Yokosuka's Famous "Navy Curry Rice" --- 海軍カレー

In recent years, Yokosuka has turned "Navy Curry Rice" (海軍カレー  Kaigun Curry) into one of its main tourist attractions, advertising it as the City's specialty food.  People from all over the country come down to Yokosuka via trains buses, and cars to eat it, and there are Curry Rice festivals, etc. --- it is a real money-maker for the City.

In Yokosuka, and all around Japan, Curry Rice is a widely popular comfort food ..... It basically is a plate or bowl of white rice with a thick curry-flavored beef (or pork) stew ladled on top....

 














The recipe and cooking of  Kaigun-Curry traces its roots directly back to the Japan Imperial Navy (JIN).  In the early years following JIN's establishment in 1868, the main health problem suffered by officers and sailors was a serious disease called Beriberi (caused by vitamin B1 deficiency).  For example, in 1884, 1,632 JIN pesonnel got sick with Beriberi, and 47 died.

So JIN looked around for more nutritious chow to serve on its ships, and then discovered a meal which was being served in Great Britain's Royal Navy, i.e., a beef stew seasoned with (Indian) curry spices.

JIN adopted Royal Navy's recipe, added its own touches, and Kaigun Curry was born.  The key to its health benefits was that the mixed-in flour and vegetables provided vitamins which had been missing from JIN's previous white-rice-based menus.

So, JIN started to regularly serve Curry Rice and by 1886, there were only 41 cases of Beriberi in the Fleet.

Of note, Curry Rice continues to be served nowadays -- every Friday -- in the ships and ashore units of Japan's Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF).

In 1998, JMSDF joined with Yokosuka City Government, and Yokosuka's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, to jointly authorize/declare Navy Curry Rice as an "Official Food of the City" ..... and there are now many restaurants, cafes, and pubs which serve it, all around town + pre-cooked packets are sold in many souvenir stores...

           

"The Honch" ---- is also どぶ板通り

When the Japan Imperial Navy's Yokosuka Naval Arsenal was established in the late 19th Century, the nearby "Hon-Cho" residential & commercial district, was where shops and restaurants were set-up to cater to the Japanese sailors and shipyard employees, etc.

After World War II, the Hon-Cho shopping & entertainment street continued its business, except that its customer base shifted to include U.S. military personnel ..... and, at some point, with all the U.S, Navy ships' liberty parties and other sailors going there for "rest & recreation", the area came to be known as "The Honch"...

       











Notice the name at the bottom in blue letters?  .....  "Dobuita"  .....  That is what Japanese people call The Honch ..... the complete name is: どぶ板通り  Dobu-Ita Dori, which literally means "Covered Creek Street"...

As mentioned above, from the 1860s through the 1940s, the Hon-Cho shopping street catered to customers from the nearby Yokosuka Naval Arsenal ..... originally, there was a small stream or creek (called: どぶ  "dobu") which ran along the street; and, as things got busier over time, it became a nuisance and a traffic hazard ..... so, the Naval Arsenal manufactured a bunch of thick steel plates (板  "ita") which were then laid-down to cover the creek, thereby making the street safer and more convenient for pedestrians and wheeled traffic.

     

Hashirimizu Port

Hashirimizu inlet, shown in the red circle, is located near the mouth of Tokyo Bay ..... In fact, it faces the narrowest point, distance-wise, between Kanagawa (on the left side of the map) and Chiba (on the right) ..... So, naturally, from way back in time, it this area became a ferry point, for travelers who wanted to cross over to the other side of Tokyo Bay (without taking the long way around.)

Hashirimizu -- 走水 -- means "Running Water" and the reason this small, but important, inlet was given that name is due to the fact that there is a fast-flowing current (and deep channel) on the western (Kanagawa) side of the entrance to Tokyo Bay.  So, Hashirimizu was a sheltering place for ships to anchor and get out of the current.

(* Note: Another reason for calling the area Hashirimizu is because there are abundant and active fresh water springs in the surrounding hills .... I've written about this previously in this Blog right here.)

Taking a closer look at Hashirimizu, you can see that there are two capes to the north and south, which form the entrance to the bay/port called "Gosho-ga-saki" and "Ise-yama-saki" ..... these two spots, overlooking the narrowest entrance to Tokyo Bay was chosen by the Tokugawa Shogunate to serve as coastal artillery bases ..... and over the years, in eastern Yokosuka, a total of 28 coastal sites were fortified with cannons by the Japanese Imperial Army.     

     













Here is how the Gosho-ga-saki coastal artillery site looks today: