YOKOHAMA
Yokohama (横浜) is Japan's second largest city with a population of over three million. Yokohama is located less than half an hour south of Tokyo by train, and is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), during which Japan maintained a policy of self-isolation, Yokohama's port was one of the first to be opened to foreign trade in 1859. Consequently, Yokohama quickly grew from a small fishing village into one of Japan's major cities.
Until today, Yokohama remains popular among expats, has one of the world's largest chinatowns and preserves some former Western residences in the Yamate district.
Top attractions in Yokohama
Sankeien Garden
Sankeien (三溪園) is a spacious Japanese style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan. There is a pond, small rivers, flowers and wonderful scrolling trails that make you think you are in Kyoto rather than Yokohama. The garden was built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904. Among the historic buildings exhibited in the park are an elegant daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses and the main hall and three storied pagoda of Kyoto's old Tomyoji Temple.
Minato Mirai 21
Minato Mirai 21 is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama whose name means "harbor of the future". It has many large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, which was Japan's tallest building from 1993 until 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s, when development began to turn it into a new city center. Minato Mirai is blessed with a great location along the water and has a wealth of attractions. Visitors to the area will be able to find shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums and park space.
Zoorasia
Zoorasia is one of Japan's newest, largest and best kept zoos. The zoo was established in 1999, and since then has been operating under the themes of "Symbiosis of Life" and "Harmony with Nature". The animals are generally kept in spacious areas that mimic their natural habitat to a degree that is not usually seen in Japanese zoos.
Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown (横浜中華街, Yokohama Chūkagai) is Japan's largest chinatown, located in central Yokohama. A large number of Chinese stores and restaurants can be found in the narrow and colorful streets of Chinatown. Various events and festivals such as Chinese New Year around the beginning of February are also held at chinatown. Yokohama Chinatown quickly developed, after the port of Yokohama had been one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to foreign trade in 1859. It became the residence of the many Chinese traders who settled down in the city. Today, there are more businesses than actual residents living in the area.
Ramen Museum
The "Shinyokohama Raumen Museum" is a unique museum about ramen, a very popular Japanese noodle dish which was originally introduced from China. In a gallery on the first floor, the Ramen Museum presents the history of ramen noodles in Japan, including the big success of instant ramen. It displays the variety of noodles, soups, toppings and bowls used across Japan, and shows how the noodles are made. On the two basement floors, visitors can explore a 1:1 replica of some streets and houses of Shitamachi, the old town of Tokyo, of around the year 1958, when the popularity of ramen was rapidly increasing. Nine ramen restaurants can be found there, each featuring a ramen dish from a different region of Japan.
Cup Noodles Museum
The Cup Noodles Museum is a fun and interactive museum in Yokohama's Minato Mirai District that shows the history of instant ramen noodles using a combination of whimsical exhibits and hands on workshops. It was opened by the Nissin Food company, whose founder invented instant ramen noodles in 1958 as a fast and convenient food. It is the second cup noodles museum to open in Japan; the first is the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum in Osaka.
Yamashita Park
Yamashita Park is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront. The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space. It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade. The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line. The ship had first-class cabins that attracted the likes of the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin for the transpacific journey. In 1960, after 30 years at sea, the ship was retired. It now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s.
Yamate and Motomachi
For most of the 250 years of the Edo Period (1603-1867), the rulers of Japan prohibited almost all interactions with foreign countries. When the period of isolation finally ended in the 1850s, Yokohama was one of only a few port towns where foreign traders, looking to profit from the newly opened country, were permitted to reside. While the Chinese made themselves a Chinatown, Westerners took up in the hills of the Yamate area, which was also called "The Bluff".
Osanbashi Pier
The Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal (大さん橋国際客船ターミナル, Ōsanbashi Kokusai Kyakusen Terminal), also known as Osanbashi Pier, is located between Minato Mirai and Yamashita Park. It is where international cruise ships dock when they visit Yokohama. The 400 meter pier has walkways and green spaces that are open to the general public, making Osanbashi Pier an interesting attraction even for travelers not boarding a ship.
Hakkeijima Sea Paradise
The Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (八景島シーパラダイス) is an amusement park located on a small island just off shore, about 30 minutes by train south of downtown Yokohama. It is one of the most visited amusement parks in Japan and houses quite an impressive aquarium. Admission into the park is not charged. Visitors are free to enter the island to utilize its park areas, stroll along the promenades, shop at the stores or dine at the restaurants. An entry fee is only required for the attractions of Aqua Resorts and the rides of Pleasure Land.
Kirin Beer Factory
The Kirin Brewery Company, one of Japan's four leading beer breweries, was founded in Yokohama, a city that played a leading role in Japan's adoption of beer from the West. It is possible for tourists to visit the Kirin Beer Factory in Yokohama and participate in free brewery tours, which offer a glimpse into the brewing facilities and include some beer tasting. Brewery tours last about 80 minutes and lead along a gallery with displays regarding the history of beer and Kirin and with views of fermentation tanks and the canning and bottling areas. Tours are usually conducted in Japanese, but an English guide may also be available. The last twenty minutes of the tour consist of a free tasting, where visitors are given a couple of beers and some snacks.