The Essential Guide to Yokohama, Japan

When most people imagine Japan, they usually picture neon, futuristic cityscapes. But the country also bursts with natural beauty, from azure bays lined with rose gardens to cherry blossoms that gently release their velvety petals as the sun sets behind Mount Fuji.

Yokohama, Japan, a city located about 20 miles south of Tokyo, strikes a balance between vibrant food and culture, with plenty of opportunities to enjoy nature. Take it from local Makoto Tada, who has lived in the city for over 40 years and is the founder of Ramen Oohashi, a popular handmade noodle spot at the Yokohama fish market.“

Yokohama has a very unique history,” he says. “It’s a port city with many great places to walk, especially in the evening.”  

As Japan’s second-largest city, Yokohama has no shortage of local delights. The fish market lets customers sample fresh cuts of the day’s catch, and the historic waterfront has a seasonal ice skating rink. Brian Hutto, founder of the local sake bar Craft Sake Shoten, recommends Yokohama because “hotels are cheaper, eating out is cheaper, and Tokyo is just a 25-minute train ride away.”

From exclusive sushi bars to maritime museums and some of the best coffee in the country, I love encouraging friends and family to make Yokohama a priority whenever they visit Japan.

Here’s what you need to know before visiting Yokohama.

Best Hotels & Resorts

Keikyu Ex Hotel Minatomirai-Yokohama

The Keikyu Ex Hotel Minatomirai-Yokohama is sleek, modern, and located along the waterfront. Guest rooms begin on the 27th floor and have sweeping views of the bay, while the open-air bath frames Mount Fuji during sunrise and sunset. Breakfast is served one floor down on the 26th, where guests can enjoy grilled salmon, fresh croissants, and panoramic views. “You can find beautiful hotels for reasonable prices on the coastline,” says Hutto. He recommends staying close to the water when visiting Yokohama. 

Hotel New Grand

Hotel New Grand is one of the oldest hotels in Yokohama, and gives guests the chance to step back in time to 1927. Much of its original charm still remains, from rich carpeted staircases to vintage chandeliers and ornate moldings. It overlooks iconic Yamashita Park, known for its rose gardens and antique wooden benches—it’s a romantic setting and is often featured in Japanese films. Over the years, the hotel has welcomed legendary guests including General MacArthur, Charlie Chaplin, and Babe Ruth. 

Manyo Club

Japan’s onsen, natural hot spring baths, are famous for their therapeutic qualities. Manyo Club pipes pure onsen water from a nearby spring into over five indoor and outdoor pools. There are few places in the world where you can soak in a natural hot spring while overlooking the ocean in the heart of a cosmopolitan city. Manyo Club spans three floors of facilities, ranging from saunas and steam baths as well as multiple restaurants. With both Japanese and Western-style rooms for overnight stays, it’s the perfect place to recharge after sightseeing.

Best Things to Do

Soar to the top of Landmark Tower. 

No visit to Yokohama is complete without a ride to the top of Landmark Tower. In the heart of the shopping district of Minato Mirai, the tower is home to Japan’s fastest elevator, climbing 69 stories in 40 seconds. The top offers 360-degree views of the Kanto plain. Makoto recommends timing your visit for sunset, calling it “the best view in the city,” when the skies cast Mount Fuji in a golden glow. Order the “Yokohama Sunset” cocktail, a blend of pomegranate, guava, orange juice, and sparkling wine.

Create a custom instant ramen at the Cup Noodles Museum.

Yokohama’s Cup Noodles Museum dives into the fascinating story behind this iconic food, first created in 1958. Walk through the reconstructed workshop of Momofuku Ando, the founder of instant ramen, or create your own customized cup noodle. There is even a “Noodle Bazaar” where you can taste the different types of noodles that inspired Ando. Both your mind and stomach will leave satisfied after a trip to this whimsical museum. 

Stroll through Sankeien Garden. 

