Travelling Yokohama
Before You Travel
Yokohama is Japan's second largest city with a population of over three million. Yokohama is located less than half an hour south of Tokyo by train, and is the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Towards the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867), during which Japan maintained a policy of self-isolation, Yokohama's port was one of the first to be opened to foreign trade in 1859. Consequently, Yokohama quickly grew from a small fishing village into one of Japan's major cities.
Until today, Yokohama remains popular among expats, has one of the world's largest chinatowns and preserves some former Western residences in the Yamate district.
Yokohama, the seat of the prefectural government, has grown as a major gateway of the sea to Japan, as well as the center of administration and economy for the whole prefecture. Yokohama City has the development of Minato Mirai 21 Area under way as a near-futuristic urban complex.
In addition to Yokohama, there are other well-known vital cities east of the prefecture, such as Kawasaki, one of the foremost industrial cities in Japan, and Yokosuka, an exotic port town.
Yokohama Tours
