Construction of a new food court and bowling center is underway at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, pictured here on Feb. 13, 2026. (James Kimber/U.S. Navy)
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Construction is underway on a 68,000-square-foot recreation and dining facility at the home of the U.S. 7th Fleet that will replace the bowling alley and food court.
The two-story facility will combine a 28-lane bowling center and a multi-vendor Navy Exchange food court — consolidating services now spread between two single-story buildings — along with game rooms, party spaces and a lounge, said base spokesman Justin Keller.
“The existing 45-year-old center has served the [base] community well for decades,” he wrote in a March 13 email.
The new facility will ensure the next generation of sailors and families will have a facility that meets their needs, Keller said.
An exact construction schedule is not available, but a complete timeline will be released once utility work concludes, he added.
A construction worker stands by to direct traffic and pedestrians at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, on Jan. 29, 2026. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)
Vertical work on the facility will coincide with the construction of two new parking garages: a four-story, 466-space garage near Kyuban and Jyuban housing towers and a five-story, 334-space garage near the exchange, said Keller and the Naval Region Japan website.
The three projects are part of a broader, $500 million initiative between the U.S. Navy and Japanese government to build 13 facilities for the Navy throughout Kanagawa prefecture in exchange for returning the Negishi Housing Annex, Keller said.
The annex is slated to be officially handed over to Japan on June 30, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said at a March 13 press conference.
Once the new recreation and dining facility is completed, the food court will be demolished and replaced with a 279-space parking lot, Keller said.
Among several projects under construction at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, are updates to four apartment buildings for single service members, seen here on Jan. 29, 2026. (Jonathan Baez/Stars and Stripes)
While the upgrades will eventually result in more than 1,000 additional parking spaces, residents in the meantime will have to grapple with reduced parking and traffic disruptions from construction, Keller said.
The base has established two temporary spots for people to pick up packages at the post office annex next to the food court, Keller wrote.
Other projects are underway, including upgrades to four single-sailor apartment buildings and construction of the P-39 Ship Handling and Combat Training Facility, a high-tech training space that includes at least five simulators just 400 yards from Yokosuka’s main gate.
“As with the ongoing unaccompanied housing upgrades, the timeline for the new bowling and dining complex is part of a deliberate strategy to balance and minimize impact of construction projects across the installation,” the base said in a March 3 news release.
