Sign of the past

My husband likes to watch Nerima Hotline, a television show about Nerima.  He's learned lots of things about our area.  It has given us tips about great restaurants, cultural events, and things to go see.  Even though it is a bit cheesy, it is also interesting.

He recently found old shows on YouTube.  One of those episodes talked about the history of Hikarigaoka Park.  We did not know it was an American military housing complex for over 20 years after World War II!  When we first moved here, we were told the promenade was originally an airport runway called Nerimasu Airfield.  But we didn't know anything beyond that.

The show had lots of photographs of the area, which we found to be very interesting.  Known as Grant Heights, the area was a "town within a town."  When it was given back to the Japanese government in 1973, the name changed to Hikarigaoka and the park was created.  It turns out that there is only one sign remaining of the park's days as a base - and it really is a sign.

After watching the show (which my husband translated for me), we decided to seek out the sign.  There is a gated area in the park where an old building once stood.  The "no parking" sign is almost hidden near the fence, facing out toward the park.  The English letters are almost illegible, but it still displays a bit of local history.

I was so happy to learn something new about our neighborhood.  There's always new-to-me factoids to acquire.