Taking the train on the Keihin - Tohoku Line, you will arrive in about 40 minutes at Sakuragi-to Station, located on the beautiful waterfront of Yokohama. The faster Tokaido Line will take you to the city's central station. A short walk from Sakuragi-to takes you to the sprawling shopping and entertainment district of Minato Mirai 21, as well as Yamashita Park, where you can cruise around the harbor on one of the pleasure boats moored next to the retired ship Hikawa-maru. Across the street from the park stands the nine-story Silk Center Building. Located on its third floor, the Silk Museum (Tue-Sun 9.00-16.30; www.silkmuseum.or.jp) with a collection of kimonos and silk-spinning paraphernalia, takes visitors back to the days when Yokohama was the center of the industry. Next door you will find the Yokohama Tourism and Convention Bureau. For a bird's eye view of the harbor, climb to the observation deck of the 106-meter Marine Tower lighthouse, the tallest in the world.
The Minato Mirai 21 project was launched in the mid-1980s. with the goal of transforming a large, neglected area of coastal land north and east of Sakuragi-to into a model “city of the future” with integrated elements of recreational, exhibition and business infrastructure. Central location it is occupied by the 70-story Landmark Tower skyscraper, the tallest building in the city. His Observation deck (daily 10.00-21.00, Sat 10.00-22.00; www. yokohama-landmark.jp) will give you an unforgettable panorama of the city and the Bay Bridge, especially in the evening.
Nearby Yokohama Art Museum (Fri-Wed 10.00-18.00; www.yaf.or.jp/yma), designed by Tange Kenzo, features works by both Japanese and Western masters, including Picasso, Braque, Kandinsky, Kishida Ryusei and Yoko-yama Taikan. The Nippon Maru Memorial Park stretches along the water's edge. NYK Maritime Museum (Tue-Sun 10.00-17.00), the pride of which is a three-masted ship, commonly referred to as the “Swan” Pacific Ocean", can be viewed with a guided tour. The Kisa Miti promenade leads to the artificial island of Shinkoto with Akarenga Park and the red brick warehouse - a row of red brick buildings of the old customs house, now occupied by shops, restaurants and boutiques.
The country's largest Chinatown, Yokohama, is a few minutes' walk from railway station"Kannai" in the city center. The narrow streets are filled with shops selling food, spices, medicinal herbs, kitchen utensils - in fact, everything that China exports. The restaurants are naturally incomparable.
The city has two fashion and entertainment zones. First - Basamiti (“Horse Carriage Street”), stretching from Kannai Station to the embankment. The street got its name in the 19th century, when it was built for carriages of Europeans and Americans living in the city. In memory of those times, the sidewalks here are lined with red brick, and replicas of gas lamps are installed. The second zone connects Ishikawa-to Station with Motomachi and the International Cemetery. Motomachi was the first shopping district for foreigners to emerge during the Meiji period and has been keeping up with global fashion trends ever since.
The Foreigners' Cemetery, established in 1854, became the final resting place for approximately 4,000 representatives of 40 nationalities who lived and died in Yokohama. Behind the cemetery there is Yamate Shiryokan - a small museum. (Tue-Sun 10.00-17.00), dedicated to the European colony of the 19th century. Up the hill in this part of Motomachi there is a park overlooking the harbor, especially nice here in the evening when Yamashita Park and the harbor itself are illuminated with a myriad of lights.
The elevated area below the cemetery is known as Yama-te and was once a desirable residence for diplomats and other foreigners who built colonial-style homes there. Some houses have survived. The exhibition at the Yamate Museum next to the English Church introduces the history of the area.
Another thing you should definitely see in Yokohama is Sankeien (daily 9.00-17.00; www.sankeien.or.jp)- originally the estate of the wealthy silk merchant and art connoisseur Hara Sankei, who opened his park to the public in 1906.
big wheel
The 112.5 m high Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris Wheel is one of the largest in the world. From its height there is a stunning view of the Minato Mirai complex. Full turn the wheel completes in 15 minutes.
