Yokohama is a wonderful town with an abundance of things to see and do. One of the nicer points is that although it is a very short train ride from the heart of Tokyo, it isn’t nearly as packed with tourists. Therefore, we highly recommend making a stop or even staying in Yokohama which is what we did where our room was nearly 30% less than at the same hotel chain in Tokyo.
Yokohama’s life is that of a port city. When Josephine’s great, great-grandparents arrived here in 1861, Yokohama is where they settled and established the Yokohama Kaigan Church which still stands today on Kaigan Church Street. They arrived on a small tea clipper named the Katy after sailing four months around Africa to Shanghai, then to Japan. Yokohama is where many westerners came to establish trade after the country of Japan opened up to the west in the Meiji Period in the late 1800’s.
In Yokohama you can visit numerous museums including many focused on the sea port. There are three ship memorial museums in Yokohama: the NYK Hikawa Maru (a 1930’s era cargo liner) and the Mikasa, an early 20th century Japanese battleship most famous for its roll in defeating the Russian fleet in the Battle of Tsushima Straight. The third ship memorial is the retired sailing training ship, Nippon Maru.
The Nippon Maru is moored within easy walking distance of all the major waterfront sites and is a pleasant way to spend an hour or two. You can explore the interior corridors, cabins, galley, bridge and even the engine room. Yes, although it was predominantly powered by the wind, it had substantial engines for navigating in and out of port. The rigging of the three masts is incredibly complex and makes one appreciate the risks sailors took climbing to the top of the masts, especially during rough weather.
After stepping off the gangway from the ship, step across the promenade to the Yokohama Port Museum. It provides great insights into the history of Yokohama from a marine standpoint. For an interesting and free activity, walk across the road to the base of Landmark Tower (the tallest tower in Yokohama and until recently the tallest in Japan) and at its base you’ll see the remains of one of the great dry docks of years past. It is enormous and an impressive site. Best of all, you can walk down into it to get a sense of the sheer size of the place. There are openings cut into the stone walls that take you into a retail shopping and dining complex, so be sure to check that out as well. Touring the Nippon Maru or any of the other two ship memorials is one of the best things to do in Yokohama. It’s also a great way to test out your sea legs without getting sea sick.
