Places to Visit in Yokohama, Add This To Your Itinerary !
Cosmo Clock 21 is a 112.5 metre tall ferris wheel at the Cosmo World amusement park in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama, Japan.
BEST THINGS TO DO AROUND YOKOHAMA
As Japan’s second most populous city, Yokohama is huge, sprawling and offers plenty for visitors to do. It’s close proximity to Tokyo – only 25 minutes by train – make Yokohama especially popular with Tokyoites and international visitors who flock to the city as an easy daytrip or overnight stay to enjoy one of its many excellent bayside hotels and restaurants. But any discussion of what to do in the city has to start with the famous and highly enjoyable…
YOKOHAMA’S CHINATOWN or ‘Yokohama Chukagai’
It is the largest of Japan’s three famous Chinatown districts – the other two being in Kobe’s ‘Nankinmachi’ district and Nagasaki’s ‘Shinchi’ district. Much like Kobe and Nagasaki, Yokohama’s history as an important city allowed Chinese traders to maintain a presence in the city and especially so after the port of Yokohama was opened to foreign trade in 1859. The area boasts hundreds of restaurants and shops with the cuisine and vibrant ambience of the district being the main attraction.
The entrance to the district is marked by four gates with five smaller gates within. While relatively few people reside inside the neighbourhood today, the large number of restaurants and their extended opening hours ensures its busy most times of day and especially so during Lunar New Year celebrations in February. To get there from Yokohama Station, take the Minato Mirai Line to Motomachi-Chukagai Station – 8 minutes / JPY220 – or JR Negishi Line to Ishikawacho Station – 7 minutes / JPY160. The Chinatown district is around 5 minutes walk from either station.
Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Japan, larger than both Kobe Chinatown and Nagasaki Chinatown.
KANTEIBYO TEMPLE
Also known as ‘Kuan Ti Miao’, Kanteikyo Temple is one of the focal points of the Chinatown district. The elaborately decorated temple was built in 1990, the fourth incarnation of a temple originally established in 1871 but subsequently destroyed by the Great Earthquake in 1923, air raids in 1945 and fire in 1986. As such, the temple reflects the longevity of the Chinatown district and enshrines the Jade Emperor – the monarch of all deities and ruler of heaven and earth – along with Holy Emperor Lord Guan Yuan – among other things, the god of wealth – and other deities. The temple is open daily from 09:00 to 19:00 with extended hours over the New Year and Lunar New Year periods. To get there from Yokohama Station, take the Minato Mirai Line to Motomachi-Chukagai Station – 8 minutes / JPY220 – or JR Negishi Line to Ishikawacho Station – 7 minutes / JPY160. The temple is around 5 minutes walk from either station.
Discover Kanteibyo (Kuan Ti Miao) in Yokohama, a vibrant temple dedicated to the god of war, known for its stunning architecture and rich cultural heritage.
SANKEI-EN GARDEN
Upon its opening to foreign trade in 1859, Yokohama’s largest traded commodity was silk. By the early 19th century, Japan was the world’s primary supplier of silk, a commodity that generated great wealth for merchants including Sankei Hara. Translating as the ‘Three Creeks Garden’, Sankei-en is an expansive traditional garden that was funded by Sankei Hara in a grand display of his patronage and wealth. The garden spans around 175,000 squared metres and incorporates an Outer Garden and an Inner Garden with 17 historical structures relocated from cities including Tokyo, Kyoto, Kamakura and other locations. In-keeping with the formulation of traditional Japanese gardens, Sankei-en incorporates landscaping, water and stone features, trees and plants that mimic the natural world and highlight the beauty of each passing season. The garden is open daily (closed Dec.29-31) from 09:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30. Admission is JPY700. To get there from Yokohama Station, take Bus No.8 or No.148 – departing outside the station’s East Exit – to the Sankei-en Iriguchi Bus Stop – 30 to 35 minutes / JPY220. Sankei-en is around 5 minutes walk from the bus stop.
Sankeien is a spacious Japanese-style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan.
