Yokosuka revisited

On Tuesday, March 25 I rode the trains from Tokyo down to Yokosuka where the US 7th Fleet is headquartered, 75 minute trip that I had made many times when I was stationed on the USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka from December 1981 to July 1984. For most sailors a weekend in Yokosuka revolved around spending time on the Honch - a strip of bars and tourist shops outside of the naval base, hanging out on the ship watching movies, going to the NCO club, bowling, etc. A weekend in Tokyo, on the other hand, was full of new possibilities. There was the excitement of the big city with its many cultural attractions, endless shopping, world class nightlife and, of course, unlimited opportunities to meet girls. As much as I prefer Tokyo to Yokuska, I felt I had to go back for a visit to see what kind of memories would resurface.

Arriving in Yokosuka Station the surroundings looked much the same as they did twenty five years ago. The old tunnel entrance by the passenger platform was still covered in moss and the dark grime of train grease and brake dust. The long narrow passenger platform with back-to-back benches running down the center facing each of the two tracks, and the stationmaster's office with its window opening to the turnstiles all seemed familiar. However, gone were the banks of vending machines that sold everything from coffee and sodas to beer and adult magazines, all replaced by a little convenience store. Outside the walkway lead down to a beautiful new waterfront park that stretched from the train station for a quarter mile towards the naval base to a huge new shopping complex complete with with a 8 screen movie theater.



Since I wasn't go to be able to go onto the base I decided to get right down to business and check out the Honch. I cut across the street and entered from the west end. The changes were apparent right away. The strip of buildings along the north side of the first block that were once little one story bars and shops had been replaced by modern apartment buildings, some of them 12 stories or more. The other side of the narrow street though looked virtually unchanged except that the bars and shops had different names. Popeye's was the only bar name that I thought I remembered.



It was early afternoon and I only saw a handful of squids (sailors) roaming around. The bars weren't open yet so I'm guessing that later that evening it was business as usual. I walked the half-mile or so through the Honch and continued up the main street of town to the Yokosuka-Chou train station. I have to say I was a little disappointed that the whole experience was a little underwhelming. I had hoped to be flooded with memories awakened by a familiar sight here or there. Maybe a little deja vu. It didn't happen. However, I was saving the best for last, and iI would not be disappointed......
I turned around and headed back towards Yokosuka Station, stopping along the way for a bowl of noodles and a beer. Afterwards, as I walked along the waterfront I stopped to watch as a couple dozen silvery fish leaped randomly along the waterfront. They were silvery and about 12-16' long. It made me think of casting a fly and how I didn't fish once while I was in the Navy. Well, I had seen enough of Yokosuka but before I headed back to Tokyo I had one more stop to make. To be continued...