Yokohama, Japan

Location

In 1853, a fleet of four American warships under Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into the bay of Tokyo (then Edo) and presented the reluctant Japanese with the demands of the U.S. government for the opening of diplomatic and commercial relations. The following year Perry returned and first set foot on Japanese soil at Yokohama—then a small fishing village on the mudflats of Tokyo bay. Two years later New York businessman Townsend Harris became America's first diplomatic representative to Japan. In 1858 he was finally able to negotiate a commercial treaty between the two countries; part of the deal designated four locations—one of them Yokohama—as treaty ports. In 1859 the shogunate created a special settlement in Yokohama for the growing community of merchants, traders, missionaries, and other assorted adventurers drawn to this exotic new land of opportunity. The foreigners (predominantly Chinese and British, plus a few French, Americans, and Dutch) were confined here to a guarded compound about 5 square km (2 square miles)—placed, in effect, in isolation—but not for long. Within a few short years the shogunal government collapsed, and Japan began to modernize. Western ideas were welcomed, as were Western goods, and the little treaty port became Japan's principal gateway to the outside world. In 1872 Japan's first railway was built, linking Yokohama and Tokyo. In 1889 Yokohama became a city; by then the population had grown to some 120,000. As the city prospered, so did the international community and by the early 1900s Yokohama was the busiest and most modern center of international trade in all of East Asia. Then Yokohama came tumbling down. On September 1, 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake devastated the city. The ensuing fires destroyed some 60,000 homes and took more than 40,000 lives. During the six years it took to rebuild the city, many foreign businesses took up quarters elsewhere, primarily in Kobe and Osaka, and did not return. Over the next 20 years Yokohama continued to grow as an industrial center—until May 29, 1945, when in a span of four hours, some 500 American B-29 bombers leveled nearly half the city and left more than half a million people homeless. When the war ended, what remained became—in effect—the center of the Allied occupation. General Douglas MacArthur set up headquarters here, briefly, before moving to Tokyo; the entire port facility and about a quarter of the city remained in the hands of the U.S. military throughout the 1950s. By the 1970s Yokohama was once more rising from the debris; in 1978 it surpassed Osaka as the nation's second-largest city, and the population is now inching up to the 3.5 million mark. Boosted by Japan's postwar economic miracle, Yokohama has extended its urban sprawl north to Tokyo and south to Kamakura—in the process creating a whole new subcenter around the Shinkansen Station at Shin-Yokohama. The development of air travel and the competition from other ports have changed the city's role in Japan's economy. The great liners that once docked at Yokohama's piers are now but a memory, kept alive by a museum ship and the occasional visit of a luxury vessel on a Pacific cruise. Modern Large as Yokohama is, the central area is very negotiable. As with any other port city, much of what it has to offer centers on the waterfront—in this case, on the west side of Tokyo Bay. The downtown area is called Kannai (literally, "within the checkpoint"); this is where the international community was originally confined by the shogunate. Though the center of interest has expanded to include the waterfront and Ishikawa-cho, to the south, Kannai remains the heart of town. Think of that heart as two adjacent areas. One is the old district of Kannai, bounded by Basha-michi on the northwest and Nippon-odori on the southeast, the Keihin Tohoku Line tracks on the southwest, and the waterfront on the northeast. This area contains the business offices of modern Yokohama. The other area extends southeast from Nippon-odori to the Moto-machi shopping street and the International Cemetery, bordered by Yamashita Koen and the waterfront to the northeast; in the center is Chinatown, with Ishikawa-cho Station to the southwest. This is the most interesting part of town for tourists. Whether you're coming from Tokyo, Nagoya, or Kamakura, make Ishikawa-cho Station your starting point. Take the South Exit from the station and head in the direction of the waterfront.

Yokohama, Japan Itineraries

22 Nights

22-Day Seabourn Odyssey's Farewell Voyage: Pacific Passage

Cruise Line Seabourn
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Seabourn Odyssey
Region Asia
Departure Port Seattle, Washington
Destination Port Yokohama
Itinerary
Seattle, Washington, Ketchikan, Alaska, Wrangell, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, Hubbard Glacier, Homer, Alaska, Kodiak, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Kushiro, Hakodate, Miyako Islands, Hitachinaka and Yokohama

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Departure Date
02 Sep 24
57 Nights

Grand Voyage: Tokyo to Sydney

Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Muse
Region Pacific
Departure Port Tokyo
Destination Port Sydney, New South Wales
Itinerary
Tokyo, Kobe, Busan, Kanazawa, Hakodate, Yokohama, Yokohama, Kagoshima, Incheon, Incheon, Jeju Island, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Singapore, Benoa, Bali, Komba Island, Darwin, Northern Territory, Cairns, Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Whitsunday Island, Queensland, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Gisborne, Napier, Wellington, Picton, Nelson and Sydney, New South Wales

From Please Call

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Departure Date
26 Sep 24
10 Nights

Tokyo to Yokohama

Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Muse
Region Asia
Departure Port Tokyo
Destination Port Yokohama
Itinerary
Tokyo, Kobe, Busan, Kanazawa, Hakodate and Yokohama

From £8,500pp

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Departure Date
26 Sep 24
79 Nights

Ultimate Pacific Traveler

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region World-wide
Departure Port Los Angeles, California
Destination Port Sydney, New South Wales
Itinerary
Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Astoria, Oregon, Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Ketchikan, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, Seward, Alaska, Kodiak, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Kushiro, Hakodate, Miyako, Iwate, Oarai, Yokohama, Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Jakarta, Benoa, Bali, Benoa, Bali, Darwin, Northern Territory, Port Moresby, Alotau, Cairns, Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Bay of Islands, Auckland, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Bluff, Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Burnie, Tasmania and Sydney, New South Wales

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Departure Date
03 Oct 24
25 Nights

North Pacific Panorama

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region Asia
Departure Port Los Angeles, California
Destination Port Yokohama
Itinerary
Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Astoria, Oregon, Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Ketchikan, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, Seward, Alaska, Kodiak, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Kushiro, Hakodate, Miyako, Iwate, Oarai, Yokohama and Yokohama

From £5,218pp

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Departure Date
03 Oct 24
41 Nights

Jewels Of Alaska & Asia

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region World-wide
Departure Port Los Angeles, California
Destination Port Singapore
Itinerary
Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Astoria, Oregon, Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Ketchikan, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, Seward, Alaska, Kodiak, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Kushiro, Hakodate, Miyako, Iwate, Oarai, Yokohama, Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore

From £8,829pp

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Departure Date
03 Oct 24
65 Nights

Grand Pacific Hemispheres

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region World-wide
Departure Port Los Angeles, California
Destination Port Auckland
Itinerary
Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Astoria, Oregon, Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Ketchikan, Alaska, Sitka, Alaska, Seward, Alaska, Kodiak, Alaska, Dutch Harbor, Alaska, Kushiro, Hakodate, Miyako, Iwate, Oarai, Yokohama, Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Jakarta, Benoa, Bali, Benoa, Bali, Darwin, Northern Territory, Port Moresby, Alotau, Cairns, Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Bay of Islands, Auckland and Auckland

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Departure Date
03 Oct 24
15 Nights

Yokohama to Singapore

Cruise Line Silversea
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Silver Muse
Region Asia
Departure Port Yokohama
Destination Port Singapore
Itinerary
Yokohama, Kagoshima, Incheon, Incheon, Jeju Island, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore

From £7,800pp

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Departure Date
06 Oct 24
54 Nights

Dynasties To Down Under

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region World-wide
Departure Port Yokohama
Destination Port Sydney, New South Wales
Itinerary
Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Jakarta, Benoa, Bali, Benoa, Bali, Darwin, Northern Territory, Port Moresby, Alotau, Cairns, Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Bay of Islands, Auckland, Auckland, Tauranga, Napier, Picton, Lyttelton, Dunedin, Bluff, Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Burnie, Tasmania and Sydney, New South Wales

From £13,729pp

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Departure Date
29 Oct 24
40 Nights

Western Pacific Pathways

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region World-wide
Departure Port Yokohama
Destination Port Auckland
Itinerary
Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Jakarta, Benoa, Bali, Benoa, Bali, Darwin, Northern Territory, Port Moresby, Alotau, Cairns, Queensland, Townsville, Queensland, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Bay of Islands, Auckland and Auckland

From £9,649pp

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Departure Date
29 Oct 24
16 Nights

East Asian Reflections

Cruise Line Oceania Cruises
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Regatta
Region Asia
Departure Port Yokohama
Destination Port Singapore
Itinerary
Yokohama, Shimizu, Kobe, Kobe, Hiroshima, Aburatsu, Ishigaki, Keelung (Chilung), Hong Kong, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore

From £4,269pp

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Departure Date
29 Oct 24
62 Nights

62-Night New Zealand to Japan Grand Voyage

Cruise Line Azamara
Cruise Type Ocean
Ship Azamara Pursuit
Region World-wide
Departure Port Auckland
Destination Port Yokohama
Itinerary
Auckland, Russel, Bay of Islands, Napier, Picton, Christchurch, Dunedin, Milford Sound, Hobart, Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Melbourne, Victoria, Eden, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Airlie Beach, Cairns, Queensland, Cairns, Queensland, Darwin, Northern Territory, Benoa, Bali, Singapore, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Keelung (Chilung), Hirara, Naha, Okinawa, Kobe, Kobe, Takamatsu, Hiroshima, Kitakyushu, Sakaiminato, Busan, Busan, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Shimizu, Yokohama and Yokohama

From £13,383pp

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Departure Date
03 Feb 25