Camp Drake 2005


South Camp Drake is a large rectangular shape with a perimeter of a couple of miles I would guess.	My wife and I took "The Walk" from Asaka train station to the Camp Drake entrance where the old Japanese school and playground was located 30 years ago.	From there, we continued to walk around the whole perimeter of Camp Drake and then back to the Asaka train station.

The whole perimeter of Camp Drake was surrounded by a cyclone fence topped with barbed wire, inside was only what I would describe as jungle, no old buildings were in sight.	I guess you could say that it was a jungle wilderness with the exception of the construction of some new buildings on the "Han"-side, (the main entrance side of the base). I was stationed here in 1967-68 while in the Air Force with the 1967th Communications Squadron.	Check-out the pine tree, note the angle of the trunk and the shape of its canopy. I'm almost certain that this is the same tree that is in one of the 1997 pictures of Camp Drake posted on the Dragon's Roar website, but no buildings in the 2005 shot

There are no signs in English or Japanese identifying the former Army base. Just a jungle in a large suburban city.	Japanese fire hydrants are red. This one is yellow - an ancient reminder that Americans once lived here. I lived in a very small world back in those days, work, snack bar, chow hall, PX, bank, movie theater, road to Asaka train station ... and Tokyo.	On the other side of the street are tennis courts, playing fields and the like. What an interesting contrast, modern Japan on one side of the street, and a jungle on the other.

There is some new building going on the "Han" side of Camp Drake, (near the road that had all the G.I. bars), which I'll send later.	When I was at Camp Drake in the 60s, the phrase, "run the han", meant going to get blasted at one or more of the local bars. And, if you were going to Shinjuku, you would say, "I'm going to the Ku."	Here's what's located on the other side of the street, opposite the Camp Drake jungle. These would be on the side where the old Japanese school and playground was in the 60's. I think that maybe Momote Village might have been in that direction.

I didn't even realize that FEN was on our base until and old Drake friend of mine told me about it this last year.	Out the front of Camp Drake were all of the G.I. bars, out the back side was Tokyo, I always chose the latter.	That little stretch of road that went from the back side of Camp Drake to Asaka train station was my umbilical chord to the real world.

A new building going up, a middle school, on the "Han" side of the base, (as in, "Let's go run the Han tonight!"). That would have been the main entrance to Camp Drake from the front side.	I took over 1000 pictures on my trip, and yet I always find myself looking over the Asaka/Camp Drake ones the most.	The cyclone fence and barbed wire = "We don't care if you lived here." No signs, no plaques, nothing.

The new Asaka train station, and buildings along the old route to Camp Drake.	If you remember this place from the 60s, then you're in for a big surprise. The only thing that hasn't changed is the width of the road that leads to Camp Drake, its still narrow and the buses are wider than ever.	Here's a 1968 picture of the Asaka train station, (on the left side).

Inside the new Asaka train station.	Sleepy little Asaka has now turned into suburbia. A modern bakery inside the train station.	Who would have thought back then that within another 40 years there would be a Starbuck's and a Denny's across the street from the station?