TOURISTS' ANSWERS:
Yokohama is located close to Tokyo (only 30 kilometers) and is the second largest city in Japan. The city combines seemingly incompatible things - high tech And latest achievements techniques coexist with ancient parks, museums and buildings that remind us of ancient Japan.
Located in Yokohama sufficient quantity various museums in which you can both get acquainted with the history of Japan (for example, in the silk museum, toy museum, maritime museum), and exhibitions where you can appreciate technical innovations created in Japan (for example, in the Mitsubishi industrial center or in scientific center Yokohama).
Maritime Museum
Yokohama is a port city, so it is not surprising that there is a Maritime Museum there - after all, the sea has played and continues to play a big role in the life of Yokohama.
The museum is quite unusual; it is located not in any building, but on board a ship that was built in the twentieth century. The ship was built as a training ship, which was used to train students studying shipping.
The museum has both permanent exhibitions and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibition consists of five parts - the history of the port of Yokohama, the ship Nippon Maru (the same one in which the museum itself is located), the history of the development of ships, images of the port of Yokohama and ports of the world.
If you are interested in navigation, ships, ports or maritime trade, you will probably be interested in visiting such a museum.
Silk Museum
In this museum you can learn how silk is made, what types of silk are produced in Japan, and admire silk products made in Japan.
On the ground floor there is an exhibition telling about the production of silk - there you can see silkworms with your own eyes (not a very appetizing, but at least an interesting sight), see how thread is created from cocoons and see the vegetable dyes with which silk is dyed almost all possible colors. Then you will find various spinning wheels - from the most ancient to the most modern. The second floor displays silk products - mainly, of course, kimonos. All of them are behind glass, you cannot take photographs, although some curious tourists manage to do this without catching the eye of the employees. Signatures under the stands are presented as in Japanese, and in English, so if you speak it, you can easily read all the explanations in the silk museum.
Of course, there is also a souvenir shop there - as you might guess, they sell a variety of products made from... of course, silk :) Among them are T-shirts, kimonos, scarves, ties, handbags, wallets and much more.
It seems to me that the museum will be most interesting to women and girls, especially those who are attracted to unusual and colorful outfits. Men can be a little bored in this museum, although they may well be interested in the technology of silk production.
And finally, I will provide practical information that tourists who decide to visit this museum may need.
Visiting hours are from 9 am to 4 pm on all days except Monday.
Admission costs 500 yen for adults, 200 yen for children.
Toy Museum
If you come to Yokohama with a child or you yourself are interested in toys, we can recommend the Toy Museum, whose collection includes about ten thousand toys from more than a hundred countries around the world! The toys are made from the most different materials- made of wood, wax, plastic, porcelain, fabric, etc. Special place The museum's exposition is devoted to dolls - among them there are also large dolls, and their clothes can, without exaggeration, be looked at for hours - because the smallest details are worked out in them. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the museum often hosts exhibitions dedicated to some separate period or country. The museum also houses a puppet theater. If you want to attend a show, you should check the schedule and show times in advance.
The museum is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The exception is every third Monday of the month. Admission costs 300 yen for an adult and 150 yen for a child.
Museum of Art
Unlike art museums other countries, the Yokohama Art Museum was founded relatively recently (at the end of the 20th century). The museum displays about 9 thousand art objects. Among famous artists whose paintings are presented in the museum include Cezanne, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso. A special place is occupied by Japanese artists who lived and worked in Yokohama.
Polytechnic Museum or Mitsubishi Industrial Museum
This museum is one of the most interesting museums cities. If you are interested in technology and technical innovations, then you will certainly like it.
The exhibition is divided into several parts - the transport zone, which tells about the development of different types of transport, energy zone, ocean zone (here we will talk about the role the ocean played in the development various types industry), aerospace zone, and quest zone. There you can try to control different types mechanisms. Keep in mind that much of the exhibits are interactive, such as the helicopter simulator.
As a rule, such museums are popular with children (of course, not all exhibits will be understandable to them), as well as adults who are interested in technology.
