Whats the deal with Bar Row?
Everytime I listen to AFN (or specifically, Eagle 810, as the local variety of Armed Forces Network is called here) there are always these amusing PSAs being blasted about 100 times per hour. One of the more fascinating ones refer to a place called “Bar Row” in Fussa City, which is where the Yokota Air Base is located. The PSA goes something like this:
Remember that service personnel are not allowed to be within a one block radius of Akasen-dori in Fussa city, otherwise known as “Bar Row”, between the hours of 1 am and 6 am.
This has intrigued me for the last few months, because there was never any explanation (figures, being a military radio station) and I can’t recall reading or hearing about it anywhere else. So, I decided to use good old GOOGLE to find out for myself why this restriction was in place. Oh, did I ever find some interesting stuff!
FIrst of all; this is the official announcement made by the US Embassy in June 2005 about it:
Yokota Base Command has issued an order prohibiting servicemembers from being within a one block radius of Akasen-dori in Fussa city (near the base), otherwise known as “Bar Row”, between the hours of 1 am and 6 am. The order comes after a series of crimes, altercations and assaults at Bar Row involving base personnel, including one last weekend that left two airmen seriously wounded. Civilians are advised to exercise caution should they choose to enter the area.
Wow! Reading that, it sounds like the poor American soldiers are being assaulted by some bad people when they are innocently partying outside the gates. It really sounds like the Americans are the victims here. I decided to do some more digging, and I came up with some slightly more elaborate and different accounts of why the ban had come in place.
Alex at Rainbow Trite writes:
Yokota Air Force Base is INFAMOUS for the number of DUI’s that take place on a weekly basis. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday Nightly, select uniformed men and women are out carousing and rejoicing, heeing and hawing, and, against their better judgment, drinking and driving.
…
The base doesn’t publicize these “happenings”. No one hears about them or even has an inkling until Colonel Schissler is on the TV, making a plea that we not drink and drive. This, I blame on higher command. People should be made aware of the problem.
This I found in the base’s own newsletter, making it blatantly obvious who is to blame for the restrictions:
Since the restriction came into place, the number of incidents has dropped to almost zero. Fussa City officials have also noticed a
sharp decline in the amount of noise complaints they receive from citizens living between Bar Row and Yokota.
Yes, I know that the area around the base is not generally the nicest neigborhood in Japan, and that there are rumours of some yakuza presence etc., but still, drunken, loud, cocky American soldiers rumbling around at night causing all sorts of ruckus and provoking fights with the locals does seem like a reasonable explanation to me. Way to show your appreciation for your Japanese hosts.
Oh, and while I’m on this American-bashing high (sorry, it wasn’t meant to be this harsh…), GW Bush – what is with the SLICED PIG!??
First off, Yokota is not “INFAMOUS” for DUI’s, in fact our rates dropped 40% last year and this has nothing to do with Bar Row restrictions. We have 225-ride a program used to get people home from the gates. Our DUI’s are not off-base they are from on the base and it is publicized on base very well. We do this with a nice little ceremony at the Post office on base. The last squadron to recieve a DUI gets to stand proud in their service dress uniform and change the plaquered to read their squadron and the date of the offense. On top of that the individual that recieved said DUI is the one changing the info…In public where anyone can and may watch this event.
Secondly the residents of Yoota Air Base may go to Bar Row and be loud, but we are not out stabbing our cab driver’s, and co-workers like the Navy partakes in, or The Marines raping and killling. Lets be real hear…I would rather the base be synonamous for noise than international incidents.
Sorry Jay, that post was very harsh and partly made just to provoke feelings. Everything is not black and white, everyone at Yokota do not go out to Bar Row raping locals…. Of course!
Sorry if offended anyone by generalizing too much what a few bad apples do.
