Yokosuka reminds me a little of San Francisco. Both are bounded by water on three sides, have a lot of hills, steep winding streets, twice as many steps to get from one point to another and the overall geography is similar. Weather permitting, Yokosuka is a good town to explore on foot. Today, the overcast sky was kind to us and held back its water. With map in hand we walked out the base gate and hit the pavement. Our goal was a one-mile walk to the Nature and Human Historical Museum located at the top of one of the many hills in the city. I enjoy places like that and Melba didn't mind the walk because we would have to pass by a thousand shops going to and coming from the museum. The streets are full of bumper-to-bumper traffic and the sidewalks can't hardly support the flow of people coming and going. I suspect that the Japanese economy is good.The museum was no disappointment. The exhibits are all very well displayed and considering that every plaque, sign, and label was written in Japanese I still managed to pick up a lot of information. The only English signs to be seen were the "NO SMOKING" and the "EXIT."
Next to the museum there sits on the hilltop a park that gives a good view of the city in all directions. Remarkably, it is strangely quiet there. You can see the hills off to the west and south and Tokyo Bay with its non-stop ship traffic to the north and east.
Just a mile-and-a-half from my vantage point I can see Monkey Island. The Japanese name for the island is Sarushima. It's a popular spot for fishing, swimming, and family cookouts these days, but back in the later part of the 19th century it served as a military fortification because of its strategic location at the entrance to Tokyo Bay. There's a ferry that runs out there and I plan to take it before the weather turns cold.
Except for a young family of four and a guy walking a couple of hairy dachshunds, Melba and I had the place to ourselves. There were markers, monuments, statues, plaques, and signs signifying important things, but I couldn't read a word of it. I get the impression that this wasn't a spot frequented by foreign tourists. On the way up here from the base I don't think we saw more than two or three people that weren't Japanese.
Half the fun we had was on the way back to the base. Never mind the people watching. You can't top that, but the variety of goods and services for sale is incredible. You've got store clerks standing outside their businesses hawking their wares like carnival barkers. So long as you have a few Yen in your pocket its very doubtful you'll starve. It seems like all the food in the world is for sale along the side streets. One place in particular caught Melba's attention. It was a produce store with the plumpest, freshest, most brightly colorful fruits and veggies we'd ever seen. The place was packed elbow-to-elbow with shoppers. I'll need to get over my reluctance to snap a picture of the vendors and clerks. They all look so spiffy in their starched uniforms. The service is second-to-none.
What thrilled Melba the most was a Christmas display she saw in one of the shop windows. It reminded her that we'll be home for a South Texas pan de polvo tamale menudo Christmas. Eso lo prometo.