It’s tempting to get lost in the stone pathways of Sankeien Garden, an old silk merchant’s private estate. With its 175,000 square meters, the landscape is dotted with historic relocated buildings from all over Japan, including a 15th-century Kyoto pagoda. Check their website for the calendar of seasonal blooms, and treat yourself to traditional matcha in the restored teahouse in the garden’s center. 

Tour Yokohama’s historic ships. 

With a rich maritime heritage (it was a key port after Japan opened to foreign trade in 1854), Yokohama has done an impressive job of preserving its nautical past. The Nippon Maru, a majestic four-masted sailing ship, now moored in Minato Mirai, has circumnavigated the earth an astonishing 45 times. Built to train naval cadets, it opens for tours and hosts “sail unfurling” drills, where 80 volunteers manually raise all 29 sails—a dramatic sight worth seeing. Check the ship’s official calendar of events here. 

Sip sake at Craft Sake Shoten.

Just a five-minute walk from Yokohama Station is a standing bar tucked away on the second floor that serves curated sake from across Japan. Hutto describes sake as having  “aromas of melon, banana, and even cotton candy,” and “flavors that can be floral, fruity, or a clean crispness.” Craft Sake Shoten is an intimate, unpretentious place to deepen your sake knowledge while bumping shoulders with incredibly friendly locals.

Best Restaurants

Nakame No Teppen

If you’re looking for dinner and a show, book a seat at Nakame No Teppen. Their specialty is robatayaki, fireside grilling, where counter seats surround a charcoal hearth and chefs prepare dishes in full view. The menu is extensive, ranging from grilled chicken to my personal favorite, shiitake mushrooms with melted butter. The location is equally memorable—it’s housed inside the oldest stone-built commercial ship dock still standing in Japan. 

Ohtanawanoren

“I take all my visitors to Ohtanawanoren, a classic restaurant that’s 157 years old,” says Makoto. Famous for gyu-nabe, or beef cooked in a cast iron pot, it became popular in Yokohama when Japan opened its ports to Western visitors during the 1800s. “Gyu-nabe is cooked over charcoal and uses a miso sauce,” says Makoto, noting that this restaurant’s particular recipe dates back to 1868. The restaurant has its own inner courtyard and koi pond, making it a serene, delicious, and historical choice. 

Gooz

Gooz has everything you need to start your day off strong. They roast over 10 varieties of coffee in-house each morning. The bakery counter is equally tempting—my favorites are the yuzu cinnamon rolls and the donut holes made with mochi flour. Grab a seat at one of the outdoor tables under the shade of Nihon Odori, the historic boulevard that once divided the Japanese and Western settlements. 

Ramen Oohashi 

You can’t beat a morning spent at the Yokohama fish market, perusing the day’s catch displayed over blocks of ice as vendors offer samples to passersby. For lunch, stop by Ramen Oohashi in the market’s restaurant alley. “I recommend the oyster ramen because we are in the fish market, so you know it is fresh,” says Makoto. “The oysters we use in the broth are from Hiroshima, and the oysters for the topping are from Miyagi.” 

Noge no onikai

For a premier sushi experience, reserve a seat at Noge No Onikai. With only eight seats, the intimacy is palpable as the chef molds perfectly textured rice around marbled slices of fatty tuna. The menu changes daily depending on the morning market. “I order almost everything, and always whatever’s in season,” says Hutto. Noge no Onikai is an ideal spot to try omakase, the chef’s choice style of sushi dining.

Best Shopping

Yokohama Chinatown

Yokohama’s Chinatown is the largest in Japan and is surrounded by 10 ornately decorated gates. It’s tempting to get lost in the maze of dim sum and fortune tellers, under red paper lanterns swinging over tiny alleys. “I love going there for the casual atmosphere,” says Makoto. “Chinatown feels the same as it did when I went 30 years ago.”  

Motomachi Shopping Street

The upscale neighborhood of Motomachi is known for its cobblestone streets and bespoke fashion boutiques. Find your perfect handbag at Kitamura, a Yokohama-based leather goods brand founded in 1882. Or shop for stationery at Itoya, with three stories of pens, cards, and elegant paper goods. Look out for dressed-up dogs in designer strollers—Yokohama has the highest number of registered dogs in all of Japan. 

