Recommended route:
Nihon-odori Station Exit No 1 →
Yokohama Port Opening
Memorial Hall →
Ryokuen → tef-tef → Nanetsu Bishoku →
Yokohama Marine Tower →
Motomachi-Chukagai Station
Distance: 2.1 km
Steps: 3,992
Time: 25 min + meals, shopping
Budget: 5,000 yen
1. Begin your journey with some stained glass.
Your journey starts from Nihon-Odori station
exit no 1 on
Minatomirai line. As you leave
the station and head towards Prefectural Office
crossroad, you will see the tower of Yokohama
Port Opening Memorial Hall, also
known as
The Jack.
The building looks foreign and beautiful. It is
made from red bricks and granite.
The Memorial Hall was built in 1917 to
celebrate 50 years
of opening the Yokohama
Port to foreign trade. This building is
considered an Important Cultural Property.
The Jack is one of the Yokohama Three Towers
along with
Kanagawa Prefectural Office
(The King) and Yokohama Customs building
(The
Queen). It is said that if you go to see all
three towers with your significant
other, you will
get married.
The most beautiful part of this Western style
building of
Yokohama Port Opening Memorial
Hall is the stained glass.
Left: The window located at the central
staircase.
Top & Bottom Right: Stained glass on the 2nd
floor.
On the other side of the door you can find the
document room.
The most famous stained glass masterpiece is
the one
located at the central staircase. It
depicts the arrival of The Black Ships and
Commodore Perry.
A part of the glass was lost during the Great
Kanto Earthquake
of 1923, however now it
has been restored for everyone’s enjoyment.
It is the
most beautiful on the sunny days, as
the light comes through the windows in
multiple colors. So we absolutely recommend
you visit this place during daytime!
Meeting hall and auditorium are only open to
public once
a month, but the corridors,
document room and the stained glass
staircase are open from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall
1-6 Honcho, Chuo-ku, Yokohama-shi Kanagawa
045-201-0708
Open 10:00-16:00
Closed on the 4th
Monday of the month
(next day if Monday is a Holiday),
New Year’s (December 29 - January 3)
http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/naka/kaikou/
Travel along the Nihon-Odori street towards
Yokohama
District Public Prosecutors Office
and turn right at the corner of the
building.
You will see a café terrace on a stone paved
walkway surrounded by
colorful flowers,
reminding people around of Europe.
There is not even one piece of garbage on the
walkway.
The plants also seem well kept with no
dried leaves or withered flowers in sight.
After taking a relaxing walk down the nice
street, you
will come to the entrance to
Yokohama Park and one of the 9 gates of
Chinatown.
2. Chinese tea drinking traditions.
As you enter through the gate, you will reach a
writing stating “Chinatown” in Japanese.
This next gate is the entrance to the main
street. The
street is always crowded with
people, as there are many famous restaurants
concentrated in the area. You might be drawn
into the crowd, but enter the
street in front of
the gate and go to your right instead.
Top Left: The store is bright, so you can enter
without worries.
Top Right: Tea jars displayed along the wall look
amazing.
Bottom Left: An interesting display shelf.
Bottom Right: You can also find compressed
Mongolian tea.
Head into the Chinese tea store “Ryokuen”.
First floor is
a shop space with the highest
quality teas from China. Apparently, even
the
famous high-class Chinese restaurant
“Heichinrou” buys their tea from this store.
Café space on the 2nd floor.
If you want to enjoy the tea from the store at
its’
finest, head to the “Meikokaku” café on the
2nd floor. The owner of
the store, who is also
the director of Chinese tea appreciation
association in
Japan, selects the best tea leaves
which are the prepared and enjoyed in the
Gongfu cha style.
Top Left: Tung-ting tea set (Oolong tea from
Taiwan).
Top Right: Before pouring in the tea, the
teacups are warmed up with hot water.
Bottom Left: Tea leaves are placed in the teapot
and hot water is poured on top.
Bottom Right: In order for every last bit
of
liquid to pour out, the teapot is placed at a 90°
angle.
It is difficult to choose your tea with so many
options
available.,. We recommend trying the
Tung-ting tea (2,000 yen), which is the
most
popular beverage in the store. Sometimes the
owner Mr. Zhou himself comes
down to pour
your tea, but usually the first cup is served by
the staff.
Since the cup was warmed up by hot water,
your tea will not get cold fast.
To properly enjoy Chinese tea, you should start
by
admiring the color, instead of drinking right
away. After that, smell the tea
and put some in
your mouth and on your tongue. By drinking it
slowly, the
flavor and fragrance of the tea
spreads through your mouth and your senses.
Mr. Zhou suggests coming over for tea when
you have some
spare time, so you can slowly
enjoy the tea up to the 3rd cup.
You can attend Chinese tea preparation classes
(1 hour,
weekdays 2,500 yen, weekends 3,500
yen, reservation required). If you are interested
in Chinese tea culture, be sure to participate!
Ryokuen
220 Yamashita-cho, Yokohama-shi Kanagawa
045-651-5651
Open 12:00-20:00
3. Meet the superstar of Chinatown!
Leave the Chinese tea store and walk down
Emperor Guan Yu
street where his temple is
located until you come across a lovely dog.
Fluffiness of a plush toy! Passers-by can’t help
but stop and marvel.
Two balls of fluff with big round eyes - Jobim
and Loco.
They work as billboard dogs at an
Asian goods and clothing store “tef-tef”.
The items in the store are mostly from China,
Nepal and
Thailand. You can find such rare
items as pouches made from goat skin!
