Friday, August 31, 2018
Kappa!
Located behind Hashirimizu Shrine ..... in the oldest spot ..... carved into the rock slope....
The Secret Beach
Along the coast, just south of Yokosuka's Uraga Bay is Tomyosaki 燈明埼 (Tomyo Cape)
It is the site of a light house, which was built in 1648 ..... The reason being that after the Tokugawa Shogun moved Japan's capital city (and the Emperor) from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo), the amount of shipping traffic into Edo Bay (i.e., Tokyo Bay) increased significantly....
So, a light house (called Tomyo-Do) was built on the Cape, since it was a great location near the Uraga Suido shipping channel .... and for 220 years afterwards, it helped to guide various vessels & boats safely in & out of Tokyo Bay.
The lighthouse was closed & replaced in 1872, and thereafter fell apart ..... but in 1988, Yokosuka City rebuilt it using the same stone foundation. This is what it looks like:
Another thing is that the nearby rocks and beach are undeveloped, and are a rare example of natural coast line still left in Yokosuka ...... for some reason, Google Map lists the area as "Glass Beach" ..... perhaps because of sea glass and shells which can be collected there ...... in any case, it certainly is off the beaten track, and Tomyosaki Kaigan therefore qualifies as a "secret beach" in Yokosuka
It is the site of a light house, which was built in 1648 ..... The reason being that after the Tokugawa Shogun moved Japan's capital city (and the Emperor) from Kyoto to Edo (now Tokyo), the amount of shipping traffic into Edo Bay (i.e., Tokyo Bay) increased significantly....
So, a light house (called Tomyo-Do) was built on the Cape, since it was a great location near the Uraga Suido shipping channel .... and for 220 years afterwards, it helped to guide various vessels & boats safely in & out of Tokyo Bay.
The lighthouse was closed & replaced in 1872, and thereafter fell apart ..... but in 1988, Yokosuka City rebuilt it using the same stone foundation. This is what it looks like:
Another thing is that the nearby rocks and beach are undeveloped, and are a rare example of natural coast line still left in Yokosuka ...... for some reason, Google Map lists the area as "Glass Beach" ..... perhaps because of sea glass and shells which can be collected there ...... in any case, it certainly is off the beaten track, and Tomyosaki Kaigan therefore qualifies as a "secret beach" in Yokosuka
National Defense Academy
Located on a plateau called "Obaradai", which overlooks Yokosuka City and Tokyo Bay, is the National Defense Academy (NDA). It is also a place from which Mount Fuji can be seen.
NDA belongs to the Japanese Ministry of Defense and mainly serves to educate cadets who will serve as officers in the ground, air, and maritime units of Japan's Self Defense Forces (JSDF).
What makes NDA unique, compared to the U.S., is that it is a "Joint" school, which, in effect, combines Annapolis (USN), West Point (USA), and Colorado Springs (USAF).
In 1950 when the National Police Reserve was organized, then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida wanted to create a national school that could educate, motivate, and train career officers for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. On August 1, 1952, the National Safety Academy was established under the provisions of the National Safety Agency Establishment Law, and Prime Minister Yoshida appointed Dr. Tomoo Maki, a professor of law at Keio University, to be its first president. The National Safety Academy opened on April 1, 1953, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and admitted its first class of 400 cadets, of whom 300 were for the Ground Safety Force and 100 for the Maritime Safety Force. On July 1, 1954, with enactment of the National Defense Agency Establishment Law, the name of the academy was changed from the National Safety Academy to the National Defense Academy.
Here is NDA's Website
An interesting event, which occurs in the Fall when NDA holds a Field Day which is open to the public, is called "Bo-Taoshi" 棒倒し ..... one group of cadets defends a tall pole, while another group tries to pull it down (and has only a few minutes to do so) ..... apart from hitting with closed fists & biting, etc., pretty much anything is permitted... (FYI --- There are several videos of this exciting event on YouTube)
NDA belongs to the Japanese Ministry of Defense and mainly serves to educate cadets who will serve as officers in the ground, air, and maritime units of Japan's Self Defense Forces (JSDF).
What makes NDA unique, compared to the U.S., is that it is a "Joint" school, which, in effect, combines Annapolis (USN), West Point (USA), and Colorado Springs (USAF).
In 1950 when the National Police Reserve was organized, then Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida wanted to create a national school that could educate, motivate, and train career officers for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces. On August 1, 1952, the National Safety Academy was established under the provisions of the National Safety Agency Establishment Law, and Prime Minister Yoshida appointed Dr. Tomoo Maki, a professor of law at Keio University, to be its first president. The National Safety Academy opened on April 1, 1953, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, and admitted its first class of 400 cadets, of whom 300 were for the Ground Safety Force and 100 for the Maritime Safety Force. On July 1, 1954, with enactment of the National Defense Agency Establishment Law, the name of the academy was changed from the National Safety Academy to the National Defense Academy.
Here is NDA's Website
An interesting event, which occurs in the Fall when NDA holds a Field Day which is open to the public, is called "Bo-Taoshi" 棒倒し ..... one group of cadets defends a tall pole, while another group tries to pull it down (and has only a few minutes to do so) ..... apart from hitting with closed fists & biting, etc., pretty much anything is permitted... (FYI --- There are several videos of this exciting event on YouTube)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)