MINATO MIRAI
Minato Mirai 21 is a large and modern business, entertainment and accommodation precinct located on Yokohama’s central waterfront. Translating as ‘Harbour of the Future’, Minato Mirai 21 includes multiple large buildings and towers, Yokohama Museum of Art, Cosmo World, the Cup Noodle Museum along with large shopping centres – such as Queen’s Square, Landmark Plaza, World Porters, Marine & Walk Yokohama and Red Brick Warehouses – along with restaurants, cafes, bars and large hotels such as the Intercontinental Hotel, Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu and others.
The precinct is particularly attractive night when its major buildings, ferris wheel and other features are lit-up, imbuing the area with seductive atmosphere which attracts many visitors including couples from Tokyo, who head to Yokohama to indulge in an overnight stay at a high-end hotel combined with dinner at one of the many fine-dining restaurants in the area.
Located directly across from Osanbashi Pier and the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, Minato Mirai 21 is an easy and obvious place to stay for anyone disembarking or embarking on a cruise from Yokohama, with plenty of entertainment immediately available. To get there from Yokohama Station, take the Minato Mirai Line to Minato Mirai Station – 3 minutes / JPY190. All venues within Minato Mirai 21 can then be accessed on foot, with walking times dependent on which location you’re headed to.
The Minato Mirai 21 area can also be access using the Yokohama Air Cabin, a 635 metre long gondola running from nearby Sakuragicho Station to Yokohama Cosmo World. Operating from 10:00 to 21:00, a one-way journey costs JPY1000 for visitors aged 12 year and over or JPY500 for children aged 3 to 11, and JPY1800 / JPY900 respectively for a roundtrip
The highest observation deck in Yokohama can be reached via the country's fastest elevator which whisks you up to the 69th floor in just under 40 seconds. It is located in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama city, next to the Yokohama Museum of Art.
LANDMARK TOWER ‘SKY GARDEN
From 1993 until 2014, Minato Mirai 21’s ‘Landmark Tower’ was Japan’s tallest building at 296 metres in height. The building houses offices, shops and restaurants on the lower 48 floors with the 5-star Yokohama Royal Park Hotel located on the 49th to 70th floors. On the 69th floor, the ‘Sky Garden’ observatory offer 360-degree views of the surrounding city, bay and on clear days the unmissable sight of Mount Fuji. Open from 10:00 to 21:00 daily – and extended until 22:00 on Saturdays – access to the Sky Garden costs JPY1000 but with a bar waiting for you when you get there, it’s a great place to have a drink. Though located in Minato Mirai 21, Landmark Tower is located closer to Sakuragicho Station than to Minato Mirai Station. To get there from Yokohama, take the JR Negishi Line to Sakuragicho Station – only 3 minutes / JPY140 – and follow the signs for the short-walk to the building.
AKARENGA SOKO (RED BRICK WAREHOUSES
The former Customs Inspection House for Yokohama Bay, ‘Akarenga Soko’ or the ‘Red Brick Warehouses’ are two converted, waterfront storage and administrative buildings located within Minato Mirai 21. One warehouse houses around 40 shops, cafes and restaurants, many of which look out onto the water, while the other houses event spaces, a handful of shops and winter, an ice-skating rink. One of the most popular destinations in the city, Akarenga Soko hosts events throughout the year including music performances, art exhibitions and in autumn beer festival each October. Opening times vary between stores and restaurants but are typically from 11:00 to 20:00. To get there from Yokohama Station, take the Minato Mirai Line to Nihon-Odori Station – 7 minutes / JPY220.
The Yokohama Port Museum is located in Nippon Maru Memorial Park beside the Nippon Maru museum ship. It is a 6-minute walk from Sakuragicho Station.
