Discover Yokosuka 横須賀奥旨
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
The Subtle Joke Monument in Perry Park
Sunday, February 23, 2025
Hello Kitty Yokosuka Jumper (Suka-Jan)
Hirasaku Army Cemetery
International Events
Monday, January 20, 2025
Historic Uraga "Brick" Dock
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Koajiro Forest .... Located Southwest of Yokosuka
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Great Generals of Japan: Miura Osuke Yoshiaki
The Dockyard That Drove Japan’s Modernization
Admiral Perry came to Japan in 1853 and forced the Edo Shogunate to open the country to the outside world. This revealed the nation’s relative lack of strength compared to other countries, so the shogunate hastily began to build up its military. The shogunate planned the construction of a modern dockyard to build warships, and put Commissioner of Finance Oguri Tadamasa (who was also the assistant governor of Kozuke Province, equivalent to present-day Gunma Prefecture) in charge of the project.
The Yokosuka Iron Works was known for its shipbuilding technology as well as its human resource development, and had a major impact on Japanese engineering research. It also served as an integrated mill, and manufactured things like the Kannonzaki Lighthouse, Japan’s first Western-style lighthouse, and mining equipment for the Ikuno Silver Mine. It achieved a world-class level of technology, such as manufacturing things like the aircraft carrier Shinano in 1940, the largest such craft in the world at the time. The Yokosuka Iron Works laid the foundation for Japan’s development as a technological powerhouse, and was the starting point for manufacturing that continues to this day.
Designer Manhole Covers...?
The Public Works Department Production Team fashioned the cover after the Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka command crest with the hiragana for “osui,” or sewage, near the cover’s edge.
Satomi Furuno is a Production Control Specialist at NAVFAC. She said her team believe the manhole covers are a good item to help build deeper relationships within the community because it can go beyond language barriers and cultural differences. It was also fun project.
The covers being replaced were nearing the end of their service life and “NAVFAC was looking for a manufacturer who could provide products in a timely manner,” Furuno said.
“I knew that designer manhole covers were very popular in Japan because my sister-in-law enjoys collecting cards of manhole covers produced by Japanese cities and had actually gone out to take pictures of them,” Furuno said.
Japan’s designer manhole covers began in Okinawa’s Naha City in 1977. The covers were crafted with “happy fish in water that had been cleaned by the new sewer system,” according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan article. The initiative promoted the infrastructure’s installation and helped to bring awareness to the sewage system’s need. Other cities soon followed and, by 1981, city government’s added fluorescent and reflective paints to the covers for safety and aesthetics. Today, it’s estimated more than 90-percent of Japan’s municipalities maintain at least one designer manhole cover.
The customized covers have become more elaborate over the years and highlight the area’s claim to fame. They feature castles, local crops, sports teams, anime characters, ancient battles, and anything else imaginable. They’ve become so entrenched in Japanese society, that there are enthusiasts – like Furuno’s sister-in-law – who travel the country to visit each one and build large photo galleries in their phones. These hobbyists are called “manholers” and many local governments have taken notice. Cities will occasionally retire manhole covers and auction them off to collectors interested in owning a heavy piece of local culture. National organizations devoted to the metal art coordinate annual conventions. In Kansai, a region famous for raising wagyu cattle, it’s possible to find vendors at festivals who grill steaks on replica covers to sear the street ornament’s unique patterns on each cut.
NAVFAC and Public Works plan to install at least three of the colorized manhole covers outdoors “somewhere around the Main Gate and Kosano Park,” Furuno said.
The monochromatic versions will be installed at random and finding them will be like an “Easter Egg Hunt around base,” she said.
The one that was first installed is in a spot that is about as random as possible on Main Base. The monochromatic version of CFAY's designer manhole cover is tucked away behind the Yokosuka Base Water Treatment Plant on the edge of Mitscher Street, and down a narrow side street only accessible via E Street.
The installation's Public Works Officer, Cmdr. Tyler Scharar, said that he hopes the covers can "help deepen the our relationship with our neighbors in Yokosuka City."
"Fleet Activities Yokosuka Public Works Department is proud to bring this Japanese cultural tradition to our base for the enjoyment and enrichment of our 26,000 tenants and visitors," he said. "This effort was led by our PWD Japanese teammates who are totally committed to the success of the U.S. Navy and the many Sailors and families who get to call Yokosuka their home."
