Yokohama 横浜市

Yokohama (Japanese: 横浜市) is the second biggest city in Japan. It is located on Tokyo Bay, to the south of Tokyo, and is the biggest port serving the Kanto Region. It is also the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.

From a small fishing village, Yokohama grew to become a major city when the Tokugawa shogunate turned it into a trading port for foreign ships. The port opened to trade in 1859. Two years later, the first English-language newspaper in Japan, the Japan Herald, had its start in Yokohama in 1861. The first railway in Japan connected Yokohama to Shinagawa in Tokyo.

The Great Kanto Earthquake dealt a severe blow to Yokohama, with casulties reported at 30,771. Before the city could fully recover from the devastation, it was firebombed by Allied forces during World War II. Nevertheless it benefited from the close proximity with Tokyo, and grew at a faster pace than the other cities of Japan, excluding Tokyo. From sixth placing in 1920 (behind Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Kobe), Yokohama becomes the second biggest city in Japan from 1980 onwards, surpassing Osaka.

Yokohama Bay Bridge


Yokohama, Japan


The Minato Mirai 21 development in Yokohama

Planning your trip to Yokohama

Yokohama is just half an hour from Tokyo by bullet train. There are a number of trains to choose, leaving from various stations in Tokyo.

The Tokyu Toyoko Line links Shibuya Station in Tokyo with Yokohama Station. The fastest service takes 24 minutes and costs ¥260 - the cheapest way to reach Yokohama.

The JR Shonan Shinjuku Line from Shinjuku Station reaches Yokohama in 30 minutes and costs ¥540. The JR Tokaido Main Line from Shinagawa Station takes 25 minutes.

If you are going to Yokohama direct from the airport, you can take the Narita Express train from Narita Airport to Yokohama in 1 ½ hours for ¥4380.

Kanteibyo Temple in the Yokohama Chinatown

Places of Interest in Yokohama

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Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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