Landmark Tower
One of the most tall buildings Japan is located in Yokohama. The height of the tower is almost 300 meters (295 to be precise). The tower offers a magnificent panorama of the city, which can be admired by everyone who climbs the tower. By the way, one of the fastest elevators in the world will take you there - you will be at an altitude of 300 meters in less than a minute!
Chinatown
Chinatown in Yokohama is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. You can enter it through the gates (there are four in total).
There you can visit a Chinese temple - it is incredibly bright and attracts the attention of anyone who sees it.
Chinatown (or Chinatown) also hosts various events, such as Chinese New Year.
Is the answer helpful?
Ramen Museum. The museum is entirely dedicated to one of the most consumed Japanese products - noodles. This is also a hypermall and a theme park, where you can see the most common types of noodles, as well as get acquainted with some of the details of its preparation.
On the ground floor of the museum there is a souvenir shop, and, directly, the exhibits of the museum collections themselves. But the remaining two floors are a small historical park, which, by the way, is very impressive, since tourists can plunge into the ancient atmosphere of 1958, when the working-class Japanese neighborhoods were full of people, small noodle shops and restaurants. People were working, selling cotton candy, cakes and, of course, sake. This museum part of the exhibition will allow you to see all this.
But greatest feature represent restaurants, of which there are eight on the territory. Moreover, each of them has its own specialization in separate form noodles, or more precisely, their own variety. But, for visiting restaurants, you pay separately.
Museum visiting hours are from 11:00 to 23:00. Cost - from 100 to 300 yen, depending on age.
Sankeien Gardens. Address: 58-1 Honmoku-Sannotani, Naka-ku, Yokohama.
It's really interesting place, and because I love you very much natural beauty and parks, not only in Japan, but also in other countries, and I saw quite a large number of them, I can safely say that I was amazed by this beauty. Of course, the park is not in the center, but a little away from the main city attractions, but it’s worth it. Peace, beauty, perfect combination eastern features and traditions - this is what you will see here. The park is so unusual that everything here seems perfect. And don’t think that you will spend an hour or two here, this is not so. Prepare to be here for about half a day, because time flies.
In winter, plum trees bloom here, in spring you can watch the blooming of azaleas and the magnificent, more traditional sakura, but in summer, gorgeous irises attract attention. Even in autumn there is something to see here, because the leaves are painted in bright autumn colors, from bright yellow to brown, rich red.
In addition, the park's structures are considered national cultural parks of the country.
Entrance fee: outer garden - 300 yen, for children - 60, inner garden - 300 yen, for children - 120.
Minato Mirai 21. The port of the future, which they decided to build back in the early 60s. But construction began only in the 80s and ended in 1993. Today is huge shopping mall, which offers visitors a lot of entertainment, including for children.
Hundreds of shops, boutiques, offices, entertainment - everything for a great time.
By the way, many tourists prefer to combine walks around the center with Chinatown, which is very close. Here you can buy a lot of inexpensive souvenirs, visit cafes or restaurants, and just stroll around its surroundings, which are very bright and colorful. In addition, visitors can enjoy the amazing view that opens from the pier. The bay, the ships, the splash of water, all this is even a little relaxing.
Yokohama Landmark Tower Sky Garden observation deck. Address: 2-4-1 Minato Mirai, Yokohama.
The height of the building is almost three hundred meters, which makes the view of the city very impressive and breathtaking, and the wide windows allow you to a large number of gorgeous photos, so much so that the joints do not fall into the frame.
There is a cafe here, small sofas, if you suddenly get tired of admiring such beauty, in general, it’s cool. It is from here that you can see the real Japanese spirit, as well as a real giant port city, where the city of Yokohama itself appears before you as a small Japanese garden, with many bridges, ships, and piers. It would seem that they are very close. By the way, this is where the fastest high-speed elevators in the world take you up. Especially beautiful city at night, when thousands of lights color it in a special way.
Nogeyama Zoo. Address: 63-10 Oimatsucho, Yokohama.