Port Market
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Cinnamon
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Kicona
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Mind Rock Award
19th Century Yokosuka Iron Works (Shipyard)
Kannonzaki Nature Museum
Yokosuka Chuo Station --- "Y-Deck"
Monday, September 30, 2024
Tatara Beach
Tatarahama Beach|A beautiful beach located in Tokyo bay - Nature Nippon
- - - - -
Tatarahama Beach is one of the hidden beaches located on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture.
The clean ocean of the Miura Peninsula is famous for the Sagami Bay side around Misaki Town, but it can also be enjoyed on the Tokyo Bay side.
The Kannonzaki area, where Tatara Beach is located, was off-limits to civilians from the Meiji era until the end of the war, leaving the area untouched by nature. Japan’s first Western-style lighthouse, the Kannonzaki Lighthouse, is also located here.
Tatara Beach is a popular spot, and is not so crowded even during the peak season, making it a relaxing place to spend time.
The beach is not a pure white sand beach because of the iron sand mixed in. There are rocky areas where snorkeling can be enjoyed.
The length of the beach is about 100 meters, and it is a small, shallow beach. Both sides are rocky. The Uraga side (at the back of the screen) seems to be easier to dive. There are sharp rocks, so snorkelers should wear gloves.
This is an ideal place for those who is looking for few people, rich nature but still no that far from the city.
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Mamonzan Cemetery Monuments (1)
Sunday, September 1, 2024
The "Army Pier" in Uraga
Friday, August 30, 2024
Tokugawa Shogun's Wise Use of Human Resources
Downtown Yokosuka's Suwa Shrine
Tuesday, July 30, 2024
Uraga's Role in Post-WWII Repatriation
「陸軍桟橋」と「浦賀港引揚記念の碑」海外引揚者が第一歩を踏みしめた港(浦賀) (senseki-kikou.net)
- - - - - - - - - -
The number of Japanese nationals (Japanese nationals) who were overseas when the war ended on August 15, 1945, totaled more than 6.6 million, including both military and civilian personnel. After the war, designated ports for repatriates in various parts of Japan accepted repatriates, with Uraga Port, located at the entrance to Tokyo Bay, receiving approximately 560,000 people in particular, second only to Maizuru Port, which received approximately 670,000.
At the end of the war, there were approximately 6.6 million people overseas: 3.08 million in the former Army, 450,000 in the former Navy, and 3 million in the General Corporation.
With the “General Order No. 1 to the Government of Japan” issued by GHQ (General Headquarters of the Allied Powers, General MacArthur) on September 2, 1945, all Japanese in the outer regions were to surrender under the control of their respective military districts, including military personnel, civilian personnel, and civilians.
The Yokosuka Regional Demobilization Bureau of the Repatriation and Relief Agency of the Ministry of Health and Welfare was in charge of demobilization operations in Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Chiba, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka and Nagano prefectures.
The “Hikawa Maru” and “Soya,” which are still preserved today, are also active as demobilized ships under the jurisdiction of the Yokosuka District Demobilization Bureau.
The “Uraga Repatriation Relief Bureau” was in charge of relief and quarantine operations for repatriates from November 1945 to May 1947. From May 1947, the “Repatriation Relief Agency Yokohama Relief Station” (renamed the Repatriation Relief Agency Relief Bureau Yokohama Relief Station in 1947) was established. The Repatriation Agency was abolished on July 11, 1955, and its operations were taken over by the “Yokohama Quarantine Station.
On March 29, 1946, cholera broke out on board a repatriation ship from Canton, China, and the ship arrived at the port of Uraga on April 5, 1946, with the outbreak spreading. The ship arrived at the port of Uraga on April 5, and was quarantined at sea.
The Uraga Repatriation and Relief Bureau establishes a “Cholera Quarantine Headquarters” and continues quarantine of repatriated vessels coming from China and Vietnam. 20 vessels anchor offshore for quarantine, and the number of quarantined patients reaches 70,000. Although there was a shortage of food and drinking water for patients and others, facilities and sanitary materials were rapidly improved, and by May 4 of the same year, the quarantined people on the anchored vessels were able to come ashore.
The number of contaminated ships in Uraga Port numbered 22, with 483 patients (including 72 deaths), 191 carriers, and 345 pseudo-patients.
The Uraga Quarantine Station of the Uraga Repatriation and Relief Bureau utilized the site of the former Navy Anti-Submarine School.