[sushiman]

I lived in Sagamihara with a school chum my first 8 months in Japan ( Sept. ‘85 - May ‘ 86 ) .

[Eric in the Ozarks]

For most of my time in Japan, the Japanese were in rebuilding mode. Then came the news that the ‘64 Olympics would be in Tokyo and all hell broke loose with construction, widening roads, etc.
In the early 50s, large swaths of Sagami were still open fields and broken concrete.