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Kanagawa · Capital · Designated city

Yokohama

横浜市よこはましYokohama-shi

Japan's first window on the world, on Tokyo Bay

Yokohama is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture and, with about 3.8 million inhabitants, Japan's largest city after Tokyo's wards. A fishing village until it opened as a treaty port in 1859, it became Japan's gateway to the West and remains a major port, known for its waterfront of Minato Mirai, the largest Chinatown in Japan and the Western houses of the Yamate bluff.

Overview

Yokohama stretches along the western shore of Tokyo Bay, from the Tsurumi River on the Kawasaki border south to Kanazawa-hakkei, and inland over the hills of the Tama and Sagami uplands. Its 18 wards make it the most populous municipality in Japan, a city of commuters and of industry, with the Keihin industrial zone on its reclaimed shore and one of the country's busiest container ports.

The city's character comes from its history as a treaty port. When it opened in 1859, foreign merchants settled on the flat ground of Kannai and on the Yamate bluff, Chinese traders founded what became Japan's largest Chinatown, and the port handled most of Japan's silk exports. Many Japanese 'firsts' – the railway, gas street lamps, a daily newspaper, ice cream and beer brewing – are credited to Yokohama.

Today visitors come for the waterfront: the towers, museums and ferris wheel of Minato Mirai 21, the Red Brick Warehouses, Yamashita Park with the preserved liner Hikawa Maru, the Osanbashi pier terminal and the streets of Chinatown and Motomachi. The Sankeien garden, with historic buildings brought from Kyoto and Kamakura, and the Soto Zen head temple Soji-ji offer a quieter, older Japan.

Landmarks

  • Minato Mirai 21

    みなとみらい21Minato Mirai Nijūichi

    Waterfront district with the Landmark Tower, the Cosmo Clock ferris wheel, museums and a preserved dry dock.

  • Yokohama Chinatown

    横浜中華街Yokohama Chūkagai

    Japan's largest Chinatown, with some 500 shops and restaurants, colourful gates and the Kanteibyo temple.

  • Sankeien

    三溪園Sankeien

    Garden created by the silk merchant Hara Sankei, with a three-storey pagoda and historic buildings from Kyoto and Kamakura.

  • Red Brick Warehouses

    横浜赤レンガ倉庫Yokohama Aka-renga Sōko

    Customs warehouses of the early twentieth century, now housing shops, restaurants and event spaces.

  • Yamashita Park and Hikawa Maru

    山下公園Yamashita Kōen

    Seafront park built on earthquake rubble, beside the 1930 ocean liner Hikawa Maru, preserved as a museum ship.

  • Yamate

    山手Yamate

    The Bluff, former foreign settlement with Western-style houses, churches, the Foreign General Cemetery and harbour views.

  • Soji-ji

    總持寺Sōji-ji

    One of the two head temples of Soto Zen, moved to Tsurumi from the Noto Peninsula in 1911, where monks still train.

  • Cup Noodles Museum

    カップヌードルミュージアムKappu Nūdoru Myūjiamu

    Museum of instant noodles in Minato Mirai, where visitors design their own cup.

Districts

  • Minato Mirai

    みなとみらいMinato Mirai

    Planned waterfront centre of offices, hotels, museums and concert halls.

  • Kannai and Bashamichi

    関内Kannai

    The historic centre of the treaty port, with early twentieth-century bank and office buildings and the city hall.

  • Chinatown and Motomachi

    元町Motomachi

    Chinatown's restaurants and the boutique shopping street of Motomachi below the Yamate bluff.

  • Noge

    野毛Noge

    A lively old-fashioned drinking district of izakaya and jazz bars near Sakuragicho Station.

  • Yokohama Station area

    横浜駅Yokohama-eki

    Major rail hub with department stores and underground shopping malls.

  • Shin-Yokohama

    新横浜Shin-Yokohama

    Shinkansen district with the Nissan Stadium, the Yokohama Arena and the Raumen Museum.

History

Yokohama was a small fishing village when Commodore Perry's fleet anchored nearby and the Convention of Kanagawa was signed there in 1854. Instead of the post town of Kanagawa on the Tokaido, the shogunate chose the more isolated village as the site of the treaty port, which opened in 1859. It grew rapidly, and in 1872 Japan's first railway linked it with Tokyo.

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed most of the city; rubble from the ruins was used to build Yamashita Park. Air raids in May 1945 again levelled the centre, and parts of the city and port were occupied by US forces for years after the war. From the 1980s the Minato Mirai 21 project turned former shipyards and rail yards into a new city centre.

  1. 1854

    The Convention of Kanagawa is signed at Yokohama village.