I was station there for 9 1/2 yrs two tours. Yes, there is a DUI problem there, always was. Glad to hear its is finally getting under control. Yes there are fights in Bar row with Airforce and bullying of japanese nationals…..I’ve turned in at least 5 Airman and NCO’s to their first shirts and commanders while I was stationed there. Three of which were kicked out. And if you think Im lying, ask about the gurl in the Comm group in 82 that lured a japanee man back to her dorm on the promise of sex, only to be robbed, beaten and thought for dead, then thrown into a dumpster. He came to, called the police, and she did 6 months in a all japanese prison, until she went crazy and was dicharged on mental medical discharge; she was only 19. The three males that assisted her during the robbery got 5 yrs in a japanese/american prison. True, we are not as bad as the Navy (Independance carrier)or Marine’s ( Camp Fuji) but that is still no excuse. I know of military that have done time for dealing drugs, weapons and ammo to the Yakuza. You’d be surprised at who was dealing. A 14yr Master Sergeant did 10 yrs hard labor for dealing and was the casue of over 50 other court matials that caused E&I to be shut down and moved back stateside. a Staff Sergeant SP got 10 years for allowing drugs to enter the base/country while he worked at the terminal and was caught trying to pass ammo to the Yakuza. There was a murder at the NCO club. A Marine stomping another marine to death to the NCO club fighting over a married Air Force wife in 91 or 92. No Air Force members stepped in to stop him.
Open your eyes! The truth hurts! ALL the clubs in bar row and some apartment complexes lived in by the military; The white Apartments on Hwy 16 acrross from the base, and the apartments accross from 7 Eleven are Yakuza (Japanese Mafia owned). If you dont believe me, ask about “fire insurance” that everyone pays, so their businesses dont get burned out. Like the club across from 7 Eleven that didnt pay back in the 90. Now if all that was going on in the 80′s and 90′s…I cant imagine what things are like now. I remember the police only carring night sticks back then, when I visited in 2003 they were wearing bullet proof vest and carry guns. So stop the Erkel act…..”Did I do that…”
And YEs, there were rapes back then too. a Tech Sergeant that lived in the white apartments across from the base did 5 years for rape back in 86; not to mention other airman that were sent to prison for the same thing.
Peace to all….Im glad things are getting better, but we american Airforce members made Bar row what it is today. I know we can make it better. The policy need to go back to NO first term airman being station overseas without being stationed stateside first. That way they have had time to adjust to the military. Reopen the Alcohol rehab center. Not in the Philipians, but at Yokota. By time you get the drunk calling for the ride, its to late. Counsel or if necessary report those that show up to work intoxicated. Prevention is the best cause; not a bandaid…”go ahead and get pissy drunk call 255-ride, and we will pick you up without fear of being delt with”. If you have a problem with someone that likes to fight, move their name to the top of the deployment list. See if tht calms them down. The AIrforce is a great force. Lets make it proud again for all the japanese nationals to see.
P.S. Stop OVERCHARING the japanese at the Annual Open houseand the TAMA golf course; its not nice.
Peace
To the Narc that posted last, FU. You are a typical schmuck that turns the innocent in… Yeah, I spent time at Yokota and it is apparent the 374 Maintenance Squadron is responsible for atleast 50% of the crime that is commited on Bar row… Speaking of which, Bar row is full of nonsense! Nothing but illegal filipinas and vatos patrol the area… Disco Eddie’s is whack and when times get slow, he tries to bargain you into his club for free… Nerie’s has some tight DJ’s spinnin’ the ones and two’s but right across the street you can find some slutty tagalog speakin’ biatches…
Japan is tight, just don’t spend it near a military base or with a Narc that will rat you out.. Fuck OSI
I was at Yokota between 1979 and 1981 and went back several times on business since. We all knew which were the bars run by the yakuza and we knew which ones had the imported hookers. We avoided them because we chose to take our money elsewhere. There were plenty of places to enjoy time off without the hassle or hustle. Yes, we got blasted a lot. I think that that was a product of being too young and going from the restrictions of a training base right to what was pretty much an all night party everywhere. The base could have alleviated that with some form of an orientation which filled in the blanks for us new victims. There should also have been a place to cal when your drinking was getting out of control where you weren’t going to be lectured or preached to. I certainly would have used it!
I was stationed at Yokota from 1969 to 1974. Probably the last of the good ole years when the American dollar meant something. I spent many nights on bar row having the time of my life without any fear that something negative might happen. The Japanese loved the American GI and the money that came with them. I will honestly say tho that you got what you paid for. Back then the japanese police only had to speak to you (always in a nice manner) in order to get your attention. You had better sense to talk back. Those were the good ole days – sad to see that off base Yokota has changed so much. Bar row was opened 24 hours a day, each bar had three shifts of workers. I have never wanted to go back because I knew I would be disappointed. This web site confirms that.
