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Things to Do in Yokohama, Japan
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Plan language: EnglishMost popular attractions in Yokohama, Japan
Things to do in Yokohama, Japan include exploring Minato Mirai 21, a futuristic waterfront with shopping and entertainment. Visit the Yokohama Landmark Tower, the city's tallest building offering panoramic city views. Relax at Yamashita Park, a 74,000-square-meter green space along the harbor, perfect for walks and picnics.
1. Yokohama Landmark Tower
Enjoy stunning views from Japan's second tallest skyscraper. See the city skyline and Mount Fuji from the top-floor observatory.
Quick facts: Standing 296 meters tall, this tower was Japan's tallest for nearly twenty years. It boasts one of the world's fastest elevators, moving at 12.5 meters per second.
Highlights: Visitors can ascend to the 69th-floor Sky Garden observatory, which provides a 360-degree panoramic view that reaches Mount Fuji on clear days. The tower also features a distinctive earthquake-resistant design with dampers that absorb 1,500 tons of seismic energy.
2. Minato Mirai 21
Urban charm by the sea offers stunning city views and waterfront walks. Enjoy lively streets, bright lights, and peaceful harbor scenes.
Quick facts: Attracting about 6 million visitors yearly, this area blends modern architecture with scenic waterfront vistas. It is home to the world-famous Cosmo Clock 21, a 112-meter Ferris wheel that also acts as a giant clock.
Highlights: The nighttime view from Cosmo Clock 21 offers a mesmerizing display of city lights reflecting over the harbor, creating a vibrant, ever-changing scene. Nearby, the Queen’s Square shopping complex hosts live music performances under a glass atrium, offering a unique ambiance.
3. Yamashita Park
Get away to vast waterfront views and historic maritime atmosphere. See giant ships and peaceful walks along the seaside.
Quick facts: Covering 74,000 square meters along the waterfront, this park stretches nearly 700 meters and provides a unique seaside retreat within the city. It welcomes over 10 million visitors annually who enjoy expansive views of the bay and passing ships.
Highlights: A notable highlight is the Monument of the Girl with Red Shoes, which commemorates a moving local folk story that deeply touches visitors. The park also offers an excellent vantage point to watch giant ocean liners docking, blending history with everyday life at the harbor.
4. Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama
Dive into the world of instant noodles with fun, interactive displays. Create your own Cup Noodles cup and taste your own recipe on site.
Quick facts: Discover over 30 interactive exhibits exploring the invention of instant noodles by Momofuku Ando. Guests can create their own Cup Noodles in a personal-sized container at the 'My Cup Noodles Factory'.
Highlights: A major attraction is the extensive display featuring over 3,000 instant noodle packages from 80 countries, demonstrating global diversity. Designing a custom Cup Noodles cup to take home feels like a hands-on art project with delicious results.
5. Sankeien Garden
Travel through centuries of history and changing natural colors. Walk by calm ponds, old tea houses, and the reflection of a unique moon-shaped bridge.
Quick facts: The garden includes more than a dozen historic buildings relocated from various parts of Japan, such as tea houses and pagodas dating back centuries. Its 17 hectares of landscaped grounds transform with the seasons, featuring cherry blossoms in spring and vibrant maples in fall.
Highlights: A standout is the Engetsu-kyo Bridge, a circular moon-shaped bridge that perfectly reflects in the surrounding pond on still evenings. Visitors can explore authentic Edo-period buildings, beautifully combining cultural history with natural serenity.
6. Yokohama Chinatown
Visit Japan's largest Chinatown full of flavors and colors. Discover rich culture, delicious street food, and festive celebrations at every corner.
Quick facts: With over 500 shops and restaurants, this Chinatown is the largest in Japan and one of the biggest in the world. Its colorful gates mark entrances, each representing a distinct Chinese dynasty with unique architectural style.
Highlights: In the evening, street lanterns illuminate the area with a warm glow that reflects off red and gold decorations. The annual Chinese New Year parade features traditional lion dances and fireworks that light up the sky, attracting visitors from far and wide.
7. Osanbashi Pier
Step onto a 324-meter pier with beautiful waterside views and a rooftop garden. Enjoy a special mix of nature, architecture, and maritime history.
Quick facts: More than 50 countries have docked ships here, making it a key gateway for Yokohama's international trade. The pier's wooden deck is crafted from durable Malaysian timber that withstands seawater damage.
