Yokohama - 横浜

Yamashita Park is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront. The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space. It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.

One of the park's main features is a wide path that runs along the water. It is usually quite busy, with many people enjoying the view of the bay and the ships passing by. At the park's southern end, the path leads into the Rinkosen promenade, which passes by the Osanbashi Pier and leads to Minato Mirai. The walk is a pleasant way to travel between the areas.

A few fountains and an eclectic group of monuments are distributed throughout the park: an Indian memorial, a monument to a Filipino general, a girl scout statue, two monuments to particular Japanese children songs, and a statue of a large head commemorating the introduction of the western-style haircut to Japan.

Minato Mirai 21 is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama whose name means "harbor of the future". It has many large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower, which was Japan's tallest building from 1993 until 2014. The area was a large shipyard until the 1980s, when development began to turn it into a new city center.

Minato Mirai is blessed with a great location along the water and has a wealth of attractions. Visitors to the area will be able to find shopping centers, hotels, a convention center, an amusement park, a relaxation center with hot spring baths, museums and park space.

The Yamate area retains a number of sites relating to its history as the main residential district of Westerners in Yokohama. However, because of the Great Kanto Earthquake, few of them predate 1923. Present day Yamate is still for the most part a hilly residential area with some pleasant parks. As visitors travel between Yamate's sightseeing spots, they will see by the international schools and churches that the presence of Western residents continues to this day.

Below the hills of Yamate is the Motomachi shopping street, which runs parallel to the Nakamura River. The street served the needs of the first foreign residents of Yokohama, and introduced many products to Japan. Nowadays the street does not differ drastically from other shopping streets, but it still has a certain European feel. There is a large number of higher end fashion shops, as well as cafes and restaurants. The street runs 500 meters and is pedestrian-only on weekends and national holidays from 12:00 to 18:00.

Yokohama Chinatown (横浜中華街, Yokohama Chūkagai) is Japan's largest chinatown, located in central Yokohama. A large number of Chinese stores and restaurants can be found in the narrow and colorful streets of Chinatown. Various events and festivals such as Chinese New Year around the beginning of February are also held at chinatown.

Yokohama Chinatown quickly developed, after the port of Yokohama had been one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to foreign trade in 1859. It became the residence of the many Chinese traders who settled down in the city. Today, there are more businesses than actual residents living in the area.

Four colorful gates stand at the entrances to Chinatown, and five more gates can be found within. The Kanteibyo is a gaudily colored temple in the center of Chinatown. Constructed in 1873 by Chinese residents, it is dedicated to the Chinese god of good business and prosperity.

The main attraction of the Yokohama Chinatown, however, is the cuisine offered at its many restaurants and food stands. Popular favorites include steamed buns (manju), ramen noodles and a wide array of other Chinese dishes, many of which have been Japanized to a certain degree.

Sankeien (三溪園) is a spacious Japanese style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan. There is a pond, small rivers, flowers and wonderful scrolling trails that make you think you are in Kyoto rather than Yokohama.

The garden was built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904. Among the historic buildings exhibited in the park are an elegant daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses and the main hall and three storied pagoda of Kyoto's old Tomyoji Temple.