A very pleasant place, especially for visitors with children. There are giraffes, pandas, peacocks, penguins, tigers and other representatives of the animal world. The choice is quite large, there is something to see, and there is also a corner with a petting zoo for children. In it, children can get acquainted with guinea pigs, chickens, and other harmless animals. And throughout the entire territory of the zoo there are always enough mothers with babies, but there is not much crowding, so I really enjoyed the walks.
But what surprised me was that there is very little space for animals here, which is very sad. Entrance to the zoo is free, but it is clear that this is reflected in the placement of animals.
Yokohama Zoo ""Zoorasia"". But this is a whole park-zoo, which is located at 1175-1 Kami-Shirane-cho, Yokohama.
There is a lot of space for animals here; there are several souvenir shops, restaurant, cozy cafes, slot machines, drinks truck, etc. There are also many visitors with children here, and on weekdays it is not very crowded.
I really liked the snowy arctic owl here, who even smiled and frowned at us. By the way, in addition to animals, there are also beautiful species of plants and flowers, as well as green, bright lawns on which you can relax. There are signs everywhere, and visitors are even given maps of the area with pictures of everything they need in the park.
Entrance to the zoo is 600 yen.
Passenger liner Hikawa-maru / NYK Hikawamaru Exhibits. Address: Yamashita Park, Yokohama.
The liner is moored near the popular Yamashita Park, so there are quite a lot of visitors here. It is also called the Queen of the Pacific, since the liner plied the ocean for thirty years.
Today, it is a beautiful museum, which is very elegantly decorated and beautiful inside. You will be able to visit the ship on which Charlie Chaplin himself traveled, because the years of his service were from 1930 to 1960. The appearance of the liner is also quite impressive, so walking along its board will be very interesting and educational. But the entrance ticket costs 800 yen, which is not very cheap.
Yokohama is one of the most major cities Countries rising sun and the administrative center of Kanagawa Prefecture. This incredibly huge city, with a population of approximately 3.4 million people, due to its close proximity to the Japanese capital, has become a source of labor for the Kanto region, and, at the same time, a bedroom community for Tokyo. Yokohama is home to the headquarters as well as large branches of world-famous trading, financial and industrial firms. In addition, it is also necessary to take into account that there is a fairly large layer of foreigners here. This trend developed back in 1859 - immediately after 250 years of strict isolation from outside world The Japanese government decided to allow merchant ships from other countries to enter the port of Yokohama. Over time, a small foreign settlement formed in the city, consisting of a small number of residential areas. In those years, the city was divided into several parts: Kangai and Kannai, located, respectively, behind the barrier and inside it. Gradually, Yokohama began to lose its fishing specialization and became a trading port, exporting tea and silk, as well as importing woolen goods and cotton.
An interesting fact is that it was in this amazing city that the first Japanese-language newspaper in the Land of the Rising Sun, called “Kaigai Shimbun,” was published in 1864. That is why Yokohama is often called the Mecca of Japanese journalism.
Residents of this city were the very first in the country to try and eventually adopt Western urban infrastructures, such as: railway communications, electric lighting, modern water supply systems, telephone communications. In addition, the first photo studios and hairdressing salons, which became a revelation for Japan, which had recently emerged from isolation, were opened in Yokohama. That is why we can confidently say that Yokohama has become the real cradle of today's Japan.
The city, which was growing rapidly, suffered greatly in 1923 due to powerful earthquake. In Yokohama, as a result of this, approximately 50 thousand houses were destroyed, and about 19 thousand residents died. Just 6 years later, the city’s former appearance was restored. Until 1943, the population of Yokohama reached one and a half million people, but again a devastating blow struck this amazing city. In May 1945, American bombers destroyed approximately 45% of the city's buildings. Once again the city plunged into smoking ruins. Unfortunately, Yokohama's problems did not end there - it became the main base for the American occupiers immediately after the surrender of Japan. About 28% of the surviving houses and 95% of the port facilities were taken by the US military. Naturally, all this had a significant impact on the process post-war reconstruction Yokohama, its industry and ports. It was not until 1952, when the San Francisco Peace Treaty was signed, that the city was freed from the grip of the American military administration. Within six years from 1962 to 1968, Yokohama's population grew to two million people, and ten years later it completely exceeded the three million mark.
