Marines in Japan living a new, limited life

Marines in Japan living a new, limited life
By Gidget Fuentes - Staff writer
Posted : Friday May 9, 2008 13:23:39 EDT

OKINAWA, Japan — It’s 8:30 on a Friday night, and the neon-lit streets and sidewalks of American Village are splashed with flashing lights from the large ferris wheel that anchors the U.S.-styled outdoor mall in Chatan Town.

Young couples holding hands dash across the street. Schoolgirls dart into some of the shops. Diners occupy all the stools at a conveyor-belt sushi eatery, while nearby, a few teenagers sip drinks outside a Starbucks café.

Inside the Double Decker, a small bar and restaurant, Kazuyuki Tomihama worked behind the stately wooden bar. Several locals seated in thick cushioned seats chatted quietly. But on this weekend, few Americans stepped up to the bar for one of his artfully decorated drinks.

Despite the name, very few Marines, sailors or other U.S. service members stationed on this island visited American Village, most skipping dining, shopping and hanging out in its neighborhood bars because of stricter rules dictating off-duty liberty.

A 10 p.m. curfew in effect at the time deterred many service members from venturing outside the confines of the military bases here to enjoy a meal or shop. Under existing rules, those of legal drinking age are banned from drinking alcohol anywhere except on base.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/05/marine_liberty_050808w/