Minato Mirai
By the 1980s, there was a shipyard of Mitubishi Heavy Industry and a freight terminal of Japan Railway in the present-day Minato Mirai Area. The area was re-developed and hotels, office buildings, shopping malls, amusement facilities, museums and a convention center were built in the area of 1.86 square meters. The area is located between Yamashita/Kannai and Yokohama station.
The Minato Mirai Line connects between Motomachi-Chukagai Station of Yamashita Area and Yokohama Station via the area. There are two stations, Takashima Station and Minato Mirai Station in the area. Access from Yokohama Station is very good. You can walk to Minato Mirai Station, where Yokohama Landmark Tower is located, from Yokohama Station about 40 minutes.
Map of Minato Mirai
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Places to visit
[The Nippon Maru]
The Nippon Maru was a sailing ship built to train young candidates as sailors. She trained about 11,500 sailors until she was decommissioned in 1984. She has been afloat on a man-made pond in Nippon Maru Memorial Park near the JR Sakuragi-cho Station since 1985.
You can tour inside of the ship following the designated tour route. Explanations for each facility are given on a plate both in English and Japanese along the route. So if you are interested in the history of marine transportation or ships, it's a good place to visit.
The ship is usually exhibited without sails. From April until November, we are able to see the ship in full sail on following days this year: April 11th, 29th, May 30th, June 13th, 27th, July 19th, August 8th, September 5th, 26th, October 10th, 24th, and November 7th.
WebsiteNippon-Maru[Kamon-yama Park]
Kamon-yama Park is one of the popular places in Yokohama people visit to view cherry blossoms in the early April. It is located on the hill of Noge, about 15 minutes walk from JR Sakuragi-cho Station.
The park was built in 1884 in memory of Ii Naosuke, master chief of the Tokugawa Shogunate, who contributed to conclude the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States, which ended the nation's closed door policy. Following the treaty, trading seaport was open here in Yokohama. The park was built on the hill of Noge where the port is observed. The name of the park "Kamon" is after Ii's official title in the Imperial Court. The blonze statue of Il Naosuke stands in the park looking toward the port as if he were guarding the port. You cannot see the port from the park now as high-rise buildings in Minato Mirai district surround it.
In the park of about 24,727 m2, about 200 cherry trees have been planted. At the season of cherry blossoms, people in the neighborhood come to view cherry blossoms and throw a Sakura viewing party under the trees with friends or families bringing foods and drinks.