Negishi Heights, Yokohama, Japan 1964-1965

 

My father was a military Naval Officer. In the late spring of 1964, the USS Oklahoma City CL-G5 was sent to Yokosuka, Japan, to serve in the Vietnam Conflict. My mother, brother & I were left in California to pack our belongings up to put in storage or to bring along with us. In early July, the three of us boarded the MSTS GENERAL DANIEL I. SULTON en route to Yokosuka, Japan. My father had found local temporary housing in nearby Kamakura. It was a small Japanese home we lived in for 2 months. He was out to sea a few days later.                                                                          

Above, the side veranda.

  Walkway to the house front gate on the right.

Mom would draw out the map of each of our homes every time we were moved to a new duty station in letters to her families in the United States.

Mom with other new Navy housewife friends would daily go to Yokosuka Naval Base (where Gib & I attended school. Gib at Kennick High School or known as YoHo High & Mary at Sullivan Elementary.) Mom would attend to daily needs & errands while we were in school. On other days, the wives would look for housing together discovering what was available for them. Many USS Oklahoma City wives were living in Negishi Heights, and Mom added her name to the waiting list.

Regarding transportation, Mom had our car transported here to Japan. It was a Mercedes Benz. She could not drive it until she obtained her Japanese driver's license. Another story.

We moved into 643 Skyline Drive on 12 Sep 1964. The USS Oklahoma City returns the day before. Dad sees the house & approves.

 

Mary started to attend Richard E. Byrd Elementary School in third grade with Miss Remik on the Negishi Heights, Yokohama, Military Housing Complex. I have no school photos of this year.

Gib attended Nile C. Kinnick High School in Yokosuka. He would have to wait for the daily bus to transport him between the two military bases. He obtained a school yearbook for his freshman year. 

Our home was at the northern end of Skyline Drive. #643 is circled in red on the top left corner of the map.

 

Mom making our lunches in the kitchen.

Halloween 1964 - Mary dressed as a fairy princess.

Gib’s first pigeon cage was built in Nov 1964.

It was later blown down by a typhoon.  

   

                      

Here is the new improved cage in June 1965. 

#642 behind Gib.

Here are pictures of the area between houses #643-646. Coopers in #643. Sipperts in #644. Myers in #645. Hollys in #646. Mary Cooper, Susie Myers & Donna Holly were best buds & did everything together. Susan & Mary reunited in 2009. We are still looking for Donna. 

My father, with my help, built a snowman in the central area.

#644 above

#646 above me & #645 behind dad. I loved the 

Tori Gate on the hill next to Donna’s house.

I remember shopping at the local Commissary, the Naval Exchange, & taking swim lessons at the pool. Susie & I with our swimming instructor.

We left Negishi Heights in Sep 1965, taking a 6- week world tour through Southeast Asia, the Middle East & Europe returning to the United States.

Sadly, in 1999, the area with houses #635 to #650 was lost in a landslide. I recently found this out through a FaceBook page about Negishi Heights.

I have wonderful memories of our time in Japan. I was very fortunate, after my parents' deaths, that I found letters that they wrote to each other during this time period. During the 15 months that the USS Oklahoma City was stationed in Yokosuka, I only saw my father "at home" for 8 weeks. Normal for Navy BRATS. I will never forget Negishi Heights in Yokohama, Japan.

This house diagram of #643 Skyline Drive was shared with me by a colleague from the Negishi Heights group on FaceBook. Thank you!