In a nutshell
- Yokohama is a big city and can feel overwhelming. We’ve been there and will show you exactly which highlights are worth your time.
- We cover our 7 top picks in Yokohama — the ones that are absolutely essential for any visit.
- We’ve also included our hotel recommendations for Yokohama and practical tips for planning your trip.
Map of Yokohama Attractions
Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan after Tokyo. Luckily, the highlights here are not as spread out as they are when sightseeing in the Japanese capital. Almost all the must-sees are clustered near the harbor.
To help you get a quick overview, we’ve marked the most important things to do in Yokohama on a map.
Osanbashi Pier
Of all the things to do in Yokohama, Osanbashi Pier was our personal favorite. It’s the main harbor for cruise ships.
Our highlight wasn’t the ships, though — it was the rooftop. From up there, you get a stunning view of the Yokohama skyline and the Yokohama Bay Bridge. The whole surface is built from wood and it’s perfect for a little photo shoot.
Our tip: Come here twice — once during the day and again at night to photograph the skyline all lit up.
NYK Hikawamaru
Right next to Osanbashi Pier sits the enormous ship NYK Hikawamaru.
It made its maiden voyage in 1930. Back then, even celebrities like Charlie Chaplin sailed on it. Today the ship is a museum dedicated to the history of passenger ships in Japan. Admission is 300 yen.
Nippon Maru
Fans of old ships will seriously get their money’s worth in Yokohama.
You can also visit the sail training ship Nippon Maru. The ship has been docked in Yokohama since the 1980s and is also a museum. For 600 yen, you can learn everything about the art of sailing.
Cup Noodle Museum
Yokohama has a huge number of museums. We especially love the quirky ones — like the Cup Noodle Museum. Yes, you read that right. This place is entirely dedicated to the history of instant noodles.
The absolute highlight: you can put together your own custom blend of instant noodles and decorate the Cup Noodle packaging yourself! Admission is 500 yen, and creating your own Cup Noodles costs another 500 yen.
Ramen Museum
If there’s a Cup Noodle Museum, of course there’s also a Ramen Museum.
It digs into the history of Japan’s famous noodle soup — and does so in a really cool setting. There’s a recreated street from 1950s Tokyo where you can slurp your soup in the same kind of atmosphere that Japanese people first experienced ramen in.
Admission is 380 yen.
Chinatown
One of the best things to do in Yokohama is explore Chinatown. It’s considered the largest in Asia and one of the biggest in the world. It’s certainly impressive, though it actually felt a bit smaller to us than, say, Bangkok or Kuala Lumpur.
We’d really recommend coming here in the evening. That’s when all the neon signs light up and the restaurants are serving delicious dim sum.
Most restaurants in Yokohama’s Chinatown offer all you can eat, by the way. But there are also plenty of spots where you can order from the menu — which is what we did.
Minato Mirai 21
Last but not least, we highly recommend taking a stroll through Minato Mirai 21. It’s an ultra-modern waterfront neighborhood best known for its red brick buildings — which feel totally atypical for Japan.
If you’ve chosen March as your travel time for Japan, your walk through the neighborhood will be even more beautiful. During Japan’s cherry blossom season, the whole area glows pink.
You’ll also find World Porters here — a cool shopping mall with a large food court. Perfect for a little retail break.
And you should absolutely head up the Landmark Tower. From the top, you get a fantastic panorama of the ocean, the city, and on a really clear day, even Mount Fuji.
Day Trip from Tokyo to Yokohama and Kamakura
Yokohama is only 50 minutes by train from Tokyo, and with a Japan Rail Pass or a Suica Card, you can get there easily on Japan’s public transit.
That’s why we recommend doing a day trip from your hotel in Tokyo. We did exactly that on our Japan itinerary, and it’s more than enough time to hit the main highlights.
While you’re at it, you can easily combine the trip with Kamakura. From Yokohama to Kamakura is less than half an hour. Kamakura is a charming coastal town full of temples.
Fitting both cities into one day is ambitious, but the trip is absolutely worth it — you’ll just need to pick one of the museums in Yokohama rather than trying to do them all.
More info about the Rail Pass and Kamakura can be found here:
Our Hotel Recommendations for Yokohama
Has the city won you over enough to stay longer? No problem. Here are three hotels for your hotel search in Japan that we’d happily book ourselves.