To date great amount foreign firms move their headquarters to Yokohama from Tokyo. It is worth noting such giants, known all over the world, as UNION CARBIDE, KODAK and ITT. In addition, in government circles in the Land of the Rising Sun there is increasingly talk about the end of the “Tokyo era”, as well as the transfer of the capital to some other place. That is why the attractiveness of Yokohama increases every year.
It should be noted that the greatest impression on tourists and travelers who come to Yokohama is made not by various historical attractions, but by new urban buildings. These include, for example, Minato Mirai - an area built near the sea. Many buildings are still under construction, however, it is already clear that this area in the future will become a favorite place for entertainment and recreation for local residents and tourists.
The top of Landmark Tower, the tallest skyscraper in Japan, rises almost 320 meters above Yokohama. The upper floors of this imposing structure house the luxurious rooms of the Park Royal Hotel. Local residents call this tower a real symbol of the city. It is in this place that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the stunning views of the city. The most interesting part of the building for tourists is the Sky Garden - a complex consisting of 69 floors. It is here that you can see the fastest elevator in the world, which takes passengers upstairs in just forty seconds. Local residents are proud of it as it is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The Intercontinental Grand Hotel's incredibly large semicircular sail catches the light sea breeze. This hotel is famous for having more than six hundred guest rooms inside it. In addition to hotels and various administrative buildings made in an ultra-modern style, there is, for example, a Ferris wheel that raises cabins to a height of more than 110 meters. This attraction is extremely popular among visitors because it represents unique opportunity admire the view of the city and port. In addition, from above there is an excellent panorama of the bridge, laid over Yokohama Bay in 1989. The openwork suspension bridge, which is 860 meters long, instantly became one of the most popular attractions in Yokohama and Japan in particular. It has the unique property of allowing cars moving along it in both directions in three rows.
Has a strong economic base, represented mainly by by sea transport, as well as the biotechnology and semiconductor industries.
Minato mirai area (port of the future). It is not the ancient monuments that make a huge impression on tourists, but the new buildings of the city. These include, for example, the Minato Mirai district (Minato mirai - Port of the Future), which is being built on land reclaimed from the sea. Many of the buildings are still under construction, but it is increasingly clear that the area will become a favorite place for recreation and entertainment for city residents. The top of the country's tallest skyscraper, the Landmark Tower, rises almost 300 meters above the city, with luxurious rooms at the Royal Park Hotel on its upper floors. This tower is the symbol of the city. Here you can enjoy a magnificent view, shops, delicious food. Most interesting part of this Sky Garden building. The complex consists of 69 floors. Here is the fastest elevator in the world (listed in the Guinness Book of Records), which will take you upstairs in 40 seconds. The Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel with 6 hundred guest rooms catches the sea breeze with a huge semicircular sail.
In addition to administrative buildings and hotels built in an ultra-modern style, here, for example, a Ferris wheel is already spinning, raising cabins with vacationers to a height of 112.5 meters. This is a great opportunity to admire the port and the panorama of the city. Opens from above beautiful view to the bridge across Yokohama Bay Bridge, built in 1989. This openwork suspension bridge 860 meters long, which quickly turned into one of the landmarks of Japan, allows cars moving along it in three rows in both directions.
Silk Center. You can start exploring the city's attractions by visiting the Silk Center, located at the South Pier (Daisanbashi). On the first floor of the building you can get any tourist information about the city, and on the second and third floors there is Silk museum, where you can get acquainted with all stages of silk production and processing - from breeding silkworms to hand-dying fabrics for expensive kimonos. There are also many shops selling Japanese silk and products made from it.
