Walke (DD 723) - Naval Cruise Book

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Finally, it was in this section of Japan that we saw the arnsdo crafhnnanshnq for winch the idrnnn is so famous. Both in art work and clothing, the skill of the Japanese was made evident to us. The short stay here in southern flonshu.left1is anxious to return. While in Yokosuka many of us got a Chance to visit xvnh Japaneseihnnihes. YVe satin a snnple rooniwvnh small furniture and only an habachi pot to keep us warm. But the rooms were spotless and the hospitality extended couldn't have been warmer. The Japanese were most courteous and were genuinely friendly toward us. We allspentrnany happy hourscnithe beach niand around Yokosuka, and next year with the budding of the cherry blossoms, WALKE will be back. Those of us who will be aboard are looking forward to seeing an old friend again. 'Big K we 'Y nn- r liberty call ' 1 if 'w A groom and bride mirf0f . 5, SJW flu.

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JAPAN YoKosuKA and Kose On a rather dismal February morning some of us saw an old friend coming over the horizon as others were getting only their first glimpse of a favorite Westpac country-Japan. As we steamed up Sagami Wan, Yoko- suka Harbor came into view, and here WALKE spent mostpof February and March. Throughout the stay, the crew, like good sailors, went ashore at liberty call to buy out the town and to do their share as tourists. Some of us had a natural ability at bargaining and did quite well, spending hours talking for a fishing rod or binoculars or a kimonog others of us at least thought We did well. In the little shops in Yokosuka was almost everything you could want, from pearls to cameras and pool cues to hakata dolls. Each night as we walked down the streets of Thieves Alley, we found that the goods had a new price. The variable factors were the number of ships in port, the days since pay day, and the individual's bar- gaining ability. The tourists wore out more than one camera and several pairs of shoes in and around Yokosuka. The resplendent and beautiful Diabutsu Buddha of Kamakura was only twenty minutes away. ln an hour you could be in Tokyo, the second largest city in the world. The traditional lovely gardens and shrines of this city were outdone only by the modern and sometimes gaudy Ginza area. Here west- ern department stores competed for space with night clubs of all descriptions. The theatre area of Tokyo compared in size and quality to New York. For a short weekend the ship stopped in Kobe before returning to Yokosuka, and here we found the real Japan. Unlike Yokosuka, a navy town, the Kobe area is a tourist spot for the Japanese people. We saw the majestic pago- das of Nara, the first capital of Japan, the temples and shrines of Kyoto, and modern boulevards of Osaka. This area is truly Japanese, and military establishments are far away. 1 Kobe any Yoko I s i

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