Inside the store you are greeted with colorful
bags, accessories
and clothes. Usually the
image of goods from Asia might not be very
good, but this store specializes in only the
highest quality products, so they can be
used
on any occasion.
The owner opened this store in 2007 after
visiting Nepal
and falling in love with Asian
general goods.
Colorful bags from Nepal are hanged along the
wall,
turning the inside of the store into an
exotic spectacle. Round bags with
bamboo
handles look particularly nice for summer
season.
Top Left: BONBON necklace 1,200 yen~
Top Right: Donation box for Nepal is placed at
the entrance.
Bottom Left: Jobim and Loco both love their
BONBON necklaces!
Bottom Right: Their Nepal charity was featured
in a local newspaper.
3 years have passed since April 2015 Nepal
Earthquake. Yet
even now, many people still live
in horrible conditions with no improvement in
sight. In “tef-tef” part of the proceedings from
BONBON necklace sales and
donations for a
picture with Jobim and Loco are used to buy
and send
necessities like blankets and mosquito
nets to Nepal.
There is also a separate box for collecting
money to buy special
treats to Jobim and Loco,
the two diligent workers.
Show some love and compassion by donating
to both causes.
tef-tef
166 Yamashita-cho, Yokohama-shi Kanagawa
045-663-3941
Open 11:00-19:00
Closed on Wednesdays and the third Tuesday of the month.
On the same street as “tef-tef” there is the
famous Emperor Guan Yu temple where the
Emperor, celebrated as a hero in the Annals
of
the Three Kingdoms, is enshrined. Guan Yu
is also considered the deity of
trade, and can
bring great fortune and profits. Don’t forget
to say a prayer.
Top Left: The gates have gorgeous decorations,
unlike the ones at Japanese shrines.
Top Right: Statues of lions by the entrance.
Bottom Left: Colorful dragons on the roof.
Bottom Right: Life story of Guan Yu.
4. A small Chinese restaurant - secret of the
locals.
After walking around, head to a nice restaurant
for
lunch. Don’t be tempted by the street food
available on every corner and head
down the
street until you reach a Chinese restaurant
called “Horaikaku”. Turn
the corner to the left,
and you will reach your destination - “Nanetsu
Bishoku”.
Red walls with a yellow sign stand make the
restaurant
stand out. It is in front of the “Rose
Hotel”.
The character 粤 in the name points to
Guangdong province in China. The owner of the
store was born in Guangdong and he brings
the
authentic flavor to Cantonese food served in
the restaurant.
There are more
than 220 Chinese restaurants
in Yokohama Chinatown, but “Nanetsu Bishoku”
is admired by the chefs of other establishments
for its’ exceptional quality.
The recommended dish in this restaurant is the
steamed
and fried salted chicken (800 yen for
half a bird, 1,600 yen for a full bird). The
taste
is that of the owners’ hometown, and it’s so
popular it sells out pretty quickly.
Clockwise from the left: Steamed and fried
chicken half (800 yen),
Hong Kong Shrimp
Wonton Noodles (980 yen), Pig Offal and
Vegetable Stir-fry (1,800 yen)
The chicken is more substantial than it seems.
The more
you chew, the more you feel the
meat flavor. Perfect with alcohol!
Other recommended items on the menu would
be the Hong
Kong Shrimp Wonton Noodles
(980 yen) and Pig Offal & Vegetable Stir-fry
(1,800 yen). All meals combined make a
perfect portion for two.
Wonton noodles have tender shrimps that are
delicious to
chew. Stir-fry is surprisingly light. It
is recommended even for people who are
not
too fond of pig organs.
Nanetsu Bishoku
165-2 Yamashita-cho, Yokohama-shi Kanagawa
045-681-6228
Open Weekdays 11:30-15:00/17:00-23:00
(L.O. 22:00),
Weekends 11:30-23:00 (L.O. 22:00)
http://www.chinatown.or.jp/shop/%E5%8D%97%E7%B2%A4%E7%BE%8E%E9%A3%9F/
5. Yokohama Marine Tower -
beautiful sight day
and night.
After having a decent
meal, finish your days’
walk with a visit to a place where you can see
the best of Yokohama.
Leave the East Gate of
Chinatown and head
straight. When you reach Yamashita Park, head
right and you
will soon see the Yokohama
Marine Tower!
Yokohama Marine Tower is located by the sea
and was once used as a lighthouse.
Buy a ticket for the observation desk
downstairs (750 yen
for adults) and take the
elevator to the 30th floor. The elevator is
see-through, so riding it might be a little scary.
You can see all the landmarks of Yokohama
from the
observatory located 94m above
ground.
On the days with clear skies, you can even see
the Tokyo Skytree and Tokyo Tower!
You can just look at the beautiful ocean, or try
to trace
your steps throughout the day - it is
great either way. At night you can see
the nice
view of Yokohama, so be sure to visit the tower
at both times.
Yokohama Marine Tower
15Yamashita-cho, Yokohama-shi Kanagawa
045-664-1100
Open 10:00-22:30 (Reception until 22:00)
How was your day in Yokohama? The route this
time
concentrated on the Chinatown and the
Eastern feeling of the city.
Yokohama is a place were many gourmet items
originate.
Bread is said to be one of those
things. You can find many famous bakeries
here, from “Uchiki Pan”, which was the first
store to sell bread in Japan, to
the famous
“Bluff Bakery”. Visiting all of the famous
bakeries might be a good
idea for a sightseeing
route.
Original article in Japanese
https://sanporge.com/special_yokohama/
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