 5. The second half was hard to watch, especially the last ten minutes when Iowa, like a sleeping giant, awoke and intercepted the ball three times, winning the game 21 to 10. On another topic, I don't know anything about Yokohama's milk plant, but admire Dave-san's research skills in finding information and pictures on almost any topic -- our forum's research guru! P.S. I (not James Lamont) misspelled extravagant in my last posting -- oops.

When I was a student at Iowa, the Hawkeyes played Penn State almost every year in a non conference game. I had a part time weekend job at KXIC radio and this station fed the game to a group of stations with Gene Claussen, station owner, doing the play by play.
My job was to "run the board," making sure all the commercials and pre-recorded pregame interviews were played and backtime all the minutes of programming so that at exactly 1:04.55 PM, I could introduce Gene at Happy Valley or whereever he was. Gene would start talking at exactly 1:05 PM.
I arrived at 11:30 one morning to start stacking up the commercials and interviews which were on tape cartridges similar to the old eight track tapes, but one five minute show was missing.
I looked in every office and in every file but the "cart" couldn't be found. I did locate the cartridge with Gene's show from the previous week and finding no alternative, played that program when the time came.
One of our listeners called, saying "No wonder the Hawkeyes can't win. You've sent Gene to Happy Valley. The game is in Columbus."

THATS IT!
Dave-san I just don't know how you do it

The photo is indeen the Meadow Gold milk plant that I worked in. The photo was taken from the rear side and does not clearly show the front entrance. This photo was taken later than I was there and there is some renovations going on.
I once tried on a winters day about 2 hours to find a photo of it and failed. This photo brings back many memories .
I showed thid picture to my wife Janet and she thought the place was very grim. I guess its all in the was you look at things.
Dave...thats a beer for you.
Japan Ginger. I did not take the photo of my old apartment that you saw. That one I was able to find but just by chance. It took me only a second to confirm that this was indeed the place, right down to the car that belonged to my neighbor who lived upstairs.. so as far as I am concerned this location is indeed corrent. I "walked " this street on google street maps, and thats was also very cool
Thanks again

On a personal note, in the next 3-5 years I am planning to move to an area that has more recreational opportunities, and am looking at perhaps a condo at the Lake of the Ozarks, or Branson, or Bella Vista in Arkansas. Do you recommend the Lake of the Ozarks? Are there many drawbacks to living there? I value your opinion and it would be very helpful to me in planning my future. Thank you.