The Minatomirai area, a staple of Yokohama sightseeing, is full of sightseeing areas, including Yokohama Chinatown, where you can taste authentic Chinese cuisine, Motomachi, with its rows of first-class boutiques, and Bashamichi, with its retro architecture. The symbol of Yokohama, the Marine Tower, and the Red Brick Warehouse are just a few of the sights that will give you a taste of the port city of Yokohama.
For couples, a cruise around the bay area on a sightseeing boat and a ride on the Ferris wheel at Cosmo World are recommended. For efficient sightseeing, the Akai Bus, which makes a round trip every day, is convenient.
To enjoy sightseeing in Yokohama
The Minatomirai area, a staple of Yokohama sightseeing, is home to Yokohama Chinatown, where you can taste authentic Chinese food, and Motomachi Shopping Street, famous for its first-class boutiques. The symbols of Yokohama, such as the Marine Tower, Landmark Tower, Red Brick Warehouse, Osanbashi Bridge, and Yamashita Park, will surely make you feel the atmosphere of the port city of Yokohama.
You can also cruise around the bay area on a sightseeing boat, and enjoy a romantic moment on the Ferris wheel at Cosmo World. If you venture up into the hills, you can stroll through a park on a hilltop overlooking the night view of the harbor and the Nogeyama Zoo, which has numerous Western buildings that preserve the scenery of the opening of Japan to the West and offers free admission.
To the south of the Minato Mirai area, there is Sankeien, a renowned garden, and Kanazawa Hachikkei, a scenic beauty spot in the Kanazawa district, as well as Hakkei-jima Sea Paradise and other family-friendly spots.
In the northern and western parts of the city, nature remains, and there are also Jomon and Yayoi period ruins, caves of ascetic monks such as Yugadong, and a museum that preserves old private homes.
History of Yokohama
Yokohama was little more than a small fishing village called Yokohama-mura until the end of the Edo period. Yokohama's transformation into the huge city it is today was triggered by the opening of the port of Yokohama following the opening of Japan to the outside world.
After the opening of the port, Japan's first telegraph wires were deployed in the early Meiji period, and Japan's first daily newspaper was published. Other pioneers of Japan's modernization, such as the installation of Japan's first gas lamps and the construction of a railroad connecting Tokyo and Yokohama, continued to grow through the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras.
Although the city was severely damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake and the Yokohama Air Raid, it quickly recovered as a satellite city supporting the capital, Tokyo. In 1956, Yokohama became the first city in Japan to be designated as an ordinance-designated city, and it continues to grow as a megacity with the largest population (over 3.5 million) of any regional city in Japan.
Local Gourmet, Food Culture, and Specialties of Yokohama
After the opening of the port, various food cultures from all over the world were brought to Yokohama, including beef hot pot, which quickly became popular among the Japanese people in the early Meiji period. Western-style cuisine such as seafood doria and Neapolitan spaghetti actually originated in Yokohama, and the city is dotted with long-established and famous Western-style restaurants.
In Yokohama Chinatown, one of the busiest Chinatowns in Japan, you can enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine, and if you get hungry, you can enjoy eating Chinese steamed buns, shaomai, dumplings, chimaki, and more.
Yokohama is also famous for its local ramen called "Ie-kei Ramen," which has "XX family" in the name of the restaurant. The soy sauce tonkotsu ramen based on tonkotsu (pork bone) soup is rich and impactful! There is another traditional local ramen called "Sanma-men" with vegetable starchy sauce as an ingredient, so if you are interested in trying it, please give it a try.
Souvenirs include the standard Chinese steamed buns, shioumai, raisin sandwiches, and moon cakes, but there are also many famous confectionery stores in the department stores around Yokohama Station and in the Minatomirai area, so it is a good idea to check before your trip.
Hakkeijima is a marine entertainment island complex consisting of an aquarium, amusement park, shopping mall, hotel and marina. The aquarium "Aqua Resorts" at Hakkeijima Sea Paradise is divided into four areas according to theme, allowing visitors to enjoy the entire ocean. Aqua Museum.100,000 living creatures of 500 species live here.Aqua Theater (720-inch digital high-definition theater with 1...»
The Osanbashi Bridge is a two-story international passenger terminal with one basement level located in the Port of Yokohama.The rooftop, which has the aptly named "Whale's Backyard," is a park-like spot with a wooden deck made of Brazilian ipe and a natural grass lawn, which can be freely accessed 24 hours a day. It offers a panoramic view of Yokohama Harbor, from Minato Mirai to the Bay Bridge ...»
Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in East Asia, with more than 500 stores ranging from Chinese restaurants to cafes, bars, and Asian sundries all lined up in a mere 500 meter square block. There are both casual food stalls and long-established authentic Chinese restaurants, many famous and new restaurants, Cantonese, Shanghai, Sichuan, and Beijing cuisine, as well as dim sum dishes prep...»
One of the largest urban zoos in Japan, with approximately 100 species and 760 animals on display on its vast 45-hectare grounds. Visitors can encounter rare animals such as the okapi, one of the world's three rarest animals, the Indian lion, of which there are only about 300 in the world, the sesquiped tortoiseshell kangaroo, the yak, the crested serpentine, and the giant migratory pigeon, which...»
