Yokohama is Japans’ second largest city in terms op population, about 3 mln inhabitants. The city is closely located to Tokyo, it takes about 30 minutes by train from Shibuya to Yokohama’s famous to Chinatown. It is popular travel destination, also because of its close proximity to the ocean. Yokohama features beautiful Japanese gardens, one of the largest zoos in Japan, unique food museums, spectacular seaside views, and much more. Is Yokohama worth visit? We definitely think so! Let is tell you about our favourite places in Yokohama and decide for yourself!
How to travel to Yokohama
From Tokyo it is really easy to travel to Yokohama; there are no less than 6 direct train connections from the major stations of Tokyo. Depending on your departure station, it will take you about 30 minutes to get to Yokohoma Station and on most of the trains you can use your JR Pass!
How to get around in Yokohama
In Yokohama you have several options of getting to your desired destinations including buses, trains, taxi’s and by bicycle. There are a number of normal buses and two sightseeing buses that cover all the tourist sites.
The flat fare for each ride on both normal city buses and the sightseeing buses is ¥220 (adult), ¥110 (children) per ride. There are also some options for day passes that can save you some money, for example the Minato Burari Ticket that will set you back at ¥500 (adult) or ¥250 (children) for one day of unlimited rides on the subway and buses within the designated area. These day tickets are available at the information counter at Yokohama Station’s East Exit Bus Terminal.
Akai Kutsu
Akai Kutsu operates on a city loop route that starts at Sakuragicho station and makes stops tours at the major sightseeing spots such as the Minato Mirai area, China Town, Yamashita Park, and Minatono Mieruoka Koen (Harbor View Park).
Burari Bus
The Burari Bus offers three different routes. All start from Yokohama Station and from there can take you to Sankeien Garden (S route), Akarenga, Yokohama Redbrick Warehouse (A route), and Nogeyama zoo (N route). Only the bus on the N route operates daily, the S and A route (S route) operate only on weekends & holidays.
Sankeien Garden
Sankeien Garden is a large traditional Japanese garden with a pond, creek, trails and historic buildings. The garden was a private property of Hara Sankei and was opened to the public in 1906. Hara was a wealthy man who owned several large factories across Japan. He very much liked antique art pieces and architecture and bought and transported historical buildings from Kyoto and placed them inside this garden. A total of 17 Japanese traditional buildings can be found inside Sankeien Garden, some of which are used as tea houses where visitors can enjoy green tea and Japanese sweets.
How to go to Sankeien Garden
From Yokohama Station East Exit or Sakuragicho Station, take bus #8 or 148 to Sankeien-Iriguchi, from there it’s a 5 minute walk to the entrance.
Sankeien Garden
9am – 5pm (last entry 4.30pm)
Admission fee ¥700
Read more about a cultural tour in Yokohama and Sankeien Garden
Yokohama’s Chinatown
China Town in Yokohama is the largest and the most famous Chinatown in Japan. They even claim to be the world’s best Chinese food spot – besides China of course. With more than 600 shops located in only 250.000m2, there is surely plenty to choose from. You can find restaurants serving sophisticated Chinese cuisine in a dazzling and fancy atmosphere as well as smaller restaurants offering more affordable dishes located in narrow allies. It is also popular in Chinatown to buy street food such as steamed pork buns and soup dumplings and eat on the street. There are also some Chinese landmarks such as temples and colourful gates.
How to go to Yokohama’s Chinatown
- Short walk from Motomachi Chukagai Station on Minatomirai Line
- The Akaikutsu Loop Bus from Sakuragicho Station stops at Chinatown.
¥220 per ride or ¥500 for a day pass.
Red Brick Warehouse
The Red Brick Warehouse, akarenga in Japanese, used to be the customs inspection house for Yokohama Bay’s shipping activities in the early 1920s. In 2002, the warehouse was reopened as a place for shopping, dining and entertainment and became a popular (dating) spot. Several events are held here throughout the year such as an ice skate rink in the winter, live concerts during summer, and beer festival in autumn. For Christmas time, there is a large Christmas Market and many people come to enjoy the festive atmosphere.