  2. 1859

    The port of Yokohama opens to foreign trade.

  3. 1862

    The Namamugi Incident, the killing of a British merchant by Satsuma samurai, takes place in today's Tsurumi Ward.

  4. 1872

    Japan's first railway opens between Yokohama and Shimbashi.

  5. 1889

    Yokohama receives city status.

  6. 1923

    The Great Kanto Earthquake and fires destroy most of the city.

  7. 1945

    An air raid on 29 May burns much of the centre.

  8. 1956

    Yokohama becomes a designated city.

  9. 1993

    The Yokohama Landmark Tower opens in Minato Mirai 21.

  10. 2002

    The FIFA World Cup final is played at the International Stadium Yokohama.

Culture

Yokohama sees itself as Japan's most cosmopolitan city, with a long history of foreign communities, jazz clubs, Western architecture and design. The Yokohama Triennale of contemporary art, the Yokohama Museum of Art and concert venues in Minato Mirai make it a cultural centre, and its baseball, football and basketball teams have large followings.

Festivals

  • Port Opening Anniversary

    横浜開港祭Yokohama Kaikōsai

    Celebrations around 2 June, the anniversary of the port's opening, with fireworks over the harbour.

  • Chinese New Year in Chinatown

    春節shunsetsu

    Lion dances, lantern displays and parades in January or February, following the lunar calendar.

  • Yokohama Triennale

    横浜トリエンナーレYokohama Toriennāre

    International contemporary art exhibition held every three years since 2001.

Food

  • Iekei ramen

    家系ラーメンiekei rāmen

    Thick pork-and-soy broth with firm noodles, spinach and nori, originating in Yokohama.

  • Shumai

    シウマイshiumai

    Small steamed pork dumplings, sold in lunch boxes at Yokohama Station since the 1920s.

  • Sanma-men

    サンマーメンsanmāmen

    Noodles in soup topped with a thickened stir-fry of bean sprouts and pork, a local Chinese-Japanese creation.

  • Chinatown dim sum and nikuman

    肉まんnikuman

    Steamed buns and dim sum sold from street stalls throughout Chinatown.

  • Napolitan

    ナポリタンnaporitan

    Ketchup spaghetti associated with the post-war kitchen of the Hotel New Grand.

Getting around

  • Shin-Yokohama is a stop for all Tokaido Shinkansen trains; Yokohama Station is about 25 minutes from Tokyo Station by JR and 30–35 minutes from Shibuya by the Tokyu Toyoko Line.
  • Keikyu trains and airport buses reach Haneda Airport in about 20–30 minutes.
  • The Minatomirai Line runs underground from Yokohama Station through Minato Mirai to Motomachi-Chukagai; the Yokohama Municipal Subway covers the inland wards.
  • Water taxis and the Sea Bass boat connect the waterfront, and the Yokohama Air Cabin gondola crosses the harbour from Sakuragicho.

Day trips

  • Kamakura

    Zen temples and the Great Buddha, about 25 minutes by JR Yokosuka Line.

  • Hakone

    Hot springs and Lake Ashi, via Odawara by Shinkansen or JR.

  • Kawasaki

    Kawasaki Daishi temple and the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum, just north.

  • Enoshima and Shonan

    江の島Enoshima

    Island shrines and beaches, via Fujisawa or Kamakura.

  • Tokyo

    Shinagawa and Shibuya are each about half an hour away.

Other cities in the prefecture

TownHakoneHakone-machiHot springs and Fuji views in a volcanic calderaCityKamakuraKamakura-shiThe samurai capital between green hills and Sagami BayDesignated cityKawasakiKawasaki-shiFactory coast, Daishi temple and hillside museums along the Tama

Frequently asked questions

Is Yokohama bigger than Osaka?

Yes. By population Yokohama is Japan's largest city proper after the combined 23 wards of Tokyo, ahead of Osaka.

How long does it take from Tokyo to Yokohama?

About 25 minutes from Tokyo Station by JR, or 20 minutes from Shinagawa; the Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya takes about 30–35 minutes.

Is Yokohama Chinatown worth visiting?

Yes. It is Japan's largest Chinatown, with hundreds of restaurants and food stalls, temples and colourful gates, a short walk from Yamashita Park and Motomachi.

What is Minato Mirai?

A waterfront district developed from the 1980s on former shipyards and rail yards, with skyscrapers, museums, hotels, a ferris wheel and harbour promenades.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.横浜市ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 横浜市 (City of Yokohama)
  2. 2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
  3. 3.神奈川県ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 神奈川県 (Kanagawa Prefecture)
  4. 4.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — JNTO

Editorial team · Published: