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At the entrance to Tokyo Bay, between the Miura Peninsula on the west and the Boso Peninsula on the east, lies the Uraga Channel. Yokosuka, of which Uraga is a part, is situated midway down the Miura Peninsula. It was once famous as the home of major naval installations and as a navy port. After World War II, a portion of these were taken over by the American Navy, and another part is used by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Now, more than 50 years after the war, the bases and the city have blended into a pleasant community, and steady progress in the city's environmental projects has returned the seaside to its natural splendor.
When we visited the Yokosuka City Hall, Michio Iwama, head of public relations, immediately took us to a lounge on the observation deck. There, sparkling in the sunlight against the background of the Boso Peninsula, was a stunning view of ships of all kinds, large and small, as they made their way through the Uraga Channel. This year, the cities of Kawasaki on the Tokyo side and Kisarazu on the Boso Peninsula have been linked with the completion of the Trans-Tokyo Bay Highway ("Aqualine"). The next project on the horizon is the joining of Yokosuka and Futtsu with a new road at the mouth of Tokyo Bay.
After leaving city hall, we headed for our final destination for the day: Uraga, six kilometers to the southeast on a slender, deep-cutting inlet, a place famous for its shipbuilding industry. |
