Yokohama (横浜) is a Japanese city in Kanagawa Prefecture in
the Kantō region on the main island of Honshū. Yokohama was a
small fishing village before the 1860s. It was completely
destroyed in the great earthquake in 1923 and again by American
bombings in World War II from 1943 to 1945. As far as
"historical" buildings exist, these are replicas.
The
city of millions, located south of Tokyo and which has grown
together with it via Kawasaki, is often neglected because of the
capital, although it has a lot to offer tourists. Yokohama's
rise began with the landing of the "black ships" in 1854, i.e.
American gunboat diplomacy. The previously insignificant fishing
village quickly became one of the most important port cities in
Japan. The main attraction for Japanese people is Chinatown.
Administratively, the city is divided into 18 districts
...ku (区). Things of interest to tourists can be found primarily
in Naka-ku ("centre," 中区), Nishi-ku ("west," 西区), Minami-ku
("south," 南区) and, in my opinion, Kanagawa-ku (神奈川区). The
Kannai, Basamichi and especially Sakuragichō train stations are
important for visiting the center.
You can get an insight
into the dark side of Japan, with its inadequate social
security, in the Kotobuki-chō district near Ishikawachō train
station. This is the traditional "residential area" of the
homeless who vegetate as day laborers and other socially
disadvantaged people, mostly men.
Iseyama Shrine
Gumyo-ji Temple. At the station of the same name on
the Keikyū Line. It is 400m to the subway station, which is also named
after the temple.
One of the two main temples of Sōtō Zen is the
Sōji-ji (總持寺), 1-1, Tsurumi 2-chome, Tsurumi-ku, 神奈川県横浜市鶴見区鶴見二丁目1番1号.
Tel.: +81 (0)45 581 60 21 . Not all of the twelve main buildings are
open to the public. Founded in 840, the current complex dates from 1911.
Shōmyōji, Komyō'in (in the "Citizens' Park" (市民の森), accessible via
Kanazawa Bunko station on the Keikyū line.)
The Mazu Temple (媽祖廟),
136 Yamashitachō, Naka-ku . in Chinatown, which was only completed in
2006, is dedicated to this goddess, who is often confused with Kannon.
Her rite has its origins on the Chinese island of Meizhou in Fujian
province and is particularly widespread there and in Taiwan, the areas
from which most Chinese immigrants came.
Kreuzkirche. The center of
the German-speaking Protestant community that has existed for almost 130
years.
One of the few mosques in Japan is the Ja’me Masjid, 1-31-13
Hayabuchi, Tsuzuki-ku, built in 2006. The neighbors are not disturbed by
the call to prayer five times a day.
Yokohama Bay Bridge, 880m long, completed in 1989.
Harbor area
The old harbor has been spruced up over the last two decades to become a
tourist center. The concept is called Minato Mirai 21, and it is
supposed to be “the harbor of the future.” A lot of the concrete that is
popular in Japan was used to create a spacious but ultimately sterile
district dedicated to Mammon. Among other things, you will find there:
the Red Brick Warehouses (赤レンガ倉庫; 6 minutes from Bashamichi or
Nihon-odori stations), built in 1911-13 as state warehouses. Today,
various cultural activities take place there, there is a shopping center
and small restaurants. Airport buses also run from here to Tokyo-Haneda.
Features: disabled toilet, toilet, urinal, changing table. Open: approx.
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
the former world's largest Ferris wheel, Cosmo
Clock 21 (コスモクロック21). It also serves as a clock thanks to its lighting.
Open: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
In front of it is an amusement park with
rides (roller coaster, etc.).
Port Museum, 2-1-1 Minatomirai,
Nishi-ku. You can also visit the sailing training ship Nippon Maru.
There is a specialist library in the building. Open: daily except
Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
The Manyo Club (basic fee ¥ 2500) is a
wellness temple with an artificial onsen whose water is pumped up from
the Izu Peninsula.
The 296m high Landmark Tower with a viewing point
on the 69th floor (10 a.m.-9 p.m., ¥ 1000) cannot be overlooked. The
Landmark Plaza shopping center takes up the lower five floors.
The
Marine Tower at Yamashita Park also has an observation deck and luxury
restaurant at a height of 106m.
(All museums are closed over New Year's; if the regular closing day
falls on a public holiday, they are closed the next day.)
Sankei-en (三溪園), 58-1 Honmokusannotani, Naka-ku . An open-air museum in
which a number of traditional houses have been saved from rapid
modernization. Anyone interested in traditional Japanese culture should
plan half a day for the beautiful and extensive park. Japanese people
like to visit it during the plum blossom season, which marks the end of
winter, in March. Open: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Price: ¥ 500.