NIPPON MARU & YOKOHAMA PORT MUSEUM
Located across the water from Minato Mirai 21, the ‘Nippon Maru’ is one of Yokohama’s most instantly recognisable sights. The grand sailing ship was built in 1930 and used to train sailors – an estimated 11,500 cadets over 54 years. Retired in 1984, the Nippon Maru is now permanently docked in Yokohama and is open to the public. The ship has long been known for its beauty and remains in excellent condition, making it well worth exploring with full 29 sail displays taking place twice each month from April to November. The Yokohama Port Museum sits next to the ship and celebrates the history of Yokohama as a port city. The Nippon Maru is open daily (closed on Mondays and from Dec.29 to Jan.3) from 10:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30. Admission to the ship-only is JPY400 or JPY800 for admission to the ship and museum. To get there from Yokohama Station, take the Yokohama City Subway Blue Line to Sakuragicho – 3 minutes / JPY210 – from where its under 5 minutes walk.
CUPNOODLES MUSEUM CupNoodles Museum Yokohama is a museum dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, as well as its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando. Located at Yokohama, the museum feature four stories of exhibitions and attractions.
Chicken Ramen Factory - Make Chicken Ramen by hand in the factory. Enjoy the entire process of kneading, spreading, steaming and seasoning the wheat flour and drying it with the flash frying method.
My CupNoodle Factory - Create your own completely original CUPNOODLES package, which is unavailable anywhere else in the world. For the cup that you design, select your favorite soup from among four varieties as well as four toppings from among 12 varieties.
CupNoodle Park - The huge athletic facility offers the virtual experience of being a noodle in a huge factory, and going through the entire manufacturing process from making the noodles to shipping them.
Instant Noodles History Cube - An astounding quantity of packages shows how instant noodles, which started with Chicken Ramen, grew into a global dietary culture.
The Momofuku Ando Story - By combining images from his life and times along with endearing illustrations, an expansive 58-meter- long panorama guides you through the life of Momofuku Ando that was dedicated to the creation of new food.
Noodles Bazaar - At this food attraction, taste many different kinds of noodles from around the world like Momofuku Ando did while traveling the “noodles road” in search of the origins of noodles.
Museum Shop - The shop features original goods from the CUPNOODLES MUSEUM and other items related to instant noodles. Many of the limited items in the shop are unavailable anywhere else.
CupNoodles marble Coaster -In a window display, 4,000 marbles slide along a course that is made to look like a factory. Enjoy the speed of the sliding marbles and the numerous gizmos along the course.
CUP NOODLES MUSEUM YOKOHAMA
Address : 2-3-4 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0001 Japan TEL: 045-345-0918 (Reception time 10:00 – 18:00 museum holidays excluded)
Museum Hours
10:00 – 18:00 (Last admission is at 17:00)
Non-Business Days: Tuesday (in case Tuesday is a National Holiday, the following day will be a non-business day), Year-end through New Year Holidays
Admission Fee
Adults: 500 yen
High school age children and younger admitted free
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.
OSANBASHI PIER - Osanbashi Pier is also known as the Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal. It is the port for Yokohama's oldest pier and one of the first gateways for trade with Japan during the modern era. Today, it serves cruise ships and offers stunning views of the bay and the Yokohama cityscape. It is a popular attraction in Japan as it provides spectacular modern design and sweeping views at Yokohama's historic gateway.
Osanbashi Pier, is located between Minato Mirai and Yamashita Park.
It's one of the world's leading passenger terminals, and a port of call for cruise ships from all over the world. The pier juts out to the sea allowing you to enjoy a 360-degree view of major tourist sites of Yokohama including the Minatomirai district, the giant Ferris Wheel, the Yokohama Bay Bridge and the Yokohama Marine Tower.
The pier's wooden deck is designed to look like rolling waves, and the rooftop garden adds to the tranquil atmosphere. The pier hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including summer festivals, food fairs, and the Beer Fest in September. The pier's open areas are perfect for relaxing and picnicking. The terminal building has shops and eateries offering a range of local and international cuisine.
The Rooftop Plaza was decided to be called the “Whales Back” in December 2006. The child-friendly nickname captures the character of the Rooftop Plaza by evoking an image of a giant whale floatin gon the sea, and it has become familiar to the many locals and tourists together who visit Osanbashi.