Yamashita Park (Yamashita koen). To the southeast of the center building, Yamashita Park (Yamashita koen) stretches 1 km along the embankment in a narrow strip. At its far berth stands the passenger ship Hikawa Maru, which made regular voyages across the ocean to America in the first half of the 20th century. There is a small museum on board, but local residents prefer to visit Hikawa Maru because of its restaurants.
Marine tower. A few tens of meters away is another city landmark - the Marine tower. This 106-meter structure serves as a lighthouse - the tallest in the world, and you can climb to the top observation deck, which offers views of the harbor. The tower was built using rubble and other materials collected from the rubble left by the 1923 earthquake. On the lower floors of the tower there is maritime museum(Kayo Kagaku Hakubutsukan).
Museumdolls(Ningyo-no Ie). At the foot of the Sea Tower, there is a very interesting Doll Museum (Ningyo-no Ie), which contains more than a thousand toys from all over the world. There are also dolls brought from various republics. former USSR. Entrance fee is 300 yen. Children get the greatest pleasure from visiting the museum, because in addition to viewing the exhibition, you can also attend a performance of a real puppet theater.
Chinatown. The city fathers made a lot of efforts to ensure that the old and beloved Yokohama did not get lost in the concrete canyons of skyscrapers growing like mushrooms. You can't ignore Japan's only Chinatown, sandwiched between Yamashita Park and Ishikawacho Street. This neighborhood grew up around the Chinese temple of Kanteibyo, dedicated to the god of commerce. Accordingly, the surrounding houses can be with good reason attributed to the same cult, because they are all, to one degree or another, tied to trade. Chinatown is home to more than 500 restaurants and shops, surrounded by a swarm of barkers, giving tourists roaming its streets a sense of never-ending all year round carnival To get into the quarter, you must pass through one of four multi-colored gates - eastern (painted blue, a symbol of prosperity), western (white, a symbol of peace), southern (red, a symbol of happiness) or northern (black, a symbol of procreation).
Sankeien Park. Sankeien Park, opened in the city in 1906 with money from a local entrepreneur, is also a historical and cultural monument. It is famous not only for its unique selection of flowers that decorate the park at any time of the year, but also architectural structures, transferred here from other parts of the country. Here you can see a three-tiered pagoda built five centuries ago, the Rinsyunkaku Villa, built in 1649 by order of the Tokugawa shogun on the Kii Peninsula, and the Chosyukaku tea house, which also once belonged to the Tokugawa family. Nearby is a typical medieval peasant house, transported to Yokohama from Gifu Prefecture.
Museum of Cultural History, City Museum fine arts, Noodle Museum, Historical archive Yokohama- all of them, each in their own way, are attractive and worth the time and money spent on their inspection.
Amusement parks. Attract tourists, especially young age, amusement parks. Located at the foot of the hill at the confluence of the Nakamura River Bay "Joypolis" It looks much more modest, but in terms of the technological quality of the attractions it is not much inferior to its famous competitor on the other side of Tokyo Bay. Joypolis offers a rich selection of computer interactive games and virtual attractions, which are still few in the world. Equally popular and "Yokohama dreamland" on the southern outskirts of the city, and maritime center entertainment Hakkeijima Sea Paradise with the largest aquarium in Japan, located on artificial island in the bay.
One of the largest cities in Japan, administrative center Kanagawa Prefecture.
Proximity to Tokyo has turned this huge city with a population of 3.3 million inhabitants and occupying a fifth of the prefecture's territory, on the one hand, into a residential area of the capital, and on the other, into a huge reservoir of labor for the entire adjacent Kanto region. The headquarters and largest branches of famous industrial, financial and trading companies. There is a fairly large layer of foreigners here. This trend began in June 1859, when, after 250 years of voluntary isolation from the outside world, the Japanese government allowed foreign merchant ships to enter Yokohama. Similar decision contributed to the appearance a few years earlier in the Uraga Strait of the US military flotilla under the command of Commodore Matthew Perry. The arguments of the American naval commander, or rather, the deck artillery of his “black ships,” were very convincing, and in March 1854, in Kanagawa, as Yokohama was then called, an American-Japanese treaty was concluded, which gave enormous advantages to US traders. The American consul settled in this fishing town with a population of 28 thousand people, followed by representatives of trading companies. Local residents have stopped shying away from foreigners, for communication with whom in the recent past any Japanese was threatened with the death penalty. Soon, similar agreements were concluded with European powers, including Russia.