In the
harbor area, very close to the Landmark Tower:
Museum of Art (横浜美術館),
3-4 Minatomirai, Nishi-ku (subway: Minatomirai at the back of the
block). Open: daily except Thursdays 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Price: ¥ 500,
special exhibitions extra.
Industrial Museum. Founded in 1989, it
already has one of the most important collections of 19th century
European art, with a portion of East Asian art, and is the largest art
museum in Japan with 20,000 m² in seven galleries. The building also has
a first-class specialized library. It was sponsored by Mitsubishi. Open:
daily except Tuesdays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Price: ¥ 500. HARA Model
Railway Museum (横浜三井ビルディング), 2nd floor of Yokohama-Mitsui Bldg.
(横浜三井ビルディング2階), 西区高島(Shintakashima Station). Open: daily except Tuesday
11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Price: ¥1000.
Kanagawa Prefectural Museum
(神奈川県立歴史博物館), 神奈川県横浜市中区南仲通5-60 (Subway: Kannai; Train: Bashamichi). A
beautifully old-fashioned looking cultural history museum. It is housed
in the former headquarters of the Yokohama Specie Bank. Signs not in
English, but an informative leaflet is available in that language. Open:
daily except Mon 9:00–17:00. Preis: ¥ 300.
Kanazawa Bunko (金沢文庫),
金沢区金沢町 １４２, 神奈川県横浜市金沢区金沢町142 (Gleichnamiger Bahnhof an der Keikyū-Linie
von Tokio) . It is a formerly private art collection of classical
Japanese, Chinese and Buddhist works. Immediately adjacent is the
“Citizens' Park” (市民の森) with the Shōmyōji and Komyō'in temples (see
above). Open: 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Price: ¥250. Silk Museum (シルク博物館),
中区山下町 1, 〒231-0023 神奈川県横浜市中区山下町１番地 . Open: 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Price:
¥500.
The “three-minute terrine” is commemorated at the 9 Cup Noodle Museum
(カップヌードルミュージアム), 2-3-4 Chinko, Naka-ku (Subway: Bashamichi or
Minatomirai.). More of a promotional project by the manufacturer than a
“museum.” Not only can you learn about the process of making the
“instant ramen” invented in 1958, but you can also put together your own
combination of these glutamate bombs. Busy on weekends/holidays, certain
“activities” require advance booking. Price: ¥ 500 (+ extra activities).
Ramen Museum (新横浜ラーメン博物館; 5 min. from Shin-Yokohama). is less a museum
than two basements of a building decorated in the style of a 1960s
village with nine restaurants serving various combinations of this
"Chinese" type of noodle. Features: free WiFi, parking. Open: 11:00
a.m.–10:00 p.m. Price: ¥ 300.
Chinatown (横浜中華街, Chūkagai; in the city center, or Motomachi Chūkagai station). At the end of the 19th century, the residential area of the Chinese who came as followers of European merchants (who had their own district), the area is now a curiosity with numerous restaurants and Chinese shops, but is still a place where you can find specialties rarely available in Japan, such as turtle soup or lizards pickled in liquor - the latter to strengthen virility. The two main streets running across each other are bordered by replica Chinese-style gates (pailou, 牌樓).
Kamon-yama Park
Motomachi Park. From here you have a beautiful
view, with the foreign cemetery. Its 4000 graves can be visited on
weekends in summer from 12:00 to 16:00. A small museum (donations
welcome) opens daily except Mondays from 10:00 to 17:00.
Yamashita
Park (山下公園; near the harbor). The city's most famous park, popular on
summer nights with smooching couples and voyeurs. In the park there is
an "Indian fountain" with a pavilion in Rajput-Mughal style.
The
museum ship Hikawa Maru (氷川丸; built in 1928; ¥ 200) is moored at the
pier.
NYK Maritime Museum (日本郵船歴史博物館), 3-9 Kaigandori, Naka-ku
(Bashamichi station, exit 6). It is dedicated to the company history of
one of the major Japanese steamship lines, NKK Line. Open: daily except
Mondays 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Price: ¥ 400.
Nogeyama Zoo (野毛山動物園),
西区老松町 63−10 (Hinode-chō station). The southern appendix is the
Yokohamashi Nogeyama Park. Open: daily except Mondays 9:30 a.m.–4:00
p.m. Price: free entry.
