Fun Things to do in Yokohama, Japan
Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan right after Tokyo. Yokohama is very accessible from Tokyo and a quick 30-minute train ride from Haneda Airport. For such a large city, Yokohama is very walkable and easy to navigate. Chinatown is a must when visiting Yokohama, there are also many museums that are worthwhile to include the Cup Noodle, Ramen, and Japan Coast Guard Museums. We spent 3 days in Yokohama and barely scratched the surface. None the less, we explored a ton and here are some fun things to do in Yokohama.
Getting to Yokohama from Haneda Airport is a breeze. I recommend using the Japan Travel App to pinpoint which track to use and times. If curious about the Japan Travel App, I wrote about it in depth in my Train Travel in Japan post. The Japan Travel App is a life saver when traveling around Japan.
It’s about a 30-35 minute train ride from Haneda Airport✈️. Once you find the correct terminal station take the Keikyu Line Airport Express to Yokohama Station. The cost for this trip is ¥370 one way.
From Tokyo Station🚉, it’s about a 25-30 minute direct train ride. Take the JR Tokaido Main Line. Cost is ¥480 and the train leaves about every 10 minutes.
I found that the Sakuragicho Station is closer to all the sites in Yokohama. Sakuragicho Station puts you right by the Yokohama Air Cabin🚠 and is within walking distance to the Yokohama Port Museum, Cup Noodle Museum, and all the fun attractions on Shinko Island.
Sakuragicho Station is one stop from Yokohama Station. It is a 4 minute train ride and costs ¥210. Sakuragicho Station can be accessed from Yokohama Station by either the Yokohama City Subway Blue Line or the JR Keihintohoku Line – Negishi Line.
Fun Things to do in Yokohama
Yokohama offers plenty of things to do, it’s almost impossible to get bored here. Whether you are into shopping, sight seeing, eating, or just wandering around a big city, there is something in Yokohama for everyone. We like to do a little bit of everything from trying local food and sampling beers to visiting unique or popular attractions. Here are some of the fun things to do in Yokohama that we did and highly recommend.
Do Not Miss the Japan Coast Guard Museum
One of the most interesting and wildest museums I’ve been to in Japan is the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) Museum Yokohama. The museum is free and is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10:00 – 17:00, closed Mondays.
What made the JCG Museum so unique was that it revolved around an incident that occurred between the Japanese Coast Guard and a North Korean spy ship 🚤.
On December 22, 2001 the Japanese Coast Guard received a tip about suspicious activity occurring south of the island of Kyushu, not far from the island chain of Okinawa. A Japan Coast Guard ship was dispatched to track the movements of the suspicious ship. The JCG gave out several warnings to the suspicious ship for it to stop. The ship fled and conducted a zig zag pattern in attempts to escape JCG. More attempts were made for the suspicious ship to stop, finally warning shots from JCG were fired. The first warning shot was fired in the air, the next shot was fired in the water near the North Korean ship. Neither warning shot stopped the suspicious boat, so the JCG shot the hull of the ship. Even after being shot at, the smaller vessel continued their attempt at fleeing, this time, they shot back with machine guns and rocket launchers. All of a sudden, a large explosion💥was detonated on the suspicious ship, most likely a suicide attempt and an attempt to sink the ship and destroy any evidence. The ship did sink and three members of the Japan Coast Guard were injured and required hospital visits.
Several months later the ship was brought up from the sea floor. After months of investigation it was determined to be a North Korean Spy ship. The ship and many findings are on display at the Japan Coast Guard Museum in Yokohama.
The suspicious boat had a crew of 12 – 15 men on board. A few of the bodies were recovered. The bodies had a Kim II Sung Badge attached to them, which is worn by North Koreans. There were also products on their body that were written in Korean, and many of the weapons found had marks on them that were indications of being from North Korea.
Also found on board the ship was an underwater scooter, dive suits, and a rubber raft. One of the big indications of this ship being a spy ship the Kannon doors in the back and large open space that housed a smaller boat.
All of these artifacts to include the actual spy ship and smaller boat are stored at the museum for visitors to see.
Again, this is one of the most interesting and fascinating museums I’ve visited and can’t recommend it enough. The staff was superb, an English speaking volunteer gave us a free tour, we learned so much. The museum is free, but donations are appreciated.
For more information and photos from the JCG Museum, I recommend visiting the Japan Coast Guard Museum Yokohama.
Eat your way through Chinatown
If you are looking for fun things to do in Yokohama, visiting Chinatown should be high on your list.
Yokohama’s Chinatown is the largest in Japan, dating back to 1859. Chinatown consists of several blocks and alley ways. Visitors can visit the vibrant Buddhist Temples that are scattered throughout Chinatown. There are some interesting souvenir shops worth checking out. But, who comes to Chinatown to shop, when there is so much delicious food to be eaten!
We ate dumplings, dumplings, and more dumplings🥟! There were so many street vendors selling a variety of amazing dumplings. We had fried soup dumplings, sesame dumplings, dumplings and steamed buns in the shape of panda bears, and humongous pork filled steamed buns.
The Fried Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bo) were my favorite. There was a place called Houtenkaku that made the absolute best fried soup dumplings. They have pork and seafood options. You can get a mix of the two. These dumplings are thick on the bottom and have liquid inside them. The moment you bite into them, liquid squirts everywhere, so be aware of that! But they are oh so good! Talking about them now is making me hungry!
We did manage to go to a sit down restaurant in Yokohama’s Chinatown. It was your traditional Chinese food and was delicious. I love Peking Duck so I ordered that along with spring rolls. Jill had a beef and vegetable dish, she really enjoyed it. I can’t recall the restaurants name, but it seemed most restaurants shared almost identical menus with the exception of a few.
