Yokohama

Yokohama is located on the south side of Tokyo, next to Tokyo Bay, and has the second-largest population in Japan after Tokyo. In 1859, when the port of Yokohama was opened, merchants from all over the world flocked to the city, forming residential districts for foreigners, such as Chinatown, Motomachi, and Yamate. Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 is a famous seaside sightseeing area in Yokohama, combining tourism, entertainment and business.

Opening of Yokohama Port

Shortly after the Perry Expedition incident, Yokohama also opened its doors to the world. Many Chinese people gathered here since then, forming Yokohama Chinatown, the largest Chinatown in Japan, where you can find Chinese restaurants of all tastes and Chinese temples such as the Kanteibyo Temple (關帝廟) and Masobyo Temple (媽祖廟).

Yokohama Chinatown

Largest Chinatown in Asia

Yokohama Chinatown is one of Japan's three major Chinatowns, and it is easily accessible and always crowded with tourists. There are ten decorated Chinese archways of various shapes, and hundreds of Chinese restaurants covering Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, Guangdong and other tastes. The nearby Guan Di Temple (Kanteibyo Temple) and A-Ma Temple (Masobyo Temple) are worshipped widely by local Chinese residents.

Yokohama Masobyo Temple

A-Ma Faith Around the World

In 2006, the Yokohama Masobyo Temple was opened in Yokohama's Chinatown, symbolizing that Chinese Mazu Faith blossomed in the famous coastal city of Yokohama. Worshiped by the local Chinese, it is said that Mazu, the Holy Heavenly Mother can relieve disasters, heal the sick, and bless the fishermen with safety at sea.

Yokohama Kanteibyo Temple

God of Wealth in Chinatown

The Yokohama Kanteibyo Temple in Yokohama's Chinatown was built about 150 years ago and has been damaged by earthquakes and fires three times, and was last rebuilt in 1990. The temple is built in the style of a Taiwanese temple and is dedicated to Holy Emperor Lord Guan Yu, who is regarded as the god of wealth by local Chinese merchants.

In the following 100 years, Japan’s maritime industry has developed significantly, Japanese mail shipping lines have been spread around the world. Today, Yokohama has become the gateway to Japan, with a tight schedule of international cruise ships in and out of the Port of Yokohama, and an international passenger terminal with a constant flow of passengers from morning to night.

NYK Maritime Museum

Rise and Fall of Japanese Shipping

The NYK Maritime Museum, inaugurated in 2003, is located near the port of Yokohama. The museum introduces the history of the birth of shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line), as well as the decline and revival of the Japanese shipping industry before and after World War II. The museum has ship models such as the Asama Maru, Kamakura Maru and Hikawa Maru.

Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal

Gateway of Yokohama Port

Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal is a world-renowned international cruise terminal and the gateway to the Port of Yokohama. Inside the Osanbashi Pier, there is an immigration lobby, lounge and shopping area, and a rooftop observation deck with a full view of Yokohama Port and Minato Mirai 21.

Manywhere Trivia:
In terms of population and economy, Yokohama is currently the second-largest city in Japan, but if you try to tell that to Osaka residents, they don’t buy it.

Motomachi and Yamate Foreign Residential Districts

Most of the Chinese in Yokohama lived in the Chinatown area, while foreigners from Europe and America lived in the Motomachi (元町) and Yamate (山手 Yamanote) areas. These foreign merchants, who were very profitable in trading silk, paper and lacquerware, built large houses for themselves, which were collectively called “Yamate Western-style Buildings”.

Yamate Western-Style Buildings

Former Residences for Westerners

After the opening of the Yokohama port, the Yamate and Motomachi areas were opened for foreigners to settle in, and several Western-style houses built by famous designers have been preserved to this day. The Berrick Hall, the Ehrismann Residence, and the Diplomat's House are representative of the Yamate Western-style Buildings in Yokohama.

Ehrismann Residence

Work of a Master Architect

In 1926, Swiss businessman Ehrismann hired architect Antonin Raymond to build a wooden two-story Western-style villa for himself. The first floor has a living room, dining room, and drawing room, while the second floor, which originally had three bedrooms, has been converted into showrooms for the Yamate Western-style Buildings.

Berrick Hall

Largest Western-style House in Yamate

The 2,000-square-meter Berrick Hall, completed in 1930, was the largest foreign residence in the Yamate area of Yokohama before World War II. The Berrick Hall is designed in Spanish style with rooms such as a living room, a dining room, a master room, a children's room, and guest rooms, etc.

The Home Of A Diplomat

Moved From Shibuya

The Diplomat's House was originally located on a hillside in Shibuya, Tokyo. It was a townhouse built by an American designer for Japanese diplomat Uchida Sadatsuchi and relocated to the Yamate Italian Garden in Yokohama in 1997. The Diplomat's House is two stories high and is built in the American Victorian style.

Waterfront Metropolitan Area

The iconic landscape, Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 (MM21) is an ambitious waterfront urban development project launched in 1983. It embodies the pursuit of the future city of the 21st century, combining tourism, entertainment, modern commerce, conventions, exhibitions, history and culture. MM21 has created many landmarks in Yokohama, such as Yokohama Landmark Tower and Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris Wheel.

Yokohama Minato Mirai 21

The Future City by Tokyo Bay

Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 is a coastal urban area on the shores of Tokyo Bay in Yokohama City, which has been under construction since 1983. Yokohama Minato Mirai 21 combines sightseeing and entertainment, modern business, convention, exhibition, history and culture, bringing the concept of a future city to life.

Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum

Touching the Cutting-edge Technology

The Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum, located in the Minato Mirai 21 of Yokohama Port, is a science and technology museum opened by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for young people. The museum exhibits Mitsubishi's cutting-edge technology products in a variety of fields, including aerospace vehicles and underwater machinery, promoting the future of technological life.

Sail Training Ship Nippon Maru

The Legendary Sailing Ship

The Nippon Maru is a Sail Training Ship that has trained 11,500 cadets and sailed a total of 1.83 million kilometers in half a century since her debut in 1930. In 1983, the Sailboat Nippon Maru is permanently docked in Yokohama Dockyard No. 1 for visitors to experience.

Yokohama Port Museum

History of the Port City

The Yokohama Port Museum is located in the Nippon Maru Memorial Park in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama Port, next to the sailing ship Nippon Maru. The museum introduces the history of the Yokohama Port from its opening to the present, as well as its structure and functions, through the Yokohama Port History and Rediscovering Yokohama Port exhibitions.

Attractions in Yokohama

• Yokohama Minato Mirai 21
• Sail Training Ship Nippon Maru
• Yokohama Port Museum
• Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal
• Yokohama Chinatown
• Yokohama Masobyo Temple
• Yokohama Kanteibyo Temple
• Yamate Western-Style Buildings
• Ehrismann Residence
• Berrick Hall
• The Home Of A Diplomat
• Shinyokohama Raumen Museum
• Mitsubishi Minatomirai Industrial Museum
• NYK Maritime Museum
• Yokohama Park And Yokohama Stadium
• Sojiji Temple