July 4, 2008
The following are a few letters of thanks to Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) from students of Hokubu Jr. High School in Aichi prefecture who attended a base and ship tour May 27:

Thank you for teaching us a lot of things during our school trip. I learned that the U.S. Navy is amazing. I was excited to see a lot of huge U.S. warships. I was surprised to see a lot of Americans on base. Before I came here, I felt unsure of them, but I found the ones I met to be very kind and friendly when they spoke to us. I was very pleased to have such a unique experience to tour the USS John S. McCain. I want to make good use of the knowledge I learned from the tour at school. Thank you again. – Yuki Koyama 先日は修学旅行の訪問学習でいろいろなことを教えていただき、ありがとうございました。今回の訪問で、米軍基地のすごさを学びました。たくさんの大きな船があって、びっくりしました。基地内は外国の人たちばかりで、外国の人は怖いイメージがあったけどすごく気楽に話しかけてくれて、ほっとしました。普段はできない船の見学は、すごい経験になって嬉しかったです。これらのことを学校で生かしていきたいです。－小山夕貴

Everything I saw on Yokosuka base was interesting to me. The very first thing that made me surprised was the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force submarine I saw on the way to Yokosuka base, because I could not imagine that I would be able to see a submarine. I was really amazed to see such a large hamburger when we had lunch on base. The hamburger I had was much, much bigger than the Japanese ones. I was happy to visit various facilities and to see U.S. Navy ships. I was impressed when I found a photo of Tadamasa Oguri on the wall at one of the buildings we visited. The highlight of the day was to visit USS John S. McCain. I really enjoyed visiting the ship. It was difficult for me to walk around inside because the stairway was steep and passage through the ship was narrow. Also, I was glad to see USS Kitty Hawk up close. I really enjoyed my day visiting Yokosuka base. – Katsuhito Kobayashi 様々な艦船や施設を見ることができて嬉しかったです。中でも小栗上野介忠順の写真が飾ってあったことは驚きでした。一番感動したことはジョン・S・マッケイン号を見学できたことです。－小林克仁

Thank you for teaching us lots of things. I think my point of view about U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan has changed since we visited Yokosuka Naval Base. I had thought they would be really scary and didn’t know why they are here in Japan. But, after the tour, we understood that U.S. military is here in Japan is to help defend our country. I have also changed my point of view about people from other countries. I had thought foreigners were scary. But, many of the Americans were friendly and said “Hello” to us. We discovered that they are very kind, especially when I saw them have conversations with each other in a friendly atmosphere. I am looking forward to finding more good things about them. Thank you again. – Hiroshi Fukatsu
今回の訪問で自分の中で何かが変わりました。今までは軍隊は物騒だとか、何故日本にいるのかと思ったけど、説明を聞いているうちに僕たちを守ってくれるためにいるとわかりました。今までは怖いなどと思っていたけど、気軽に挨拶してくれました。－深津弘至

This was my first time visiting CFAY. I felt a little intimidated to see so many foreigners when I arrived. However, I got used to it and I was able to enjoy the tour. I learned so much about CFAY, such as history including war time and Navy ships. The most memorable places at CFAY ware dry dock 1 and 2. I didn’t know anything about Navy ships before, but I was able to learn about the ships and ship repair work because your explanation was easy to understand. It was a great learning experience. I would like to use this learning experience in my future studies. Thank you very much for everything. I pray for your health. Please take care. – Masae Mizuno

CFAY was much larger than I expected. I was so impressed to see American, military-type buildings there. We were able to go to various parts of the base by bus. Before I visited CFAY, I wondered if Navy people would be intimidating. However, I saw many Navy personnel who seemed to be friendly and I thought that CFAY was a nice place. I was really glad that we were allowed to see inside the ship USS John S. McCain. I was really surprised to see military personnel carrying a gun. Although our visit to CFAY was short, my thoughts and opinions regarding U.S. military forces in Japan changed a lot. Before I visited CFAY, I didn’t know anything about U.S. military forces’ duties in Japan. This base tour made me realize that U.S. servicemen stationed in Japan are working so hard to help protect Japan. I was really glad to visit CFAY. – Yuta Nakamura

My first visit to CFAY changed my opinion and idea about U.S. military forces in Japan. Before I visited CFAY, I was expecting to observe intense Navy training. However, what we saw was Navy personnel wearing their work clothes doing regular work. I was so excited to take my first Navy ship tour. I was also able to see ship repair work at one of the dry docks. I saw U.S. military personnel carrying a gun. I was scared to see that. The biggest culture shock I had at CFAY was the hamburgers that we ate at lunchtime. I knew that foreign hamburgers are bigger than Japanese, but it was beyond my imagination. It took 30 minutes to finish eating the hamburger. I want to eat it again if I have a chance. I was really glad to visit CFAY, a place I would never have imagined visiting. Thank you very much for everything. – Takuma Hida