A tour of Yokohama
Simply walk and enjoy

Yokohama is the second largest city of Japan. Home to more than 3 million people, the city is known for being the “port” of Tokyo.

A quick history
Towards the end of the Edo period (from 1603 to 1867), during which Japan isolated itself from the rest of the world, Western nations forced Japan to open its ports to foreign trade (you might have heard about Commodore Perry). In 1859, Yokohama became the first port to be opened up and the city quickly changed from a small fishing village into a large metropolis. Soon, foreigners started to settle down in the city (Chinatown for the Chinese businesses and Yamate for the Westerner’s).

Invitation to my city tour
On a sunny Saturday of November, we hopped on a train in Tokyo station and after a 30 minute ride, got off at Sakuragicho station.
When you walk out of station, you find yourself in one of the newest part of town, known as Minato Mirai 21. Minato Mirai means the “harbor of the future”.
This new urban development is mainly built on reclaimed land (they do that a lot around here). The landmark here is the so called Landmark Tower…..get ready for the superlatives!
In this, the tallest building in Japan (293m), you take the world’s fastest elevator (750 meters per minute, a couple of times my ears popped) to get to the top. There, the observatory deck (360º view) gives you an awesome view over Yokohama’s bay, Tokyo and when the sky is clear, you can even get to see Fuji-san!

Once I recovered from the breathtaking views, I made some frustrating attempts to capture the view with my camera. I finally decided that the best was simply to enjoy the moment!

A few ear-popping moments later and we were back on the ground (on the reclaimed ground). Walking around Minato Mirai 21 area was very pleasant; it looked very new and extremely clean!

Chinatown
Yokohama is also known for its Chinatown district, the largest in Japan. This attracts a lot of visitors and indeed when arriving there, it was crowded.

Crowded but nothing in comparison to a Saturday afternoon in Tokyo! Many restaurants were lined up in the main street, food stores in the back streets. It didn’t give the impression that these people were living here, but that they were on a Saturday afternoon visit! It did feel rather touristy (and Karin would confirm that opinion).
We didn’t get a chance to sample the food there but let me tell you that I will be back. On the streets many merchants were selling the popular chestnuts, even offering free samples to passers by…none to me. What’s wrong? Don’t I look like a tourist that would get fooled by the overpriced chestnuts?

Yamate & Motomachi
After Chinatown we walked to the street named Motomachi. Motomachi is on the edge of the Yamate area. Yamate is a quiet hill with a foreign touch (western businessmen’s old mansions etc). The shopping street is still very popular among the foreign residents. There you can find many foreign stores, selling clothes you would find back home! On the upper side, you would find the Yamate area, a green hill, with old mansions and a foreign cemetery. The shopping street really has a different feel from the shopping places in Tokyo. Similar to Europe. Here, for example, you don’t need to look up past the ground floor to find your store, everything is at street level.

Well that was my little tour of Yokohama. I really liked this city. It is some kind of a retreat from the super busy Tokyo. Here, we were so surprised to see so few people. The first question I asked my colleagues on the following Monday was, “Do people live in Yokohama ? Where are they during the week end?”….Surprising enough, it seems to be the way that this city is. Very enjoyable if you get tired of Tokyo.

Hop on the train, and after a quick ride, discover the Western feel that Yokohama has to offer.
And that city is definitely turned toward the future (even the Mayor Nakada-san seems to be a young guy, decided to give to his city a key role in modern Japan).

Visit Yokohama!

-Nico

They named it Luxis.
How intriguing!

After having spent this gorgeous Saturday walking around the city of Yokohama, having experienced the fastest elevator in Japan, been up to its tallest building and in its largest Chinatown, we were exhausted!
It was more than time for a relaxing place to sit down for a light and enjoyable dinner.

We had spotted a couple of promising places on the map, around Ebisu. But once we arrived, we realized that we had no clue as to how to get to these places.
So we decided to just pick a random place. Of course, the selection would be based on very strict criteria (I am just kidding!).

We ended in a place named Luxis.


Luxis is described as a fusion of luxury and oasis !
Amazing interior. A huge fish tank covering an entire wall. Pretty massive.

I was delighted to have dinner with all the little Nemos behind me.

And NO! None of these fishes were on the menu.

-Nico

Tokyo, a city of contrasts
Discovering the different sides of this amazing city

Today, I have decided to share with you one of the most amazing aspects of Tokyo. Overriding the obvious cliché describing this city as a massive block of concrete, I would like to take you on a tour that will make you discover this city’s different sides. From the buzz of Shibuya and Shinjuku to the peaceful streets of Hiroo, walking across this town is always full of surprises. It is a pleasure for me to spend time wandering around new neighborhoods. But one of the most amazing things is that even when I stroll around my own neighborhood, I keep finding new places that I haven’t seen before. Little hidden treasures.


When I look out of the window from my office, I see plenty of high rises. It looks as if the ground were covered by them. Sometimes one would wonder if there is still room for people to walk out there.


The first time I came here, I spent my time visiting the most obvious tourist places that my guide book was described. I ended up in these crazy places, full of people, very dense, with buildings every where (sometimes wondering how these constructions can resist earthquakes)…

For example, Shibuya and Shinjuku (on weekends) are those kinds of places with neon lights that make you feel like it’s perpetually daytime. When I walk there I sometimes felt like I am carried away by the global motion of all the people surrounding me.


Who would have known that by putting the guide book away and allowing myself to get totally lost, I would discover the most amazing places!

Hiroo, where a lot of the embassies are located, is full of little streets, some even paved with cobblestones. You get the impression of wandering around a quiet little village. Perhaps even a European village but by no means, in the center of Tokyo.

Even when I walk around my house I keep on discovering new things (like old temples, little gardens etc. Hidden alleys jammed with wooden houses take you back in time. The occasional ancient looking motor bike defies the well known image of high-tech Japan.

I really like the contrast that this city has to offer.
It is not always easy to find your way in Tokyo, sometimes even very frustrating, but the chance of uncovering surprises is an awesome reward.

-Nico