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(U//FOUO) SID Around the World: Misawa and Tokyo
FROM:
Misawa Security Operations Center (MSOC)/F79322
Run Date: 05/02/2006
(U//FOUO) Here's another look at locations around the world that
are home to NSA SIGINTers. Today we look at Japan: Misawa,
near the northern tip of Honshu, and Tokyo, 425 miles south.
SERIES:
(U) SID Around the
World '06 - '07
(U) Japan is a country of interesting contradictions. The people
have a strong connection with nature and tradition, but also have a
fascination with technology and Western culture. Despite having
one of the oldest cultures in the world, the Japanese seem very
innocent and naive. The balance that the Japanese people have
found between these seeming contradictions make the country
very much worth visiting.
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2. SID Around the
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3. SID Around the
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Utah
4. SID Around the
World : Misawa and
Tokyo
5. SID Around the
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Springs
6. SID Around the
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7. SID Around the
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8. SID Around the
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Life with Both Feet
(U//FOUO) My family and I are now in Misawa for our second tour
in Japan, having been at the NSA/CSS Representative Japan
(NCRJ) at Yokota Air Base, just outside Tokyo from 1999 to 2002.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Tokyo area while at NCRJ. Tokyo is one
of the world's largest metropolises, but is also probably the safest.
The dining, museums, and shopping in Tokyo are hard to surpass.
Misawa, by contrast, is a quiet country town without the night life
associated with a large city, but makes up for it with a wealth of
available outdoor activities. The shopping opportunities around
Misawa are also not comparable to those in Tokyo.
(U) At Yokota, most of the personnel lived on base, where housing
was generally larger than that available off base, but also had to
do without off-base benefits like a broadband Internet connection.
At Misawa, all of the civilian personnel live off base, where the
houses are larger, generally have two car garages, usually have air
conditioning, and have access to a gigabit-fiber optic Internet
connection. The U.S. bases in Japan now have DSL for on-base
residents.
(U) But despite the obvious differences, Misawa and Tokyo have
much in common. It is usually easy to get around, but it is
frequently difficult to go short distances quickly. In Tokyo, the
reason it frequently took so long to go short distances was the
traffic. Around Misawa, the reason is usually because the roads
have to bypass something, like a field, farm, or temple. The
quickest way to get somewhere in Tokyo is usually to take the
train. In Misawa, the trains and buses are not always the quickest
means to get around as they do not run as often as those in Tokyo.
Longer distances are generally quicker to traverse because of
expressways, the Shinkansen (bullet train) or airplanes, but can
usually cost a great deal due to tolls or ticket fares. Driving
somewhere in Japan has an additional complication: parking is
always in short supply and is practically non-existant in Tokyo.
(U) The language barrier is also not as much of a hinderance that
many people believe that it should be. Most Japanese people know
at least a little English (it is a standard course of study in Japanese
junior high and high schools), but are probably not comfortable
using it. If you do not speak Japanese, but are willing to at least
learn and use a little, a native Japanese speaker will be more
willing to use the little English that they know to help you. We have
had several discussions with Japanese students on trains or at train
stations who want to work on their English. Many Americans
frequently get jobs tutoring English.
(U) As I mentioned before, the Japanese are also fascinated with
Western culture. Tokyo Tower is extremely similar to the Eiffel
Tower, and there is a replica of the Statue of Liberty near Misawa.
McDonalds and Starbucks seem to be everywhere, but have a
distinctly Japanese twist -- where else can you get a Shrimpburger
happy meal? The Japanese fascination with technology is best seen
in the ubiquitous cell phones (keitei denwa) capable of two-way
live video teleconferencing and Internet web browsing or the very
common vehicle GPS navigation systems ("Navi"), a must for
driving in Tokyo, by the way.
(U//FOUO) Misawa Security Operations Center (MSOC)
"(U//FOUO) SIDtoday articles may not be republished or reposted outside NSANet
without the consent of S0121 (DL sid comms)."
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DERIVED FROM: NSA/CSSM 1-52, DATED 08 JAN 2007 DECLASSIFY ON: 20320108