What to Do in Yokohama: A Day Trip Itinerary

Discover the best of this vibrant city with our Yokohama travel guide! Explore the bustling Minato Mirai waterfront, enjoy panoramic views from the Landmark Tower, wander through the colorful streets of Chinatown, and indulge in delicious street food.

Yokohama, a dynamic port city in Japan, seamlessly blends modern attractions with rich historical charm. Just a 30-minute journey south of Tokyo, it offers a captivating maritime heritage, stunning waterfront vistas, and a cosmopolitan ambiance. From the futuristic Minato Mirai district to the culinary delights of Japan’s largest Chinatown, Yokohama has something for everyone. Come along as we uncover the city’s top must-see destinations!

Yokohama Station – Restaurant and Shopping

First up on our tour is Yokohama Station. It’s just a a 26-minute train ride from Tokyo Station on the Ueno-Tokyo Line, with trains running every 10 minutes! Yokohama Station isn’t just the gateway to the city; it’s also a fantastic place to shop and eat.

To the southwest is Takashimaya Department Store, where you can find a mix of high-end and casual clothing and goods. To the northeast is Yodobashi Camera, where you’ll find every electronic item imaginable. The East side opens directly into the Porta underground shopping mall. Scattered throughout the station are numerous restaurants, including popular chain stores and unique eateries, where you can find delicious local Yokohama food.

Yokohama Station is great for shopping and dining, but to see and learn about Yokohama’s history, take the Miratomirai Line to Motomachi-Chūkagai Station (10 min) and check out Yamate District.

Yamate District (Yamatecho)

When Japan opened its doors to the world in the mid-1800s, Yokohama, then a small fishing port, became the first port to conduct foreign trade. The city grew and eventually became Japan’s second largest.

Yokohama attracted both Western and Chinese traders. The former settled on the hilltop in the Yamate District, while the latter established Japan’s largest Chinatown.

The Yamate area is filled with distinctive Western architecture, making it feel like a world away from Japan. With its wide streets and palm trees, along with charming churches and Victorian-style homes, it’s a wonderful place for a stroll.

Unfortunately, most buildings were destroyed during the great Kano Earthquake in 1923. Today, only eight residences remain, which have been preserved and reopened as museums. Each building is free to enter and depicts the lives of their former owners.

Yokohama Motomachi Shopping Street

Tucked between the lively Chinatown and the elegant Yamate District lies the historically significant Motomachi area. Once a bustling route for workers traveling from Yamate to the Kannai district, the shops along Motomachi Street catered to their needs by providing a diverse array of Western goods and foods.

Now, the famous shopping street has over 200 stores. With a mix of local shops and international brands, you can find anything from clothing and antiques to kitchenware, jewelry, and more!

One of Yokohama’s classic bakeries, Pompadour‘s original shop, is located on Motomachi, and we highly recommend their breads!

Yokohama Chinatown (Yokohama Chūkagai)

As mentioned above, the Chinese traders established a Chinatown that remains Japan’s largest to this day.

With approximately 500 shops and restaurants, you can find anything and everything related to China. From the crackle of crispy Beijing-style Peking duck to the sizzle of dumplings and the hiss of Shanghai-style juicy steamed pork buns, Yokohama’s Chinatown is a food lover’s paradise.

Take your time walking around the area to admire all the sights, smells, and sounds while indulging in some delicious Chinese food. If you enjoy dim sum, this is the perfect place to treat yourself.

Apart from food, you can also find Chinese goods and souvenirs, fortune tellers, and massage shops for relaxation after all the walking (and eating)! Although some of these pictures were taken during a holiday, it can get very busy, especially on weekends!

While in the area, be sure to check out Chinatown’s spiritual landmark, Yokohama Kuan Ti Miao. Adorned with stunning, intricate details, splashes of gold, and fierce dragon statues, the temple features a statue of Guan Yu, a famous military general turned deity immortalized in the historical Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Many people visit the temple to seek business and financial prosperity.

Yokohama Marine Tower

After sampling delicious food in Chinatown, head over to Yokohama Marine Tower. The city is blessed with incredible bayside views, making it a relaxing spot to watch the boats come in and out of the harbor. Overlooking the bay is the Yokohama Marine Tower, built in 1961 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Yokohama’s port opening. It stands at 106 meters tall, with an observation deck on the 30th level at 94 meters.

The entrance fee is between 1,000 and 1,200 yen for adults and 500 to 800 yen for children, depending on the time and day of entry. You can buy tickets at the door or online for a discounted price of 100 yen off on their official website. 

At the top, you can enjoy panoramic views over Yokohama’s skyline, the Minato Mirai seafront, and the Yokohama Bay Bridge. If you’re lucky, on a clear day, you’ll be able to see Mt. Fuji!

The views come alive during sunset and evening as the city lights dazzle in the night sky. On the 30th floor, the media art gallery opens at 6:00 pm, combining digital art displays with beautiful city views. On the 2nd floor, you can pick up souvenirs from the Marine Tower Shop or dine at “The Terrace” on the 4th floor.

Yamashita Park

Just below the Marine Tower is Yamashita Park, a public park that stretches approximately 750 meters across Yokohama’s waterfront. The green oasis is filled with seasonal flowers, fountains, and monuments. It’s usually busy with locals enjoying the bay’s scenery and the ships passing by. 

When passing through the park, you’ll notice the docked Hikawa Maru, which had its maiden voyage in 1930 from Kobe to Seattle. Over the next 30 years, it crossed the Pacific 254 times. Now a museum ship, it allows you to experience what the passenger quarters, decor, and lounge areas were like. You can also learn about the ship’s history from the various displays on board.

