What do Japanese Think of US Bases in Japan?

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[adstaton]

I was stationed in Yokosuka, Japan from 1984 until mid 1986. One day a friend and I were walking around the local economy off the base. An elderly Japanese man approached us saying, "You must eat in my restaurant, the General ate there once." He was dressed in white clothing like a chef and he insisted we follow him, "just a short distance", he said. We arrived at his restaurant and he seated us. He walked across the room and took a framed picture off the wall and carried it over to show us. "The General ate here, the General!" He showed us a black and white photo of himself as a much younger man standing beside General Douglas Macarthur in the very same restaurant. He was very proud of that photo. I think I had Sashami. Every outing in Japan was like that...full of wonderful surprises.

[ATBatmanMALS]

I almost died on the 6th day of a vacation deployment to JAFB Misawa. Was in a minor structure collapse, and ended up spending a while in a Hachinohe hospital. I was a 6'5" American Sailor, and they treated me like I was one of them... cemented my resolve to forever stand with the Japanese people. They certainly stood with me.

[nathanmicah]

My grandfather served just after WWII, he used to tell me stories about after the war when he was stationed in Okinawa. He would tell me how he would go around and reassure people shaking their hands and just being the friendly guy he was, even though there was still a lot of hostility in the minds of other sailors at the time. He said the people were always very friendly back. I like to think he changed other sailors by the way he treated the Japanese. He was truly a great man. I hope to one day go to Japan and meet the people and experience the culture he spoke so fondly of.

[breguera]

When I was stationed in Iwakuni, I was out in the smoke pit when a JMSDF sailor came up to me and asked to be my friend in English. He had been learning English using YouTube and it was impressive how good his English was just learning through YouTube. Needless to say I made a friend for life. Miss ya Hayato and I can’t wait to see ya again!

[Dr.Pepper]

In 1967 I was in the Marine Corps and stationed at the Futema Marine Air Base on Okinawa. I spent 13 months there and I loved every minute. I was a Ground Radio Repairman. Six days a week we boarded trucks to ride over to Camp Foster where there was a Depot Level repair facility. We repaired electronics equipment that had been damaged in Vietnam. I loved the Okinawan people. They were friendly, hard working, and honest. Lots of us would hang out at the Bar Marie in the city of Futema. I got out of the Marines in 1968 and went to college at Florida State University. I had planned on returning to Okinawa to live and work, but I met my wife in college not long before I graduated, so my life went off in a different direction. I'm 75 now but still have fond memories of Okinawa.

[briansonnenfelt]

I was underway on a Japanese sub in 2017 as a partner exchange with the navy and it was an amazing experience. The crew was so incredibly friendly, asked me a ton of questions about Hawaii, and answered every one I had about where they were from. They are amazing at their job and all Japanese citizens should be incredibly proud of their sub force.

[TheJlizvic]

I had the privilege to live in Okinawa for 7 years. Both of my kids where born there. Been from an island myself 🇵🇷 I call Okinawa my second home. Okinawa is one of the most beautiful place I have lived

[veguillar]

My father was in the military and we were able to be stationed in Okinawa from 1999-2002. Living there as a teenager was such a surreal experience from the food, the culture and all the people there that were so kind. I still remember vividly when the Okinawan teens would come and visit our high school on base. We would share different interests like anime, music, skateboarding and whatever else. It was so much fun and I still miss Okinawa to this day. I hope to return there one day.

[clgmotorsport]

My time on Okinawa was some of the best years of my life. Haven’t been back in Japan for about a few years now but hopefully this pandemic calms down enough where I can go back soon. Loving your content so far, keep it up!!

[ZacharyRodriguez]

Very impressed with how you so naturally got the guy at 4:18 comfortable. He initially didn't seem interested in conversation, but he clearly got more comfortable with how you kept questions simple and had a genuine, relaxed posture and behavior. You'll get genuine answers doing so. Seriously just love the way you interact with people.
I'm not fond of some of my fellow U.S. citizens there, but some of my favorite people to work with were Marines, so it's a dynamic situation. I wish the best for Okinawa and the Okinawan people.