How to go to the Red Brick Warehouse
- 6 minute walk from Bashamichi Station or Nihon Odori Station
- 12 minute walk from Minato Mirai Station
- The Akai Kutsu Loop Bus stops right in front of the Red Brick Warehouse
Red Brick Warehouse
1st Building 10am – 7pm ( shops & theatre)
2nd Building 11am – 8pm (shops & restaurants)
Yamashita Park and Osanbashi Pier
Stretching about 750 meters along Yokohama’s waterfront, Yamashita Park opened in 1930. The park consists of large grass fields, a rose garden, a couple of statues, a few fountains, and a wide path that runs along the water. The park is usually quite busy with people strolling around and enjoying the pretty views of Yokohama Bay.
Hikawa Maru
Along the promenade, you will find a big ship called Hikawa Maru. The ship connected Yokohama to the west coast of Canada and the USA since 1930. It has the first-class cabins which attracted celebrities and public figures such as the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin. In 1960 the ship was retired and now it serves as a museum.
10am – 5pm (closed on Monday)
Admission fee ¥300
Osanbashi pier
The promenade in Yamashita Park leads into the Rinkosen Promenade which passes by the Osanbashi Pier, the international passenger terminal. The pier has outdoor walkways and green areas open to the general public and offers one of the best spots to enjoy panoramic view of Minato Mirai skyline and Yokohama Bay Bridge.
How to go to Yamanashi park and Osanbashi pier
- Yakashita Park is 5 minute walk from Motomachi Chukagai Station
- The Akaikutsu Loop Bus stops at Osanbashi Pier passenger terminal & Yamashita Park.
Yokohama Landmark Tower
Standing 296 meters tall, this used to be Japan’s tallest skyscraper until the construction of Abeno Harukas in Osaka was finished in 2012. The tower opened in 1993 and houses offices, shops, restaurants, the Yokohama Royal Park Hotel, and the observatory deck Sky Garden.
Sky Garden
Sky Garden is a popular observatory deck located on 69th floor, you can access this by taking the world’s second fastest elevator t(45.0 km/h). Sky Garden offers spectacular views of Minato Mirai district and Yokohama City, and when the sky is clear you can even see Tokyo Tower, Skytree, Shinjuku Skyscrapers and of course Mount Fuji. The night view is also magical!
Sky Garden
10am – 9pm (Saturdays until 10pm)
Admission fee ¥1,000 (adult)
How to go to the Land Mark Tower
- 3 minute walk from Minato Mirai Station
- 5 minute walk from Sakuragicho Station
Noge / Nogecho area
Noge or Nogecho is a neighboorhood in Yokohama, famous for its nightlife and entertainment. It is a (not so hidden anymore) gem located in the heart of the Yokohama and filled with bars and izakaya. Wander around in the narrow, lantern-lit streets and try some local dishes such as Yokohama-style hayashi beef stew accompanied by some sake of a highball!
CUPNOODLES MUSEUM
The unique museum is operated by the Nissin Food, whose founder invented instant ramen noodles back in 1958. The name of the museum is also the name of the product which Nissin Food started to sell in 1971 and present day still one of the most well-known and popular instant ramen noodles in Japan!
The museum opened in 2011 to mark the 40th anniversary for the cup noodle. There are exhibitions about instant noodle products from around the world including space ramen for astronauts. The most special (and popular) part of the museum is the part where you can make your own cup noodles! In the My CUPNOODLES Factory workshop you can make your own instant noodles by mixing a variety of soup flavours and toppings. You can even make your own instant ramen noodles from scratch, pack them and take them home in the Chicken Ramen workshop.