The Hikawa Maru Ship is the only surviving cargo-passenger liner built in Japan before World War II and is now a nationally designated Important Cultural Property.

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse (Aka Renga Sōko)

From Yamashita Park, head over to one of Yokohama’s most iconic spots: the red brick warehouses along the shore of Yokohama Port. In the early 1920s, these warehouses served as the Customs Inspection House for Yokohama Bay’s shipping activities, but they now function as an entertainment area.

The outdoor event space hosts seasonal festivities, such as summer concerts and a winter ice skating rink. You can also walk to the edge of the port for fantastic views of the bay and parts of the Yokohama skyline.

The first warehouse, the smaller of the two, is mainly used for events. The third floor has a 300-seat hall for theater performances and concerts. The second floor houses gallery spaces, while the first floor offers several shops selling Yokohama glass and brick goods.

The second warehouse offers a good mix of cafés, restaurants, and shops selling jewelry, interior decor, and miscellaneous goods.

Whether you’re looking to eat, shop, or simply enjoy Yokohama’s atmosphere and scenery, the red brick warehouses are worth a visit.

Cup Noodles Museum

Who doesn’t love a cup of noodles now and then? What better place to learn about their history and founder, Momofuku Ando, than at the Cup Noodles Museum? It is the second Cup Noodles Museum to open in Japan, with the first located in Ikeda, north of Osaka. Admission is 500 yen for adults, while entry for children is free.

You can learn about the humble cup noodles and their rise to fame through various interactive exhibits. First, there’s a short introductory film and a replica of the shed where instant noodles were invented, followed by many display boards showing the evolution of cup noodles, including space ramen for astronauts!

At the My Cupnoodles Factory workshop, for 500 yen, you can customize your own cup noodle packaging and choose from 5,640 broth and topping combinations. This workshop is the most popular spot in the museum and often sells out, so be sure to arrive early!

Next, the Chicken Ramen Factory teaches you how to make instant ramen by kneading, spreading, and steaming wheat flour, then drying it using the flash-frying method. You can even take your noodles home! The workshop lasts 90 minutes and costs 600 yen for children and 1,000 yen for adults.

There’s also Cupnoodles Park, which costs an additional 500 yen. Children can have fun while learning about the noodle-making and shipping process.

Finally, there is Noodle Bazaar, an Asian Night Market-style food court that features eight varieties of noodles that Momofuku Ando encountered during his travels in search of their origins.

Yokohama Cosmo World

Right across from the Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama, in the heart of the city and the Minato Mirai district, is Yokohama Cosmo World. This amusement park is free to enter but you can buy tickets for the rides you wish to go on. If you’re a roller coaster enthusiast, discounted prices are available when you buy multiple tickets at once.

The park is divided into three areas:

1. Kids Carnival Zone – With small rides and game machines, this area is perfect for children.
2. Burano Street Zone – This colorful area features larger rides, including the Family Banana Coaster and the spinning Super Planet. Other attractions include the Hall of Mirrors and game machines where you can win prizes.
3. Wonder Amuse Zone – The main area is home to the largest roller coaster, ‘Diving Coaster – Vanish!’, which plunges through and beneath a pool of water, creating a massive splash. In addition to other larger rides, this area offers a virtual reality ride, a 360° 3D theater, an arcade, fairground stalls, and a food court.

Looming over the amusement park is a giant Ferris wheel known as Cosmo Clock 21, the world’s largest Ferris wheel with a clock. Standing 112.5 meters high and 100 meters wide, it features 60 gondolas, each carrying up to eight passengers. The 15-minute ride lets you take in views of Yokohama’s skyline, with touchscreen displays to help you identify the city’s famous landmarks.

Nippon Maru Memorial Park

The fun doesn’t end at Cosmo World. The Nippon Maru Memorial Park was the first park developed in the Minato Mirai area. Located right by the bay, this green space is often used for events and festivals. It also houses the Yokohama Port Museum, which brings the port’s history and broader marine topics to life with interactive exhibits, engaging visitors in a hands-on learning experience.

However, the park’s main attraction, often considered the symbol of Yokohama, is the Nippon Maru. Built in 1930, this famed ship served as a training vessel for cadets, accommodating 11,500 cadets over 54 years until its retirement in 1984. During its tenure, it sailed an impressive 45.4 times around the Earth, covering 1,830,000 kilometers. Today, visitors can stroll along the decks, read about its history in detail, and experience what life on a ship was like.

The Nippon Maru is truly impressive. Its polished wooden decks and intricate construction allow you to appreciate its beauty. Now permanently docked at Yokohama Port, it is magically illuminated in the evening, becoming even more spectacular.

Yokohama Landmark Tower

Just a one-minute walk away, on the opposite side of the road, is Yokohama Landmark Tower, which houses a five-star hotel, restaurant, shops, offices, and the city’s highest observation deck, known as the Sky Garden Observatory. The elevator takes only 40 seconds to reach the 69th floor, where you’ll see the best view over the city. 

The views from the red brick warehouses and Cosmo Clock 21 are absolutely spectacular, showcasing the bay activities and stretching all the way to Tokyo and, on clear days, even Mt. Fuji!

To sum up, Yokohama is easy to love. This city, steeped in rich history and brimming with attractions, is also Nami’s hometown! If you have the time, we recommend spending two days to fully enjoy all that it has to offer.

While you’re in the area, why not check out the nearby coastal town of Kamakura with our travel guide?