Visit Japan Web invites you to explore Yokohama, the second largest city in Japan with a population of over three million. It is situated less than thirty minutes south of Tokyo by train and serves as the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture.

The city is very prone to natural phenomena such as earthquakes and tropical cyclones. Because the island of Honshū has a high level of seismic activity, being in the middle of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Most seismic movements are of low intensity. However, Yokohama has experienced two major tremors that reflect the evolution of Earthquake engineering: the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.

Japan opened its trade to the outside world in 1859, and Yokohama Port was one of the earliest open ports. Through interactions with people from various countries, it has integrated various ethnic cultures. As a result, it has become the second largest city in Japan. It is famous for not only its extremely harmonious international atmosphere but also the advanced technological industries. Within Yokohama, there is the culturally distinct Yokohama Chinatown. It also features the renowned Yokohama Bay Bridge, known as the sky corridor, and the picturesque Yamashita Park.

Yokohama’s culinary culture incorporates a variety of Western and Chinese influences. For example, Neapolitan spaghetti, a Japanese take on Western pasta, originated in Yokohama. “Nama ramen” which originated from the famous Chinese restaurant “Chin Shin Rou” is a Yokohama-originated noodle dish with a strong Chinese influence. The lineage ramen from Yoshimuraya is populated for its pork bone soy broth and is a major style of ramen that originated in Yokohama.

Here are some places of interest that Visit Japan Web recommends.