Yokohamabashi shotengai  

Wander through this lively produce market, eyeing giant roots of fresh wasabi and pyramids of ripe persimmons. Yokohamabashi Shotengai is the perfect street for foodies, with no shortage of treats to discover. “This neighborhood is over 80 years old,” says Makoto. “During World War II, all the bombs missed this area, so it remains historic and traditional.” The promenade is covered by a roof, making it a perfect spot on a drizzly day. 

Red Brick Warehouse 

The Red Brick Warehouses were the original trading hub of Yokohama port when it opened to Western influence in the 1800s. Today, they are filled with artisanal shops and restaurants. This is many people’s favorite place to purchase Yokohama souvenirs, such as silk scarves or specialty hand cream using the delicately fragranced kinmokusei, or osmanthus.

Best Time to Visit

My personal favorite months are October and November, when the autumn leaves’ color peaks. The humidity drops, a crisp breeze picks up, and places like Sankeien Garden transform into a sea of red, orange, and yellow.

Summer spans from June through September and has festivals galore, but it also has heat and humidity. Stay cool by catching a baseball game at Yokohama Stadium, indulging in shaved ice desserts, or joining an evening matsuri (summer festival), where locals dance in yukata (a lightweight kimono worn in the summer) to traditional music under swinging lanterns. 

Winter (December through February) is chilly but calm—it’s an ideal time for travelers who prefer clear skies, thinner crowds, and panoramic views of Mount Fuji. It’s also Winter Illumination season, a time when twinkling lights blanket towns and cities across Japan, including Yokohama. My favorite annual winter event is the Christmas Market at Red Brick Warehouse, where you can purchase mulled wine and handcrafted ornaments from German-style cabins. 

The most popular time to visit is springtime, from March to May—specifically, during cherry blossom season. Overhead, the pink blossoms bloom like tufts of cotton candy, carpeting the sidewalk in soft blush-colored hues. The weather is mild, and it is so pretty that it feels almost too good to be true—but be prepared for crowds who also feel the same way.

How to Get There

Multiple train lines connect to the city’s central Yokohama Station, including the Toyoko Line that leaves from Tokyo’s Shibuya Station and a variety of JR lines from Tokyo Station and beyond. If you’re leaving from Tokyo Station, it’ll take you about 40 minutes to get to Yokohama on the Keihin-Tōhoku Line.

If you’re visiting from abroad, the Keikyu Airport Line runs from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND) directly to Yokohama Station with express trains (such as the Keikyu) making the journey in as little as 24 minutes. 

There are Shinkansen (bullet train) stops in Shinagawa to the north, or Shin-Yokohama to the west. If you’re coming from Tokyo Station, hop on the Tokaido Line to get to Yokohama Station in about 30 minutes. Trains depart as often as seven times an hour, making day trips and multi-city itineraries easy to plan.

Another surprisingly convenient option? The bus. Many locals even say the bus is their preferred way of getting from Yokohama to nearby Tokyo Disney, which is about 28 miles away. The Yokohama City Air Terminal (aka the YCAT) has convenient bus service from Yokohama Station to both Haneda Airport and Narita International Airport (NRT).

How to Get Around

With lush gardens, scenic ocean paths, and historic boulevards, Yokohama is the perfect place to stretch your legs and explore on foot. Here is a great walking map to help get you started. 

For those that prefer to pedal, Yokohama has a user-friendly community e-bike program, Yokohama Bay Bikes. Download the app, link your credit card, and you’re good to go. 

Another fun option is the Akai Kutsu City Loop Bus. Styled after early 1900’s streetcars, it offers a charming hop-on-hop-off experience. My personal favorite way to get around, though, is the Yokohama Sea Bass water taxi. This casual transit boat offers sweeping waterfront views while ferrying you between coastal destinations. 

Local taxis and ride-hailing service Uber are available in the city but tend to be pricier than their public transportation counterparts. However, there are few places in the city that you couldn’t easily access by public transportation and a short walk.