A little outside, about 7 km from the center,
is Zoorasia (動物園ズーラシア), 旭区上白根町 1175-1. A zoo divided into eight areas.
Open: daily except Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Price: ¥ 600).
Nissan Stadium (横浜国際総合競技場), 3300 Kozukuechō, Kohoku-ku (Stations:
Shin-Yokohama or Kozuke on the JR Yokohama Line). Football stadium with
athletics facility. The attached indoor swimming pool is interesting, a
rare facility in Japan (¥ 500 for the first hour, ¥ 200 for every
additional 30 minutes 9:00–22:00, Sun. and holidays until 17:00 or
19:30). The Shin-Yokohama-kōen park to the north does not correspond to
European ideas of such a facility (Japanese people "can't" play grass).
Price: Tour: ¥ 500.
Kirin Yokohama Beer Village, 鶴見区生麦 1−17−1 (10
min. from Namamugi on the Keihin Kyuko Line). Tel.: +81 45-503-8250
(jp.). Tours of the local Kirin Brewery (キリンビール 横浜工場). Open: daily
except Mondays 10:00–17:00. Price: free, but reservation required. Group
size: at least 10.
Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, 金沢区八景島. On the man-made
amusement park island of the same name in the harbor basin, operated by
the Seibu Group. Aquarium and dolphin show. Open: 10:00–18:00 (Pleasure
Land summer until 21:30/22:30). Price: Admission: only Aqua Resort or
Pleasure Land ¥ 3000 each, whole theme park ¥ 5050; Nov-March about 10%
cheaper.
In the Disaster Prevention Centre, north of the main
station, you can use an earthquake simulator. To relax afterwards, we
recommend visiting the small temple Gangyōji (勧行寺), 100 metres away,
whose modern, unusual funeral hall is something different. However, the
temple is known for its 11-headed Kannon statue.
By plane
Tokyo Narita International Airport (IATA: NRT) is around
1½ hours away by train. Most travelers who want to travel to Yokohama
will use this airport. The same connections are available for travelers
who land at Tokyo Haneda Airport (IATA: HND) (bus timetable).
By
train
By train from Tokyo (main station) on the JR Yokosuka Line,
Yokohama Central Station (横浜駅) can be reached in forty minutes. From
Shimbashi Station on the JR Yokosuka Line, it is 30 minutes. With the
private Tōkyū Tōyoko Line (東急東横線) from Tokyo Shibuya, the journey takes
around 40 minutes by express train. At peak times, the station - it
processes 760 million passengers annually - can seem a bit confusing.
Many Shinkansen from or heading south stop at Shin-Yokohama (新横浜)
where there are connections to the "blue" line of the subway and the
Yokohama Line (JR横浜線), which runs from Tokyo to Hachiōji.
By boat
Cruise ships dock at the barrier-free
Ōsanbashi Yokohama
International Passenger Terminal, 1-1-4, Kaigandori, Naka-ku, Yokohama,
231-0002. The city center is easily accessible on foot.
In addition to several local rail lines, Yokohama has an underground
railway (横浜市営地下鉄). There are two lines, the "blue" combined line 1/3 and
the "green," number 4, a loop line currently under construction. Plans
for line 2 have been put on hold. The Yokohama City Transportation
Bureau (横浜市交通局, Yokohama-shi Kōtsūkyoku) also operates 156 city bus
lines, which are not always easy to use without knowledge of Japanese.
Most of the sights are within walking distance of Sakuragichō
Station.
The private Sōtetsu (相鉄) operates three local rail lines
and some feeder buses.
Several tour boats offer harbor tours.
For the "exotic" in Chinatown. The Isezakichō, which has been
partially pedestrianized, extends on the other side of Kannai station to
the harbor to the Basha-michi shopping street, which has been paved for
a part and has been given a historicized look to reflect the flair of
the 19th century. It leads towards the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (see
above).
The larger department stores all have their branches
around the main station. These include Takashimaya, Mitsukoshi, Lumine
(ルミネ), behind which is Sōgō (そごう横浜店), whose branch was for a long time
the largest department store in Japan, with the attached gallery of
woodblock prints (ukiyo-e)
Sogo Museum of Art (そごう美術館), (2-18
Takashima, Nshi-ku . Open: Wed–Mon 10:00–19:00. Price: ¥ 500).
The camera electronics giant Yodobashi has a branch at the west exit.
Several shops are located in the underground passages that connect all
of these.
