10 Sightseeing Places to Visit in Yokohama

Near from the Metropolitan, Yokohama is spreading the latest trend while there are the history.

It is a mysterious town, where there is a historical aspect that the Yokohama port opened during the late Edo period and also there is an exotic mood, such as Chinatown.

Also, on the other hand, it also has an aspect as the center city of Keihin Industrial area, and moreover it is a commuter town of Tokyo.

There are various aspects in Yokohama and yet it is spreading its charms to multiple directions.

So this time, Let me introduce to the top 10 popular sightseeing spots from a ranking, titled “[Exotic] Want-to-go sightseeing places in Yokohama [mood]”.

The ranking is a result of the survey with 11,613 men/women of the ages from teens to sixties was conducted by a ranking site called “Rankingoo!” in Japan

10th: Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall

To begin with, Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall is at the 10th rank.

It is a historical construction, located in Kannai area of Naka Ward, Yokohama City, and is designated as the National important cultural treasure.

It is built in 1917 as a part of the memorial project of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Yokohama port in 1909, but it was completely burned during the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

The original construction was rebuilt in 1927, and at the same time when the dome part was rebuilt in 1989, the hall has been designated as the National important cultural treasure.

 

The hall is still used as a public hall of Naka ward, Yokohama City, and the clock tower of about 36 m height is loved as a nickname of “Jack’s tower”.

It is the one of “ Yokohama Three Towers”, including the main building of Kanagawa Prefecture hall (King’s tower) and the main building of Yokohama Customs (Queen’s tower).

9th: Yokohama Port Osanbashi (a large pier)

Yokohama Port Osanbashi at the 9th rank is one of the largest terminal for large cruise ships in Japan.

Its history is old and a steel pier, a predecessor of Osanbashi, was built in 1894.

After that, it was damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and was confiscated by the US army after the Second World War, and finally completed today’s Osanbashi in 2002.

Among other places for couples in Yokohama, here is particularly recommended.

An open to public space known by its nickname as “Kujira no senaka” (Whale’s back) on the rooftop of Osanbashi is free admission, and The sightscape from there is splendid and now it became one of the major sightseeing spots in Yokohama.

8th: Sankeien Garden

“Sankeien Garden” at the 8th rank is a garden located in Naka Ward, Yokohama City.

It was landscaped by Tomitaro Hara, a business person as well as a master of tea ceremony, in 1906.

There are 17 buildings in the garden, including 12 buildings in 10 National important cultural treasures, and 3 buildings designated as a Yokohama City tangible cultural building.

There are many other  historical buildings and also there are about 600 plum trees, including white plum blossoms, reddish pink plum blossoms, reclining dragon plum blossoms, and green sepal plum blossoms.

Also, there is a cherry blossom tunnel continuing for about 500 m.

It is a popular spot for plum and cherry blossoms in the city of Yokohama.

7th: Yokohama Cosmo World

“Yokohama Cosmo World” at the 7th rank is an admission free urban playground in Minato-mirai area.

It is divided into 3 zones, namely the wonder amusement zone with the world’s largest class clock shaped ferris wheel “Cosmo Clock 21”, the Burano street zone designed with an image of colorful townscape of seaside in Burano island in Italy, and the kids carnival zone for kids.

The “Cosmo Clock 21” is a very big ferris wheel registered in the Guiness book and it also is the symbol of the playground.

When at night, the inside of the ground will beautifully be illuminated with the Cosmo Clock 21 as its center.

6th: Yokohama Motomachi Shopping Street

“Yokohama Motomachi Shopping Street” at the 6th place is one of the shopping streets representing Yokohama.

Its history is old.

It is said that it was flourished as a shopping street for foreigners around the Meiji Restoration.

Now it has become a fashionable area representing Yokohama, while long standing historical stores are lined up on the main street.

The street is full of a bit different elegance from that on other streets.

The street is famous as a street where adults can entertain shopping such as gourmet and fashion.

5th: Yamashita Park

“Yamashita Park” at the 5th rank is also a place for couples representing the Yokohama Minato-Mirai area.

The park was made reclaimed a mountain of rubbles of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, and there are numbers of monuments, such as “a statue of a pretty girl with red shoes” and “a monument of a song of Seagulls the Sailormen”.

And the park is also famous for roses, and is enjoyable throughout of a year.

Facing the sea, the spacious park is not only a sightseeing spot just as an image of the port town Yokohama, but also a place of relief for a city resident.

It is said that it was a famous spot for “hitting on spot” before, and there was an answer during the survey, saying that  “I used to go there before, so I would like to go back again to be hit on.”

This is an interesting history side for Japanese.

4th: Landmark Tower

“Landmark Tower” at the 4th rank is the skyscraper as the center of Yokohama Minato-Mirai 21, and it is a complex comprised of offices, a hotel and a shopping mall.

Even if you have not visited to Yokohama yet, you might have seen the posture of building standing straight on the sea side on the Internet.

The building is of 272 m height from the ground, and there is the observation deck “Sky Garden” on the 69th floor, which is the second highest in Japan.

The overlook from the Sky Garden is splendid, when on a sunny day, you can view Tokyo Tower, Tokyo Skytree, and also Mt Fuji.

A beauty of the nightscape is also fascinating.

3rd: Cupnoodles Museum

The official name of “Cupnoodles Museum” at the 3rd rank is “Momofuku Ando Invention Memorial Hall – Yokohama”.

For celebration of the 100th anniversary of Momofuku Ando’s birth, who is an inventor of instant noodles and a founder of Nissin Foods, and for commemoration of the 40th anniversary of “Cupnoodles” invention, which is the world’s first instant noodle in a cup, the museum was opened on September 17, 2011.

It is a museum of an instant noodles, but it is not just a place to introduce to noodles.

The experience attraction that you can make a chicken noodle and a cupnoodle of your own is also popular.

2nd: Red Brick Warehouse

“Red brick warehouse” at the 2nd rank is historical constructions on the Yokohama port.

Built by the Meiji government as customs bonded warehouse, it has been renovated in 2002.

The number 1 building became an exhibition space and a hall for cultural activity, and the number 2 became a commercial building.

Also the area around has been developed as the red brick park with a square and a park.

In 2010, it received the award of excellence from “UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation” first in Japan.

The inside of the number 1 building is a hall and there play various concerts and plays, and there are restaurants and many shops for accessories and particular sundry goods in the number 2 building.

It is convenient for buying souvenirs.

1st: Yokohama Chinatown

“Yokohama Chinatown”, the largest in Japan as well as in East Asia, is selected as the 1st rank.

More than 500 stores are gathered in an area of about 500 square meter.

It is popular of course for the authentic Chinese dish and eating around gourmet that you will enjoy, and also is popular as the street with full of exotic moods created by 10 gates, such as Zenrin-Mon gate.

There are many location shootings for dramas and movies in Yokohama, and you cannot fully enjoy its attractions by just one time visit.

Yokohama is a town with full of attractions that make you feel like going there again and again.

Please try enjoying going there repeatedly.