globetrekker84

Title says it all...any suggestions?

jpatokal

Go to Tokyo -- it's only 30 minutes away.

I think the most interesting, quirky and above all tasty thing in Yokohama is the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Upstairs is a ho-hum display of noodle packets in glass cases, but the reason there are queues to get in is downstairs: there's a full-size recreation of a 1950s Tokyo city block, complete with a dozen branches of the best ramen vendors in Japan. Y300 admission plus Y1000 for a bowl plus an hour in a queue if you arrive even close to lunch/dinnertime or the weekend, but it's worth it!

Minato Mirai 21 and Chinatown are the major draws for the Japanese, but the first is basically a shopping mall (whee) and the second is your standard-issue touristy Chinatown with restaurants serving fairly bad food at fairly high prices. Not my cup of oolong.

More data: http://wikitravel.org/en/Yokohama

Klaxon

There is alot to do in Yokohama

1) The Kanagawa Prefectural Museum

2) The Yokohama Museum of Art (Desined by Tange Kenzo) - has an exhibition from the Louvre running from 4/9 - 7/13

3) Chinatown - the butamon are overpriced but it is still fun to try one or some chestnuts

4) Landmark Tower - tallest building in Japan 69th floor observatory costs 10USD to get to the top, can see Shinjuku, Mt Fuji, and Haneda Airport

5) International passenger terminal - it is a very unique piece of architecture, it feels like you are on a cruise ship

6) Warehouse area - lots of cool cafe/restaraunt type places in renovated warehouses dating from the 1900's

7) Sogo - the largest department store in Japan - next to the JR station

8) Foreigners Cemetary - where Edmund Morel (English Railroad Engineer) is buried, he brought train service to Japan

9) The Ramen and Curry Museums are not worth a damm unless you are hungry, then you can sample different styles of curry. The ramen museum is by Shin Yokohama station which is where the shinkansen stops

There is alot more to do, a better place to look at things is this link

http://metropolis.japantoday.com


Kampai,
Klaxon

P.S. Tokyo is fun and there is alot to do there, but Yokohama has alot more space to walk around.

RichardInSF

I am more with jpatokal on this topic, just about the best thing to see in Yokohama is the train leaving it. It is closer to Kamakura and Hakone than Tokyo is, I suppose that's a plus.

csakamoto

Go to Sakuragicho at night and have a walk around the bay. There are some really nice views with Landmark Tower, the ferris wheel, Yama****a Park, etc.

The ramen museum was cool, but I didn't think the ramen tasted that great.

Or you can take a trip to Kamakura...

Taiwaned

Bump this old thread.

Is there anything new to see in Yokohama?

I am planning to make the special trip to the Ramen Museum.

The stuff mentioned on this thread, they seem not so interesting.
Any other suggestions?

Since I will be spending a night here, a suggestion for a good lively area to hand out during the evening/night would be appreciated.

RichardInSF

They aren't so interesting. Maybe a baseball game at the stadium if one is on when you are there. If you haven't seen beisbol, Japanese style, it's definitely worth it.

Locals always make a big deal about Chinatown, but it's pretty wimpy IMO.

ksandness

Yokohama fits the old quip, "It's a nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there."

The best thing about Yokohama is that it's within easy train distance of Tokyo and Kamakura. Hop onto the Toyoko Line, and you'll soon be in Shibuya.

mike_la_jolla

I know this is glib, but my suggestion would be to leave the area via the subway. Yokohama is my least favorite place in Japan. Dull beyond measure. Bad to truly atrocious hotels. 1 boring shopping mall (Queens). No good restaurants. You must be there for a conference at Pacifico Yokohama.
The Landmark Tower is somewhat interesting, but try not to yawn to loudly.

HereAndThereSC

Can't help it. Apologies.

"Buy a set of tires"?

HTSC

rts123

Yokohama is my "home town" when I visit Japan for work. True, it's not the most exciting place, but it's certainly pleasant enough. The Minato Mirai/Warehouse/Yamashita area is good for walking around at any time, and as mentioned earlier a baseball game is worth seeing if you haven't been to a game in Japan before. The Landmark Tower is worth it on a clear day, especially if you won't be anyplace else to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji.

I've done the curry museum and imagine the ramen museum is similar - nothing overly special but fine for lunch or a casual dinner. Plenty of restaurants of all kinds around, and I've had a good meal in Chinatown. Plenty of bars in Chinatown (as well as other places), with Rockwells and Ashes being the ones I get taken to most often.

My hosts tend to treat me very well when I'm there, so I haven't had much chance to venture beyond the Naka and Sumiyoshi/Minato areas to see what other attractions the city may have. As others have mentioned, it's convenient for a trip to Kamakura, and it's an easy trip to Tokyo should you have time to do some exploring there.

Taiwaned

I will abide by all your suggestions.

It seems to be close enough to Tokyo that spending a night there is not necessary. Rather spend it in Tokyo.

I just want to eat ramen. Lots of it. Different kinds. Just seems like the place to go to if you want that.

SJUAMMF

For night spot, the northwest quardrant from the Kannai Stn on the Negishi line is not too bad. Not quite Shinbashi or Kitashinji but still pretty busy.

Ichinensei

if you are into Gardens, the one in Yokohama is pretty nice

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3205.html

and on the way back, the bus passes by Chinatown. So you could knock that off on the same trip

I would go to ramen museum as well, it's quite unique and you can actually try different kinds of ramen from different parts of Japan there.

pudgym29

There are really good bars in central Yokohama.

• Thrash Zone
• The Full Monty
• Craft Beer Bar

I can recommend visiting any or all of them.
If you go to Thrash Zone, do not be put off by its apparent preference for hard rock | heavy metal music. Look through its stack of CDs until you find this one.