Back in 1967 when I was stationed at Yokota, Bar Row as it is called these days saw it’s share of over-exuberance by Air Force personnel as well as some of the citizens. The local police patrolled the area but seemed to remain in the background allowing a certain amount of fun. But when it began to get out of hand they would not hesitate to politely step in. We listened when they spoke. Back then a Japanese jail was not where one wanted to be on a Friday/Saturday night. My favorite hangout was the Bar Cairo everyone that came in there and worked there were friends and friendly to all. One final comment about Eddie’s Bar. That wasn’t around at the time however I do remember Eddie when he was a bartender.
I remember that marine that got stomped to death .Bring’s beck memory’s for me as I worked at the club and I saw the aftermath of it all . The two marine’s were roommates and one went out with this air force wife one night and the next night went out with the other , I can remember leavin the club and hearin fighting but it was in the housein area . When I came back to work I don’t recall any thing but when I left again the emt’s and sp’s were there .they said he died at the hospital but he really died in the club parking lot .this matine that did this all did it by stomping his head in . My car was two spaces away from all this and the sp’s had to see my car as it had blood split’s on it .The poor night manager’s that night were up for 12 hours or mors filling out report’s .
Holy cow. I was at Yokota from 1979 to 1983 with my husband, the base optometrist. I worked and taught for the University of Maryland until our first child was born. I see now that I was too sedate too have been so young (21 when I got there); I don’t think I knew Bar Row existed. I did know, however, that some of the wives got up to hijinks when their husbands were TDY. An older wife showed me some of the base housing out of which prostitution rings were allegedly run. And once, on a space A trip to Kunsan, I saw a quite amazing pornographic “dance” performed during the day, at the NCO club, by two wives. That knocked my socks off. Very sad to hear that the yakuza are in Fussa. It seemed to be so safe and civilized when I was there.
Frank Padgett wrote:
“I was stationed at Yokota from 1969 to 1974″.
Frank do you remember Sargeant Carol Manion, who died in Fussa City in 1974? He was from Evansville, Indiana.
Wow… Discussion has really contiuned behind my back here, haven’t paid enough attention I see.
Need to read all your replies – my original post seems so old when I re-read it now…
I WAS STATIONED ON YAKOTA AFB .. THE TRANPORATATION SQ.
I WORKED HOUSHOLD GOODS SHIPPING..
I REMEMBER YAKOTA AND FUSSA AS BEING VERY BORING ..EXPENSIVE AND AN ALL AROUND CHALLENGE.
OFF BASE THE SMELL WAS TERRIABLE ..
BAR ROW WAS LIKE GULLEVERS LAND ALL SMALL AND EXPENSIVE,,
DOES EVERY ONE REMENBER GINY ROSE .. A MARVELOUS OLD LADY .. BOB HOPE HAD A JOKE ABOUT HERE..YES HE PLAYED TACHI AFB ..
SO SORRY I REGRETED MY TRIP THERE ..
SOUTH AMERICA ANY WHERE WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER AND NOW I SPEAK FLUENT SPANISH TOO..
JAPAN ALL SERAMONEY AND VERY LITTLE SUBSTANCE ..
TUS MAY 18 2010..
I would like to make a comment of the use of the word “SOLDIERS”, this word is in reference to service members who are affiliated with the United States Army. There are no units located at Yokota AFB or in the Fussa area. Please refence as “AIRMEN”.
Thanks
Open your mind and think about life and how you can make yourself a better person. Learn about why and what causes people to do drugs. The way the brain works to certain situation.Choose a DUI course to help you.
it’s spelled YOKOTA not YAKOTA you retards!
it don’t matter twiss, it’s americans… what do you care anyway?
Stationed at Yokota 92-97 but passed thru TDY a few times in the 60s-70s-80s…..when yen was 360 to the US dollar it was really great. Also saw it as low as 85 to the $ in the mid 90s. Bar row in Fussa was great but expensive….of course there were some bars that did not allow gaigins in. VFW was very popular – still pricey but cheaper beer than in the clubs. Yumis not only had great BLTs but very GI friendly. Jeannie Rose was working behind the bar two or three doors down from Yumis in the mid-90s…she’d “retired” from her previous career….
Was stationed at yokota during 1955; i ‘lived’ in an apartment about three blocks from the train station
but I can’t recall the name of the little village at the train station. The bar at the train station was great
with all “amenities’ available next door. They had to put me in my duffel bag to ship me back stateside
as I then couldn’t reinlist overseas. I was in the 35th Field Maintenance squadron engine shop and we
worked on F-86D aircraft which was the first “dog’ with an afterburner. Good ol’ days there.
americans in japan should behave or go to jail.