Gradually, a foreign settlement of several residential areas formed in the town. The city was then divided into two parts - Kannai (inside the barrier) and Kangai (beyond the barrier). This meant the fencing of the settlement. Yokohama was losing its narrow fishing specialization and turning into a trading port for the export of silk, tea and the import of cotton and woolen products.
It was here, in Yokohama, in 1864 that the country's first Japanese-language newspaper was published - “ Kaigai Shimbun" Therefore, Yokohama is often called the Mecca of Japanese journalism.
Residents of Yokohama were the first in the country to try out and adopt Western urban infrastructures such as electric lighting, railways, telephone communications and modern system water supply The first hairdressing salons and photo studios, which were a discovery for a country that had just emerged from feudal isolation, also appeared in Yokohama.
Therefore, we can rightfully say that Yokohama became the cradle of modern Japan.
The city, which was growing rapidly, was severely damaged on September 1, 1923 by a powerful earthquake. At that time, 60 thousand houses were destroyed in Yokohama and more than 20 thousand residents died. Only six years later it was possible to restore the city’s former appearance. By 1943, its population reached 1.2 million people. Once again Yokohama suffered a devastating blow. In the May days of 1945, American bombers destroyed 42% of urban buildings. The city again lay in smoking ruins. But Yokohama's military problems did not end there. After the surrender of Japan, this city became the main base of the American occupiers. 90% of port facilities and 27% of preserved houses, including more or less large buildings, were requisitioned by the US military. This significantly delayed the process of post-war reconstruction of the city, its port and industry.
It was not until 1952, after the signing of the San Francisco Peace Treaty, that the city was freed from the tight grip of American military administration. The main US naval base was located in the nearby port town of Yokosuka. And Yokohama became at an accelerated pace restore its infrastructure, expand roads, modernize port facilities. In six years - from 1962 to 1968 - the city's population grew from 1.5 to 2 million people, and after another 10 years it exceeded the 2.7 million mark.
All large quantity foreign firms move their Japanese headquarters from Tokyo to Yokohama. Among them are such giants as ITT, KODAK, UNION CARBIDE. In Japanese government circles there is now more and more talk about the end of the “Tokyo era”, about the need to move the capital to another place. And it is quite natural that the attractiveness of Yokohama in this regard increases every year.
Minato mirai area (Port of the future)
But no less, and perhaps a much greater impression on tourists is made not by ancient monuments, but by new buildings of the city. These include, for example, the Minato Mirai (Port of the Future) district, which is being built on land reclaimed from the sea. Many of the buildings are still under construction, but it is increasingly clear that the area will become a favorite place for recreation and entertainment for city residents. The top of the country's tallest skyscraper, the Landmark Tower, rises almost 300 meters above the city, with luxurious rooms at the Royal Park Hotel on its upper floors. This tower is the symbol of the city. Here you can enjoy a magnificent view, shops with delicious food. The most interesting part of this building is the Sky Garden. The complex consists of 69 floors. Here is the fastest elevator in the world (listed in the Guinness Book of Records), which will take you upstairs in 40 seconds. A huge semicircular sail catches the sea breeze " Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel» with 6 hundred guest rooms. In addition to administrative buildings and hotels built in an ultra-modern style, here, for example, a Ferris wheel is already spinning, raising cabins with vacationers to a height of 112.5 meters. A great opportunity to admire the port and the panorama of the city! From the top there is a beautiful view of the Yokohama Bay Bridge, built in 1989. This openwork suspension bridge, 860 meters long, quickly turned into one of the landmarks of Japan, allows cars moving along it in three rows in both directions.