Highlights: An 800-meter rooftop garden offers panoramic views of the Minato Mirai skyline and Mount Fuji on clear days. The pier combines traditional shipyard materials with modern open-air design, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor promenade.
8. Red Brick Warehouse
Find a mix of history and modern fun in a 7,606-square-meter area. Taste top beers and browse creative shops inside a century-old brick warehouse.
Quick facts: The complex consists of two red brick buildings totaling 7,606 square meters. It attracted over 3 million visitors annually before transitioning from a shipping warehouse into a shopping and event space.
Highlights: A highlight is the famous annual beer festival showcasing over 100 types of craft beer from around the globe. Visitors can feel the coarse brick walls that have stood for more than a century, providing a tangible link to its industrial heritage.
9. Yokohama Cosmo World
Enjoy stunning waterfront views from a huge illuminated Ferris wheel. Thrilling rides and family fun come with amazing city lights at night.
Quick facts: This giant Ferris wheel features over 1,200 LED lights that create dazzling nighttime panoramas over the bay. The amusement park includes various rides, such as the thrilling Diving Coaster roller coaster.
Highlights: The striking 112.5-meter tall Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel doubles as one of the largest clock faces globally. Visitors can enjoy a full 360-degree view of Yokohama Harbor and the city skyline from its summit at sunset.
10. Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Go back in time on a majestic four-masted sailing ship and peaceful gardens. Walk historic decks and hear maritime stories under the open sky.
Quick facts: A retired four-masted sailing ship is permanently moored here, serving as an intriguing maritime museum. The park spans 12 hectares, offering lush gardens alongside the historic ship for visitors to explore.
Highlights: The ship has 5,952 square meters of sail area and once trained thousands of cadets for sea voyages. Visitors can walk the wooden decks and peek into authentic sailor quarters, gaining a glimpse of life nearly a century ago.
11. Nakamise Shopping Street
Experience a lively mix of culture, shopping, and street food. Taste traditional snacks and find unique souvenirs along a colorful, bustling path.
Quick facts: Nakamise Shopping Street stretches about 250 meters and features around 89 shops selling traditional snacks and souvenirs. It draws millions of visitors annually who experience a blend of historical charm and commerce within the temple precinct.
Highlights: The street is the oldest shopping area leading to a temple and features vibrant red-lacquered stalls and the aroma of fresh ningyo-yaki cakes shaped like dolls. At dawn, when crowds thin, the morning light illuminates rows of traditional lanterns, creating a magical atmosphere often missed during the day.
12. Meiji Shrine
Find a spiritual retreat with ancient cedar woods right in the city. Discover calm and tradition through rituals and reflection that touch all visitors.
Quick facts: Each year, over 3 million people walk through a massive wooden torii gate made from 1,500-year-old cypress trees. The shrine is surrounded by a forest of 100,000 trees donated from all around Japan, forming an urban green space that feels like entering another world.
Highlights: Visitors can engage in the traditional custom of writing wishes on wooden plaques called ema, which are then hung around the shrine, creating a colorful mosaic of hopes and dreams. A rare sight is the tranquil koi pond reflecting the shrine’s classic Japanese architecture, providing a peaceful respite amid the bustling city.
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Traditional Sweet Dishes
Kohaku-kan
Kohaku-kan is a traditional yokan made with agar and sweet bean paste, often colorful and translucent like amber, symbolizing elegance and refinement in Yokohama.
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Most popular day trips
Kamakura
Historic town with temples, shrines, and the Great Buddha.
Hakone
Famous for hot springs, views of Mt. Fuji, and scenic lake cruises.
Tokyo
Japan's bustling capital with shopping, dining, and cultural sites.
Getting there
Train stations
JR East, Keikyu, Tokyu, Sotetsu
From Haneda Airport, take the Keikyu Line for a direct 30 min trip to Yokohama Station.
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Comments (8)
Skip the restaurants right near the Red Brick Warehouse. Walk a few blocks and you find way better prices and tastier eats.
Beautiful views walking around the bay. The parks are great, though the weekend crowds were a bit much. Two nights is enough to see the highlights.
Loved the waterfront and Chinatown here. The weather was perfect for walking around. Prices were reasonable, but some spots felt a bit touristy.
Buy a Yokohama subway day pass if planning multiple trips, clears up travel stress and saves a bunch!
Yokohama has such a chill vibe, not overly crowded. Food is awesome, especially the street ramen stalls. Stayed 3 days and felt just right.