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Voykit pocket guide · Japan

Yokohama

横浜

Treat Yokohama as a half- to full-day trip from Tokyo for the Minato Mirai waterfront, Chinatown and the Cup Noodles Museum; sleep here instead of Tokyo only if you want a calmer, harbour-view base with a 25–30 minute ride into the centre.

Yokohama is Japan's second-largest city by population, about 25–30 minutes from central Tokyo by train, and grew fast after opening to foreign trade in the 1850s. Its Minato Mirai waterfront, Japan's largest Chinatown and the interactive Cup Noodles Museum make it a satisfying day out, and the harbour skyline gives it a different feel from Tokyo without needing a hotel change of scene.

KyotoOsakaNagoyaSapporoFukuokaHiroshimaNaraYokohama200 kmdots: other places in this guide
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Japan
Local name
横浜
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov (mild, and clearer harbour views)
Avoid
Jul–Aug (heat and humidity), Sep (typhoon season)
Stay
0–1 nights

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
JPY
Money
Cities are increasingly cashless; temples, small restaurants and some lodging taxes still want cash.
SIM and data
Data-only eSIMs are the easy route: buy before you fly; voice SIMs need a residence card.
Emergency
Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Coast guard 118 · Japan Visitor Hotline 050-3816-2787
Plugs
Types A, B · 100 V · 50 Hz east (Tokyo), 60 Hz west (Osaka) · Most sockets are two flat pins without earth; European and UK plugs need an adapter. Phone and laptop chargers handle 100 V.
Tipping
Restaurants and bars: No tip; staff will chase you to return money left on the table.; Taxis: No tip; pay the meter.; Ryokan: Optional: ¥1,000–3,000 in an envelope for the room attendant; never loose cash.; Private guide: Not expected; a small gift or a thank-you meal is more usual.; Hotel porter: No tip.
Water
Safe from the tap everywhere; stations and parks have fountains.
Toilets
Free, clean public toilets in stations, parks and konbini; paper goes in the toilet. Rural and old stations may have squat toilets.

Get in

By air

HND · Tokyo Haneda
About 30 min by direct Keikyu line train to Yokohama Station; Narita (NRT) is roughly 1.5 h away and less convenient for Yokohama.

Get around

The subway, JR lines and the Minatomirai line connect the main sights, and the waterfront itself — Minato Mirai to Yamashita Park to Chinatown — is an easy, flat walk of about 40–50 minutes if you don't rush it.

See and do

Known for

  • Minato Mirai waterfront and Landmark Tower
  • Yokohama Chinatown
  • Cup Noodles Museum
  • Sankeien Garden
  • Yamashita Park and the Red Brick Warehouse

Sleep

Minato Mirai
Waterfront hotels near Cup Noodles Museum, the Ferris wheel and Landmark Tower; a longer walk to Chinatown.
Yokohama Station area
Rail hub for Tokyo and beyond; more functional, less scenic.

Language

Japanese everywhere; English on rail signs, ticket machines and in large hotels, thin elsewhere. Menus with photos and translation apps close most gaps.

  • Write addresses in Japanese for taxi drivers; the hotel card works.
  • A camera translation app reads menus and machine labels.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: A small bow; a handshake if the other person offers; avoid: Hugs, back slaps, loud greetings
  • Names: Family name plus -san; avoid: First names unless invited; adding -san to your own name
  • Paying: Put money in the tray at the register; avoid: Tipping, or leaving loose cash for staff
  • Trains: Queue at the floor marks, phone on silent, ask before reclining on the Shinkansen; avoid: Phone calls, eating on crowded commuter trains, blocking doors with bags
  • Escalators: Stand on the side locals use — left in Tokyo, right in Osaka; stations now ask people to stand still on both; avoid: Stopping at the top or bottom
  • Shoes: Off at the step-up entrance; toilet slippers only inside the toilet; avoid: Stepping on tatami in shoes or slippers
  • Shrines: Rinse hands at the basin; bow twice, clap twice, bow once; avoid: Walking down the centre of the approach, which is for the deity
  • Gifts: Offer and receive with both hands; bring a small omiyage for hosts; avoid: Sets of four; cash outside an envelope

Scams and watch-outs

  • Chinatown restaurants queue heavily at peak lunch and dinner; go early or mid-afternoon to skip the wait.
  • Trains from Tokyo stop running around midnight, and the last direct services back can leave earlier than expected — check before a late dinner.
  • Weekend and holiday crowds fill Minato Mirai's waterfront attractions; the Ferris wheel and museum queues are worst on Sunday afternoons.

One and two days

No timed day plan for Yokohama yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.

  • Minato Mirai waterfront and Landmark Tower
  • Yokohama Chinatown
  • Cup Noodles Museum
  • Sankeien Garden
  • Yamashita Park and the Red Brick Warehouse

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Yokohama横浜

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/yokohama). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.