Silk Center
You can start exploring the city's attractions by visiting the Silk Center, located at the South Pier (Daisanbashi). On the ground floor of the building you can get any tourist information about the city, and on the second and third floors there is the Silk Museum, where you can get acquainted with all stages of silk production and processing - from breeding silkworms to hand-dying fabrics for expensive kimonos. There are also many shops selling Japanese silk and products made from it.
Yamashita Park (Yamashita koen)
To the southeast of the center building, Yamashita Park (Yamashita koen) stretches 1 km along the embankment in a narrow strip. At its far berth stands the passenger ship Hikawa Maru, which made regular voyages across the ocean to America in the first half of the 20th century. There is a small museum on board, but locals prefer to visit the Hikawa Maru for its restaurants.
Marine tower
A few tens of meters away is another city landmark - the Marine tower. This 106-meter structure serves as a lighthouse - the tallest in the world, and you can climb to the top observation deck, which offers views of the harbor. The tower was built using rubble and other materials collected from the rubble left by the 1923 earthquake. On the lower floors of the tower there is a maritime museum (Kayo Kagaku Hakubutsukan).
Doll Museum (Ningyo-no Ie)
At the foot of the Sea Tower, there is a very interesting Doll Museum (Ningyo-no Ie), which contains more than a thousand toys from all over the world. There are also dolls brought from various republics of the former USSR. Entrance fee is 300 yen. Children get the greatest pleasure from visiting the museum, because in addition to viewing the exhibition, you can also attend a performance of a real puppet theater.
Chinatown
The “city fathers” made a lot of efforts to ensure that the old and beloved Yokohama did not get lost in the concrete canyons of skyscrapers growing like mushrooms. You can't ignore Japan's only Chinatown, sandwiched between Yamashita Park and Ishikawacho Street. This neighborhood grew up around the Chinese temple of Kanteibyo, dedicated to the god of commerce. Accordingly, the surrounding houses can rightfully be attributed to the same cult, since they are all, to one degree or another, tied to trade. Chinatown is home to more than 500 restaurants and shops, surrounded by a swarm of barkers, giving tourists roaming its streets the feeling of a year-round carnival. To get into the quarter, you must pass through one of four multi-colored gates - eastern (painted blue, a symbol of prosperity), western (white, a symbol of peace), southern (red, a symbol of happiness) or northern (black, a symbol of procreation).
Sankeien Park
Sankeien Park, opened in the city in 1906 with money from a local entrepreneur, is also a historical and cultural monument. It is famous not only for the unique selection of flowers that decorate the park at any time of the year, but also for the architectural structures moved here from other parts of the country. Here you can see a three-tiered pagoda built five centuries ago, the Rinsyunkaku Villa, built in 1649 by order of the Tokugawa shogun on the Kii Peninsula, and the Chosyukaku tea house, which also once belonged to the Tokugawa family. Nearby is a typical medieval peasant house, transported to Yokohama from Gifu Prefecture.
The Prefectural Museum of Cultural History, the City Museum of Fine Arts, the Noodle Museum, and the Yokohama Historical Archives are all attractive in their own way and worth the time and money spent exploring them.
Amusement parks
Amusement parks attract tourists, especially young people. Located at the foot of the hill at the confluence of the Nakamura River, Joypolis looks much more modest than Disneyland, but in terms of the technological quality of the attractions it is not much inferior to its famous competitor on the other side of Tokyo Bay. “Joypolis” presents a rich selection of interactive computer games and virtual attractions, of which there are still few in the world. Equally popular are Yokohama Dreamland on the southern outskirts of the city and the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise marine entertainment center with the largest aquarium in Japan, located on an artificial island in the bay.
Zoo
Here you can see very rare animals such as okapi kanmuri-shiromuku.
open from 09:30-16:30. Closed on Tuesdays.
Kirin Yokohama Beer Village
Here you can not only watch the beer making process, but also taste fresh beer in cozy bars and restaurants.
open from 10:00-17:00. Closed on Mondays.