Yes Yumi’s Bar was the best bar on the Hon as we called it from 67-72. Most of the airmen who got into trouble deserved what they got.Also most of the real troublemakers went to tokyo,shinjiku or that area and thats where the yakuza hung out.
That’s an interesting find good to know.
In April of 2002 my buddy Joe Zelnis & I were in Japan for 2 weeks & went bar hopping outside of Fussa. We started at Tori Fuku for some yakitori & beer around 5 PM. Then went to a place by the railroad tracks with 3 tatami rooms owned by a guy named Yogi His sous chef’s name was Curly. Curly was bald and was funny when doing some of the Three Stooges routines. Yogi’s place was right next to the railroad tracks. Around 1 A.M. we left Yogi’s place. I had been talking with a young Japanese business man who provided me with shochu or something like that which was mixed with soda and it really snuck up on me because I had no idea of the alcohol content as it had the flavor of the soda. When it was time for the young business man to go home, he called a cab. I was impressed because the taxi also arrived with a driver to drive business man’s car home as he was wasted like I was. Why that service is not provided everywhere is beyond me as needless lives would be lost as a result of people driving while they were drunk or under the influence. Some of the Japanese side roads are very narrow.
From Yogi’s we hopped on our bicycles and back road past the train station to the main road, took a left on the main drag back towards Yokota AB. Just before reaching the street know as AP Alley, we stopped at a place run by a woman named Toshuku and her two daughters. One of the girls could stick a 50 yen coin in her nose & her sister couldn’t which for some stupid reason made her feel jealous. Toshiku and her daughters were all gorgeous. We stopped there for an hour or so for a beer or two and then went to AP Alley. There was a huge bar/club not far from the main road that ran in/out of the Yokota AB main gate. If you were coming from Yokota, you would simply make a left and the large place was just on the right. Joe knew the owner and we started talking. For some reason, this Japanese man reminded me of the character named Huggie Bear on the Starsky & Hutch TV show. He seemed to know everything that was going on around Fussa. It must of been 3 A.M. by then. I do not recall the name of the owner & by then I was barely conscious as a result of the shochu and the beers I had at Toshi’s place and this place, which also had a dance floor. I remembered a story my friend Joe had told me many years ago when we were in England together during our active duty Air Force days at RAF Chicksands.
Joe was first assigned to Misawa AB in the early 60′s and eventually Yokota AB where he was stationed on & off for about 20 years. He retired from the Air Force at Yokota and ran the slot machine maintenance shop. Anyway the story was about a guy who was looking for some prostitute who had a unique talent named Jeannie Rose. It seems this guy’s father first met Jeannie Rose during an R&R from Korea back in the 1950′s and during Vietnam, the old man told his son about Jeannie’s talent. Jeannie, so Joe told me was famous for humming the Star Spangled Banner while providing a guy oral pleasure. So this guy asked Joe if he knew about Jeannie Rose. Joe knew exactly where- someplace near Tachi, I believe, and ended up taking the guy to see her. Joe was waiting in the Jeannie’s living room while drinking something he almost choked on when he starts hearing Jeannie hum the Start Spangled Banner…
So anyhow, I ask the club owner if he knew of Jeannie Rose & he says that Jeannie owns the bar right next to his. Holy moly- what are the odds of that? So we quickly finished our drinks and walked next door. Jeannie is now an old, heavy-set momma-san. There is a small bar with 4-5 stools. In the bar is a Japanese couple and Jeannie was standing behind the bar. I really didn’t want another drink of anything as I was still rather lit from the shochu earlier. I just wanted to take pictures of us & with Jeannie Rose. We ordered a round of drinks- for four of us ( Jeannie, the girl, Joe & myself) was about $100…yikes! It looked to me that Jeannie and the young woman were drinking club soda- ka-ching! The young lady it turns out was what my friend Joe told be was a companion woman. She is not necessarily a prostitute as much as she is to simply provide single gentlemen companionship or conversation if they are alone at the bar- it was good for business. I figured something was up after the Japanese gentlemen got up & left, leaving the young lady by herself- it seemed odd as I thought they we a couple. I realized even more was odd when this gorgeous woman places her hand on my inner thigh…hello! It was then when I got up and we started taking pictures of Jeannie, Joe, and myself. I happened to have a business card on me & Jeannie gave me her autograph which was simply signed by her putting on fresh lipstick and kissing the back of the card. That was back in April 2002. I imagine Jeannie has gone up to hummer heaven…. Every time I hear the Star Spangled Bangle, I wonder about Jeanie and how she ever got the idea to do that.