Sankeien Garden is a vast 175,000-square-meter garden with 17 Japanese architectural structures. The garden is designated as a national place of scenic beauty, and 10 buildings, 12 of which were relocated, are designated as national important cultural properties.The original relocated buildings are 5 in Kyoto, 3 in Wakayama, 2 in Kanagawa, 1 in Gifu, and 1 in Tokyo. The buildings of high histori...»
The Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse is a cultural and commercial facility built in the red brick warehouse by the Meiji government.Building No. 1 is a cultural facility with exhibition space on the second floor and a hall on the third floor, and Building No. 2 is a commercial facility with 40 stores and restaurants. The surrounding area has been developed as "Red Brick Park" with a plaza and park, a...»
Adjacent to the Port of Yokohama, this park offers a romantic view of the Bay Bridge and ships passing through the harbor. The park was opened in 1930 on reclaimed sea land. In the park, there is the "Rose Garden of the Future," where 2,650 roses of about 190 varieties bloom every spring and fall, a statue of the guardian god of water donated by the City of San Diego, a statue of "The Girl with t...»
An exotic park with a panoramic view of the Bay Bridge and the Port of Yokohama.There is an English rose garden, "English Rose Garden," and a sunken bed garden, "Fragrance Garden." Visitors can enjoy the fragrance and color of roses, plants, flowers and trees throughout the four seasons against the backdrop of Western-style architecture. The park is also the site of the French Consulate and the B...»
An amusement park where visitors can taste ramen from famous ramen restaurants from all over Japan in a building that recreates the retro townscape of 1958. The retro atmosphere of a Showa-era townscape lit by sunset spreads out, and there is a museum store, a candy shop, a coffee shop/snack store, and fortune telling....»
A marine entertainment island complex centered on the theme park "Hakkeijima Sea Paradise," which includes an aquarium, amusement park, shopping mall, hotel, marina, and other facilities. The aquarium "Aqua Resorts" is divided into four themed areas, allowing visitors to enjoy the entire ocean. Aqua Museum.100,000 living creatures of 500 species live here.Aqua Theater (720-inch digital high-defi...»
Yokohama Marine Tower is a ten-square observation tower designed in the image of a lighthouse and is the symbol of the Port of Yokohama.Located adjacent to Yamashita Park, the observation floors on the 29th and 30th floors offer a panoramic view of Yokohama Port, the Bay Bridge, the city of Yokohama, Honmoku Wharf, and other factory night views. It is 106 meters high, and the top of the tower onc...»
With 70 floors above ground and a height of 296 meters, the Yokohama Landmark Tower is the symbolic skyscraper of Yokohama.It is the second tallest skyscraper in Japan after the 300-meter Abeno Harukas in Osaka. It consists of a tower tower and a low-rise plaza tower, and includes Landmark Plaza for shopping, Sky Garden (observation floor), a hotel, and a hall. The Sky Garden observation deck is...»
The symbol of Yokohama Chinatown, this shrine is a Chinese shrine of business prosperity.The orange roof and gaudy decorations make the temple stand out even in Chinatown. Most of the building materials were imported from China, and carpenters from China constructed the building. The roofs, pillars, and ceilings are decorated with detailed carvings. The main deity is Guan Yu, famous in the "Roma...»
This is a harbor green park where the Sailing Ship Nippon Maru is displayed on a floating structure.The park was the first park developed in the Minato Mirai area, and includes the Nippon Maru, the exhibition dock, and the Yokohama Minato Museum, a maritime museum.The Nippon Maru and the exhibition dock are designated as National Important Cultural Properties. Sailing Ship Nippon MaruThe Nippon M...»
Located at the scenic Kannonzaki, on the eastern edge of the nature-rich Miura Peninsula, the Yokosuka Art Museum is at one with the sea, forest, and nature. It has a wonderful location facing the ocean and is surrounded by beautiful forests on the other three sides. The building is half buried underground, and the exterior is a distinctive structure covered with glass and steel plates. The exhib...»
Located at Minato Mirai 21 in Yokohama, the Yokohama Museum of Art opened in 1989 as a pavilion for the Yokohama Exposition, and officially opened as the Yokohama Museum of Art after the exposition ended. The exterior of the building, with its symmetrical design by Kenzo Tange, has a special presence in the center of the Minato Mirai district. The museum houses seven exhibition halls, an art inf...»
This ropeway connects JR Sakuragicho Station and the Canal Park in the Shinko District. The ropeway is fully air-conditioned, making it comfortable to ride even in the hot summer months. The ropeway operates until 10:00 p.m., so you can enjoy the scenery of Yokohama during the daytime, and at night you can admire the sparkling night view. In addition to being a convenient means of transportation...»
The Sky Garden is an observation deck located on the 69th floor of the Yokohama Landmark Tower at a height of 273 meters above ground level. It offers a 360-degree view of Yokohama Port, Tokyo Bay, central Tokyo, the Boso Peninsula, Miura Peninsula, Izu Peninsula, Mount Fuji, Mount Chichibu, and the entire Kanto Plain. Yokohama Landmark Tower is the symbolic skyscraper of Yokohama, with 70 floor...»