[KaoretheHalfDemon]

I lived on Okinawa as a child in the late 90s early 00s. The people were extremely friendly and the day after 9/11, at one of the closed gates near where I lived, there was flowers and other such memorials and signs of support that reached about twenty feet out.

[DwayneTheth]

Im sure China would be very happy to see the US bases leave Japan

[timothy]

i am a veteran that served from 2010 to 2015 and while i personally never got to see Okinawa myself, many of my marines and friends i served with had been stationed there. the overall feelings and stories they gave me painted a very consistent picture. the vast majority of the americans stationed there were well behaved and deeply loved the country but every so often one marine or sailor would go out in town and ruin everything for everyone.
some of the crimes committed were disgusting. understandably the local population would be furious at some of the horrible things that had happened.
i can speak for myself as well as many of my colleges that served through similar situations on american bases or in Bahrain / etc. we would all be punished for the acts of the guilty individuals even when we didnt know them or were in completely different battalions. it also makes the local populations view and treat all of us as if we are the same.
in the end we all feel very frustrated at the situation in general. we understand how local people would hate us or not trusting of us. it would be common that we would be refused from even entering local shops and restaurants.
its unfortunate how the acts of a few people paint a picture for an entire group.
when one of these situations does happen, they have to protect the guilty individuals not only from the local people but from their own fellow marines and sailors as well- this is because we are just as furious and would want to hurt them for what they did. when one of these things happen it not only hurts the local community but it also hurts how others see and treat us as well.
i hate that this happens and i hate the criminals that would do such things. they do not deserve to serve with us and i am glad they are kicked out of the military and usually punished after.
okinawa and japan in particular are very dear friends and allies to the americans and i hope that never changes.

[takashiifromjapan]

Thank you so much for watching.
I actually interviewed more people than this but i didn’t meet anyone who against it.
And before interviewing them, they were playing basketball with Americans.

Anyway I’m in Osaka now
I went to Kyoto today check my Instagram story it’s super cool!!

[champnomnom]

This type of interviewing is incredibly refreshing. Polite and respectful. Will definitely subscribe

[aaiello]

Thank you for these videos. It is great to hear directly from the people what their thoughts are.

[amberdusk]

My father was stationed in Japan in the 60's (maybe the late 50's). I'm almost 62 and both my parents have passed on so I can't turn to them to know for certain. He was in the Air Force and served several years.
He spoke a lot about his experiences in Japan - particularly Okinawa. I can't remember where the other base was he was stationed at - mainly because he spoke more about Okinawa. He always wanted to return to Japan to visit and because he spoke so fondly of the country I've always wanted to visit as well.
He had old black and white photos he took while there - even photos of Hiroshima and the devastating damage our bombs wrecked there. I remember as a younger child not understanding why the surviving buildings were all "broken" in the photos.
But he'd go over all those pictures and talk to us about them - and spoke of the Japanese people he met and the impression they made on him that lasted his entire lifetime. I know so much has changed since then - but because of my father's influence on me due to Japan's influence on him - I've always held Japan in a special place in my heart while acknowledging the painful and conflicting past.

[caabise]

Yokosuka Japan. I was in the U.S. Navy 1967 to 1971 and our ship was Home ported in Yokosuka for a while when we were not on line in the Gulf of Tonkin. I'm sure Yokosuka is much different now than it was then. I enjoyed my time in Yokosuka. I think Yokosuka was one of the main bases for the Japanese Navy during the war. I'm 74 years old and live 8n Big Bear Lake, California. Enjoy watching your video's. I wish you success.

[ReptiDOMINATOR]

I was working /living in Okinawa for two months last year and honestly I can say it’s been some of the best time I’ve had in my life. The people were very nice and welcoming and the scenery, hiking, and anime scene were great. I also loved the food and Lawson station😂 I wish to be stationed there one day.

[TheWhiteSlaveDave]

I used to not like your videos, but then I caught covid and binge-watched your channel, and now I love it. A net positive!