[Date & Time] Wednesday, May 25, at 9:40～16:20
Thursday, May 26, at
10:50~16:30
[Spots] May 25: Kannai
Station, Bashamichi, Bentendori Avenue, Kanagawa Prefectual Museum of Cultual
history, Kaigandori Avenue, Yokohama Cuatom House, Kanagawa Prefectual
Government, Nihon Odori Avenue, Yokohama Archives of History, Yokohama Kaigan
Church, Silk Museum, Yamashita Park, Hotel New Grand, Yokohama China Town,
Sailing Ship “ Nippon Maru”, Landmark Plaza, and Sakuragicho Station
May 26: Shioiri(Dobuitadori Shopping
Street, Mikasa Park, Yokohama Port Market, Gunko Meguri Port Cruise, and Verny
Park
[Visitors] 1 American couple
[Attendants] 1 KSGG member a day
[Language] English
The husband worked as an emergency medical
technician on an American Navy Ship anchored in the Yokosuka American Military
Base forty years ago. We were able to
meet at Kannai Station without any problem though they had a problem on the
previous day. The arrival of their
baggage was delayed. Seeing their smiling face, I was sure that we would have a
great time. I told them that we would walk
around the Kannai District first and visit several places clockwise after looking
at the map in front of the station. They enjoyed walking as it was cloudy and
perfect for walking. They looked around the
town carefully without taking a lot of photos. In the silk Museum, the husband
stared at the exhibit which showed the life of silk worms and bought one cocoon
for a souvenir. Before we had lunch in
China Town, I gave a Japanese–doll–shaped bookmark to them and the wife was so
pleased with it. As I told her that our
members work hard to make bookmarks for visitors, she was so impressed that she
tried to take apart that. I got her to
stop doing it by saying, “You won’t be able to restore it if you do it.”
We were planning to go
to Kawasaki, especially the factory of Ajinomoto, the next day. But, instead of going there, we took a
nostalgic trip to Yokosuka because the husband lived on the Yokosuka American
Base for half a year forty years ago and wanted to visit Yokosuka again. Although he asked the gatekeeper to let us
enter the base and take photos there at the entrance of the base, he could not
get the permission and looked disappointed. We walked around Dobuita Shopping Street and the
Yokosuka Military Base, visited the Memorial Ship Mikasa and went to Port
Market. As they were interested in eating, they really enjoyed the market and, at
the food court in the market, had a boxed lunch with seafood and rice for lunch,
which they bought at a fish shop there. They were so happy with it, saying, “This
is fresh and delicious.” After lunch, we
took the Yokohama Military Port Cruise which was the highlight of the
trip. They were excited to see over 20
Japanese and American battleships including submarines and took a lot of photos
of them. Then, we went to Verny Park, got
on a train on the Yokosuka Line at Yokosuka Station and checked what time they
would get to Shinagawa, where their hotel was located, before parting at
Totsuka Station. I felt sad when I said good-bye to the loving couple.