CUPNOODLES MUSEUM
10am – 6pm
Admission fee ¥500
How to go to the CUPNOODLES MUSEUM
- 10 minute walk from Minato Mirai Station
Ramen Museum
Located near Shin-Yokohama Station, the Shinkansen station, this is a unique museum about ramen founded in 1994. Ramen is seen as one of Japan’s soul food, originally introduced from China.
On the 1st floor of the museum, you can find the history of ramen in Japan including instant ramen noodles. The variety of noodles, soups, toppings and bowls used across Japan are displayed as well as how to make the noodles. There is also a place where you can experience making ramen noodles.
On the two basement floors, there are several ramen restaurants across Japan offering “mini ramen” so that you can try multiple ramen dishes. You can purchase tickets for the ramen at vending machines in front of each restaurant.
Ramen Museum
11am – 10pm
Admission fee ¥310
How to go to Ramen Museum
- 5 minute walk from Shin-Yokohama Station
- From Yokohama Station, take JR Yokohama Line or Yokohama Municipal Subway Blue Line (approximately 15 minutes)
Sea Bass
Like any port city, discovering the bay by boat is also a great option. There are multiple companies operating different routes, for example the Sea Bass. The Sea Bass is an ocean bus which connects Yokohama Station East Exit, Minato Mirai 21, Red Brick Warehouse, and Yamashita Park. Because parts of the boat are made of glass you can enjoy a great view from the ocean level
Sea Bass
Departs every 15 minutes between 10.15am and 8.10pm
Admission ¥440 – ¥700 (depending on route)
Yokohama Stadium
If you are a baseball fan, we recommend you to visit the Yokohama Stadium, the home stadium for Yokohama DeNA Baystars baseball team. This stadium has been renovated since 2017 and was only completed in March 2020. Now the stadium has a capacity to welcome over 34,000 spectators. The new official store selling more than 1,500 items has been moved to the ground floor so that people have easy access to the store. The stadium is also used for concerts and other events.
Baseball is one of the biggest sports in Japan, both for participators as well as spectators. Watching a game in real life is a great way to learn the modern Japanese culture with passionate local fans! We guarantee you its a fun experience even when you are not a big baseball fan! The season starts late March or early April, and ends with playoffs in October. Tickets will costs somewhere between ¥3,000 – ¥10,000. We recommend getting tickets early and through the official channels only. If we can assists you in this, please contact us.
How to go to Yokohama Stadium
- 2 minute walk from Kannai Station
- 3 minute walk from Nihon Odori Station
Zoorasia
This is one of the largest and best kept zoos in Japan. Zoorasia is designed to recreate the animals’ natural habitat. There are a total of eight different areas in the zoo: Asian Tropical Forest, Subarctic Forest, Oceania Grassland, Central Asian Highland, Japanese Countryside, Amazon Jungle, African Tropical Rain Forest, and African Savanna.
There are a few areas where you can interact and feed animals such as horses, panda mouse, guinea pig, and small goats. You can even ride on a camel!
Zoorasia
9.30am – 4.30pm* (closed on Tuesday)
Admission fee ¥800
*Every Saturday and Sunday in August, the zoo is open until 8.30 so you can see animals in the darkness.
How to go to Zoorasia
The zoo is located a little outside of the centre of Yokohama, but well connected. Depending on your starting point it will take you about 30 min. You can take the train followed by a bus and get off at Yokohama Dobutsuen.
Where to stay in Yokohama
Deciding where to stay in a city like Yokohama can be a little challenging. Most popular areas and places are located on the seaside, so we recommend you also to stay in this area (plus the views here can be amazing too!). Here are some hotels we suggest:
- The Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu – luxury hotel with stunning bay views
- Hotel New Grand – beautiful old style building, with a great location
- Guest House FUTARENO – smaller size guest house located in Nogecho area
What do you think of these places in Yokohama, will you pay them a visit? We think Japan’s 2nd city is great for a day trip or even to spend the night and is definitely worth you times. Only half an hour train ride from Tokyo, this city offers totally different experience as Tokyo. We hope you have fun in Yokohama!
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Happy travelling!
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