77-78, and other stop overs later years. Fussa is one of tamest places in Asia as far as bar rows go but had some great times. Tony, you embarrased me. Just curious what the count was. I used to pop in her old place by Yumi and catch Airman I knew waiting their time sipping tee. I had a buddie I nicknamed Jeanie which everyone who knew him used the name. I remember she had a hugh safe in the waiting room, people wondered how much money was in there. I enjoyed the place, anybody remember the Chicken Shack.
Found the Chickan Shack web site wow same owner, I know him well I’ll have to post a comment to him. The heavy metal grunge bands back then were jamming then and was quite the party. Quite the crazy sub-culture in there. Best yakisoba in Japan at thet time to carb you up. They used the big Udon noodles to make it with big chunks of ham. I thing it was Takahashi (Igai) girl friend that cooked it up. I gave free lessons in Foosball as long as challenge money went in the machine. He’ll know. Hope Buzzie is doing well. Memory lane.
I loved to hang down at bar row back in 83-85. My favorite spot was the 49 club. The barkeep Mia, would sometimes let me tend bar while she grabbed ice from the 7-11. It was a great scene for a young man, an easy intro into the fringe of Japanese culture, far better than the NCO club. Walking into the row at night felt like coming home. You knew people, you met people, you were free to wander and relax. We relics of the night, Japanese and American, would have breakfast together when the sun came up. I never remember it getting out of hand though young people drinking does get sloppy.
In 84, they locked down the gate at night between bar row and the dorms that housed the single folk. My memory tells me it was to curb folks doing their drinking off base. I sat myself down at a meeting with the brass and tried to argue against it. I was a young Sr Airman and I’m sure I didn’t make a great showing of it. The result was the base turned an easy walk to a cab ride or a car drive. To me that was a top-down dictate guaranteed to up the DUI count. I expect you might see a numbers jump around that time.
The 49 Club, The Chicken Shack, Yumis. What was the name of the upstairs bar where a young Japanese girl would play keyboard and sing songs like “Sunny” and you could play chess at the bar?
I remember Jennie’s safe and the six layers of wall paper on the walls in her house in Tachi. Each layer was filled with names, home towns, and dates. She moved to Fussa in 1972. I went back one final time prior to leaving Japan in 74. It was rummered that there was a lot of money in the safe. Back in those days 1500 yen was the going price. Less than 5 dollars. How times have changed.
Reference my entry on 7/8/2007 up above written at 4:35 A.M. Need to make a correction. In the second paragraph, I mentioned AP Alley. WRONG! I meant Bar Row. Joe & I had made a trip up to Misawa A.B. and a pilgrimage to AP Alley up there. Gomenasai! We took the bullet train ( Shinkansen) which stopped in Sendai. It was amazing to see the destruction of the earthquake/tsunami from March 2011.
I believe the guy I mentioned reminded me as Huggie Bear was actually Yumi. It is hard to believe all the stories written after I first wrote up above about the way Bar Row changed after 2002. When we were there, there was none of the nonsense going on like people getting in fights or worse. We rode our bicycles wherever we had to go & never worried about someone ripping it off or our safety.
I spent half of my service career overseas and never had a problem. My tours were spent in Europe and as long as on realized they were a guest in a foreign country, you were treated as a guest. Italy, Greece, Germany, England, Austria, France, etc were all great places to go….unless, one acted like an
‘ugly” American.
I remember Jennie’s safe and the six layers of wall paper on the walls in her house in Tachi. Each layer was filled with names, home towns, and dates. She moved to Fussa in 1972. I went back one final time prior to leaving Japan in 74. It was rummered that there was a lot of money in the safe. Back in those days 1500 yen was the going price. Less than 5 dollars. How times have changed. Now that I am 69 I wish I could go back one more time. As Bob Hope used to say “thanks for the memories”.
Not in the military, we are civilians and are wanting to go out drinking tonight but don’t want to go all the way into Tokyo, we were told there is a bar row in Fussa can anyone tell us what bars offer happy hrs on thursday or where there is a good place for us to go????