Yokohama Hostel Village (HayashiKaikan), 3-11-2 Matsukage-chō,
Naka-ku (4 min. walking distance from JR Ishikawa-chō). Tel.:
+81-50-1189-9141. Several buildings. Rooms are three Tatami (about 5 m2)
in size; not unusual for Japan and quite sufficient for two people. The
outbuildings offer accommodation for stays of several weeks (from ¥ 3100
per day). Open: 6.00-20.00. Check-in: from 15:00. Price: from ¥ 2250
p.p.
Silk Tree, 3-9-4 Matsukage-cho, Naka-ku. Tel.: (045) 719-1541.
Open: until 22:00. Price: Single ¥ 3000, Double: ¥ 4500.
Isezakichō
Washington Hotel (佐木町ワシントンルル), 5-53 Chōjyamachi, Naka-ku,. 400-Room
concrete block. Part of the house belongs to the youth hostel
association, the overnight stay for members should cost ¥ 4197.
Check-out: 10:00. Price: from ¥ 13000.
Luxury
Yokohama Royal
Park Hotel
InterContinental Yokohama Grand (ヨコハマグランドインターコンチネンタルホテル),
220-8522 神奈川県横浜市西区みなとみらい1丁目1-1 . Feature: ★★★★★.
Yokohama Bay Hotel
Tokyu (横浜ベイホテル東急), 220-8543 神奈川県横浜市西区みなとみらい2丁目3-7 . Feature: ★★★★★.
Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and Towers (横浜ベイシェラトン ホテル&タワーズ), 220-8501
神奈川県横浜市西区北幸1丁目3-23
Police emergency number: 110. In most cases, a visit to the nearest police box (kōban; little English) will be sufficient.
Ambulance: 119 (with foreign language skills)
Tourist offices are located in the train stations Yokohama,
Shin-Yokohama (both 9 a.m.-9 p.m.) and Sakuragichō (9 a.m.-6 p.m.).
As everywhere in Japan, there are still numerous post offices with
helpful staff, although often only rudimentary English skills. Money can
also be exchanged in larger post offices. The branch is fairly central
Godochosha Nai Post, Dai 2, 5-57 Kitanakadori Naka-ku (on the harbor
side of Basamichi station).
The post office next to the Mazu
Temple (see above) in Chinatown is also easy to find.
Prior
registration is required with presentation of passport (registration
offices in Yokohama).
Yokohama is located on the western side of Tokyo Bay and has an important trading port.
The average annual temperature in 2017 was 16.3 °C (35.1 to −1.2 °C). The sun shone for 2174.6 hours this year (90.6 days). In 2017, 1628.5 mm of precipitation fell.
Until the seaport opened in 1859, there was a fishing village on this
site. When the US Commodore Matthew Perry landed in Edo Bay (now Tokyo
Bay; in front of what would later become Yokohama) with his fleet of
nine steamships in 1853, he forced Japan, which had been almost
completely isolated until then, to open up. This made the place a
central transshipment point for international trade (see Unequal
Treaties). The shogun set up an administrator for the treaty port and
the surrounding area (Yokohama=five machi at the time), the Kanagawa
bugyō.
The geographical location (about 30 km south of Tokyo)
made it seem to the shogun an ideal place for a foreign settlement. The
first isolated settlement for foreigners, called The Bluff, was built on
an island. At the same time, British, American and Dutch garrisons were
established. Initially, individual foreign consulates were housed in
temples. Subsequently, buildings were built here for the branches of
foreign companies, which still characterize the cityscape in the port
area today.
During the Meiji Restoration, the prefecture (ken) of
Kanagawa was created from the shogunate administration/city prefecture
(bugyō→saibansho→fu) of Yokohama/Kanagawa, which expanded from the
southern part of Musashi Province, where today's cities of Kawasaki and
Yokohama are located, to the entire Sagami Province in the prefecture
mergers of the 1870s; Yokohama remained the capital. In the Meiji
period, trade and the production of silk were an important economic
sector. In 1872, Japan's first railway ran between Tokyo and Yokohama.
On April 1, 1889, when the prefectures were divided into today's
municipal forms, the Yokohama-ku (横浜区), the city district/“district” of
Yokohama, founded in 1878, became the county-free city of Yokohama,
Yokohama-shi.
In 1923, the city, like neighboring Tokyo, was
severely damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake. Nevertheless, the city,
which had grown massively during industrialization, had become one of
the most important in the country. In 1926, Yokohama was one of the
country's "six major cities" (roku daitoshi), to which the law of the
same name granted additional self-government rights vis-à-vis the
prefectural administration and the Ministry of the Interior. In the
1900s to 1930s, extensive incorporations from three counties took place;
in 1939, the city reached almost its current size with over 400 km² and
now had 866,200 inhabitants. In 1942, the population exceeded the
million mark.
