10 Iconic Buildings and Places in Yokohama

One of the obvious highlights of Minatomirai distrcit is Yokohama Landmark Tower, which literally towers over the whole place. The complex is made up of a dominant skyscraper and a plaza building, as well as offices, restaurants, the Landmark Plaza shopping mall, Yokohama Royal Park Hotel, and an observation floor.

The night view of Yokohama from the Sky Garden on the 69th floor, which is one of the highest observation floors in Japan, is mind-blowing. Every New Year, tourists gather for the first sunrise of the year.

Yamashita Park faces Yokohama Port and is a popular spot for dating, jogging, and other activities.

There are many attractions in the park, such as the fountain, flower beds with beautiful seasonal flowers, the "Indian Water Tower" related to the Great Kanto Earthquake, and the statue of "Girl with Red Shoes" known from the "Akai Kutsu" Japanese nursery rhyme. You'll also find many benches in the park, so you can bring your own coffee and lunch to relax here when the weather is nice.

With its retro architecture, Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse is one of Yokohama's most romantic locations. It's also full of fashionable shops and restaurants. The balcony on the first floor has great night views of Yokohama Landmark Tower, Yokohama Cosmo World Ferris wheel, InterContinental Yokohama Grand, and IG Hotel, an other sights.

This is a happening place with plenty of events year-round, and the Christmas market is particularly popular as a feature of the wintertime in Yokohama. Don't miss the stunning illuminated Christmas tree.

Nippon Maru Memorial Park is a park developed across the whole district, including the important cultural property that is the Nihonmaru sailing ship, which you’ll find preserved at sea in the Minato Mirai 21 area, and the adjacent Yokohama Port Museum.

Check out the sail drill where 29 sails are opened and the fully dressed version of the ship raising the international maritime signal flags. At night the area is lit up and looks spectacular.

There are many parks in Yokohama, and the somewhat obviously named Yokohama Park happens to be the second-oldest park in Yokohama, after Yamate Park. You'll find it next to Yokohama City Hall and Yokohama Stadium, the home ground of the Yokohama Bay Stars baseball team, in an excellent location just a short walk from Kannai Station.

Although Yokohama Park is located in the middle of Yokohama, it’s full of greenery and is an urban oasis where local children play to their heart's content.

Sojiji, the main mountain of the Soto sect along with Eiheiji, started with a temple in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, which is said to have been founded by Gyoki. The temple buildings were burned down by a large fire in the Meiji era, so it was moved to Tsurumi Ward, Yokohama in 1884 by Sodo Ishikawa, who was its leader at that time.

It’s famous for giving many people opportunities to experience Zen, including Zen experiences in English, and it’s also widely known as a konpon dojo (main training centre) of international Zen.

Sankei-en, located in Honmoku, Yokohama, is a vast garden that was landscaped in the Meiji era by businessman and tea master Sankei Hara. Japanese-style architecture relocated from Kyoto and Kamakura is scattered throughout a gorgeously neat garden, producing a scene as beautiful as a Japanese painting.

Sankei-en is also known for its seasonal flowers, and it's particularly crowded in spring during the cherry blossom season and in autumn for the changing colours. You can enjoy dango (sweet rice dumplings) in a garden atmosphere at the teahouse.

Yokohama Marine Tower was built in 1958 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Yokohama Port. At that time, it also served as a lighthouse to illuminate the harbour, and was registered in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's tallest lighthouse with a height of 106 metres. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji from the observatory.

Its location is perfect: right next to Yamashita Park, and close to Chinatown and the Harbor View Park.

The Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall is a historical building that represents the Taisho era and was completed in 1917 as a project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of Yokohama Port. It adopts a unique architectural style called “Tatsuno-style free classic” that combines bricks and granite.

The clock tower is the symbol of this building. The 36-metre-high clock tower loved by Yokohama people is affectionately known as "Jack" and is regarded as one of Yokohama’s three main towers along with the King Tower (Kanagawa Prefectural Government Main Building) and Queen Tower (Yokohama Customs Headquarters).

Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History is a great place to dig deeper and learn about the culture and history of the area. The old part of the building is a dream for architecture lovers, as it retains the historic landmark that was built as the head office of Yokohama Specie Bank in 1904.

In the permanent exhibition, the history of Kanagawa is divided into five eras with explanations to help you deepen your understanding about the history and culture of Kanagawa from ancient times to the present. It’s close to Bashamichi Station on the Minatomirai Line and has a cool little old-fashioned cafe, so it’s also a nice spot to stop by when taking a stroll.