During the Second World War, the city was bombed
twice with napalm bombs by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in
April 1945 and May 1945. The attacks destroyed around 57% of the city
area and left 4,832 dead and 17,967 injured. The attacks burned down 22
km2 of the city (see Tokyo air raids).
In 2002, Yokohama hosted
the final of the World Cup between Brazil and Germany.
Takeharu Yamanaka, previously a professor of data science in
medicine, has been the mayor of Yokohama since 2021. He replaced the
former manager Fumiko Hayashi, who had been in office since 2009.
In the 2021 mayoral election on August 22, shortly before the
national lower house election due to take place in October at the
latest, seven challengers ran alongside Hayashi, including several
former national deputies and prefectural governors. In addition to the
ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a main theme of the election campaign was
the Integrated Resort Law (IR Law) passed a few years ago under the
Shinzō Abe national government, also called the "Casino Law" by
opponents in particular: Mayor Hayashi had then initiated planning for a
casino complex in Yokohama and was supported in the 2021 election by
some LDP national deputies and parts of the LDP city council faction;
However, the then LDP chairman Yoshihide Suga, the LDP Kanagawa
prefectural parliamentary group, part of the LDP Yokohama and the
Kōmeitō supported the candidacy of ex-minister and casino opponent
Hachirō Okonogi. The majority of the other opposing candidates were also
opponents (including Shigefumi Matsuzawa, Yasuo Tanaka and the medical
professor Takeharu Yamanaka, who is supported by the KDP and KPJ).
Opposition candidate and political newcomer Yamanaka, who had focused
his election campaign on combating the pandemic, won with 33.6% of the
vote, clearly ahead of Okonogi (21.6%) and Hayashi (13.1%) according to
the preliminary final result. Voter turnout rose by around twelve points
to 49%.
The Yokohama City Council (Yokohama-shikai, 横浜市会, as in
the Empire) normally has 86 members who are elected for four years by
non-transferable single vote - as in all Japanese municipalities. The 18
districts serve as constituencies. In the last election in April 2023,
the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) emerged as the strongest party with
34 seats.
The 18 districts of the city of Yokohama, which act as
constituencies, together elect 41 of the 105 members to the Kanagawa
Prefecture Parliament.
The city has so far directly elected eight
members to the lower house of the national parliament in constituencies
Kanagawa 1 to 8, with constituency 4 also extending to the southwestern
suburbs of Yokohama (see constituency list). In the 2021 lower house
election, five seats went to the Liberal Democrats, including former
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in Kanagawa 2 constituency, and three to
the Constitutional Democrats. After the 2022 reorganization of the
constituencies, in which Kanagawa was allocated two more seats than
before, Yokohama will also extend into the Kanagawa 13 and 19
constituencies from the next general election.
As one of the original "six major cities" (roku daitoshi) of the
empire, Yokohama has been divided into wards (ku) since 1927. In 1956,
the city of Yokohama was one of the first five "major cities by
government decree".
Originally, in 1927, there were five wards:
Isogoku-ku, Hodogaya-ku, Naka-ku, Kanagawa-ku and Tsurumi-ku. Two new
districts were added as early as 1939 (Kōhoku-ku and Totsuka-ku). In
1943, 1944 and 1948, a new district was added each year. In 1969, there
were already 14 districts. In 1986, two more districts were added.
Finally, on November 6, 1994, the last two new districts, Aoba-ku and
Tsuzuki-ku, were formed.
Demographic addendum:
When the
current municipal forms were introduced on April 1, 1889, the city had
116,193 inhabitants.
The proportion of women in the population was
always higher than that of men until 2014. On January 1, 2019, 49.7% of
the population (1,858,705 of 3,740,944) were male.
At the beginning
of the year, 24.4% of the population was older than 65 years, 1545
people were 100 years or older.
The average age in the city was 45.8
years, with women being 2.4 years older than men (44.6 / 47.0). The
fluctuations within the individual city districts were minor (42.2 /
48.2).
At the end of January 2019, 97,875 foreigners lived in the
city, i.e. 2.6% of the population. Mostly Chinese (39,475), Koreans
(12,868), Filipinos (8209) and Vietnamese (7058). With only 781, Germany
ranked 15th in the foreigner statistics. Most foreigners lived in the
districts of Naka (16,836), Tsurumi (12,971) and Minami (10,404).