I recommend visiting Chinatown both during the day and night. I recommend coming here for lunch to sample street food then come back during dinner and sit down somewhere. Afterwards, walk the streets and enjoy the lanterns that are strung up throughout Chinatown.
Escape the Hustle and Bustle and Visit Iseyama Kotajingu
Compared to other cities in Japan, there didn’t appear to be many shrines scattered throughout Yokohama. Iseyama Kotajingu ⛩ was one of the largest and only shrines within walking distance from Sakuragicho Station.
Iseyama Kotajingu is located in a residential area on top of a hill overlooking the skyscrapers of Yokohama.
Iseyama Kotajingu was built in the 1870’s to worship the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu.
This Shinto shrine isn’t the most impressive shrine we’ve come across in Japan, but it does make for a nice escape, especially after walking around one of Japan’s largest cities for a few days. Iseyama Kotajingu is surrounded by trees, you get a sense of being in nature away from the city.
Believe it or not, we saw wild squirrels at this shrine! Might not sound impressive, but we’ve been in Japan for years now and have yet to see a wild squirrel, even with all the forests and mountains here 🐿.
Make your own Cup of Noodles at the Cup Noodle Museum
Possibly the most popular museum in Yokohama is the Cup Noodle Museum 🍜. When it comes to fun things to do in Yokohama, this is perhaps the #1 and most well known attraction. Visiting the Cup Noodle Museum in Yokohama was the main reason for our visit to Yokohama.
The Cup Noodle Museum was similar to the ramen museum in the sense that it had a whole floor dedicated to the history of Cup Noodle and how it grew to where it is today. This museum had a bit more interactive displays and exhibits for children.
One of the most popular attractions at the Cup Noodle Museum is the My Cup Noodles Factory. This area allows visitors to create their own Cup Noodle, you even get to design your own cup! There is a ¥500 fee for this part of the museum. You pay the ¥500 at a vending machine and an empty cup is provided. The next step is to decorate your cup, markers are provided. After decorating the cup, you go to a counter and get to choose the soup that goes into your Cup Noodle, then select 4 toppings to go into the soup. Afterwards, the employees will shrink-wrap the Cup Noodle and it’s yours to keep! We haven’t gotten around to eating ours yet, not sure if we will or keep it as a fun souvenir.
Guess which Cup Noodle is mine and which one Jill made!
There is the Chicken Ramen Factory portion of the museum, which allows you to create your own Cup Noodle but it is a lot more in depth and reservations are needed. There is also a Cup Noodle Park, but it was closed when we went, possibly due to Covid-19. There is also a Noodles Bazaar – World Noodles Road. This area is similar to the Ramen Museum where there were multiple small shops that serve different types of noodles from all around the world.
Finally, there is a gift shop at the end, visitors can purchase all things Cup Noodle.
Admission
Adults – ¥500
*High School aged children and younger are free.
Shop and Eat at the Red Brick Warehouse Event Square
If you are looking for a unique place to eat and dine in Yokohama, then I recommend going to the Red Brick Warehouse area. We stopped here a few times while on our trip to either browse the shops or find a restaurant to eat at, and each time, this place was hopping!
There are a few Red Brick Warehouses here on the east side of the Shinko District just south of Akarenga Park. The old brick warehouses have been repurposed to accommodate shops and restaurants. There is a unique variety of restaurants here from Chicago Deep Dish restaurants to Curry Tonkotsu restaurants. There was both indoor and outdoor seating arrangements. The outdoor seating areas allowed dogs to join in on the dining experience.
The weekend we were in Yokohama, there was a large tent in place between the two warehouses and it was full of local izakaya’s and food vendors.
Take the Yokohama Air Cabin
Directly in front of Sakuragicho Station is the Yokohama Air Cabin 🚠. The Yokohama Air Cabin is a ropeway with cable cars that travels 680m from Sakuragicho Station to Unga Park Station in the Shinko District.
The Yokohama Air Cabin is considered to be the “World’s most advanced urban-type circular ropeway,” according to their website.
There is a pedestrian path below that connects Sakuragicho Station to Unga Park, so why take the Yokohama Air Cabin?
Although it is a short ride, 10 minutes or less, you get great views of Yokohama’s skyline both during the day and night. It is also a fun and somewhat relaxing experience. The cabins are quite comfortable and spacious, offering 360° views.
The Yokohama Air Cabin operates daily from 10:00 – 22:00.
Admission
Adults – ¥1,000 one-way, ¥ 1,800 roundtrip
Children – ¥500 one-way, ¥900 roundtrip
Visit the Ramen Museum
Do you love Japanese Ramen? Curious about how ramen became so popular in Japan? Then the Shinyokohama Ramen Museum is for you!
To visit the Ramen Museum in Yokohama, travel to the Shin-Yokohama Station. It’s about a 10-15 minute train ride from Yokohama Station. You can take the Yokohama City Subway Blue Line or take the JR Keihintohoku Line – Negishi Line to Higashi Kanagawa and then the Yokohama Line to Shin-Yokohama.
Once at Shin-Yokohama, it’s about a 10 minute walk to the Ramen Museum 🍜.
The Ramen Museum isn’t to big, especially the upper floor with the gallery showing exhibits on the culture and history of ramen in Japan. It’s worth browsing the museum and learning about how ramen became so well known in Japan. But the real attraction at the Ramen Museum is the basement floor that is home to various ramen restaurants.
Take the stairs down and you will find yourself looking at a replica of Old Tokyo during the 1950’s. The view from the stairs is impressive as you look down at the ramen shops and old style buildings. There are about 10-14 actual Ramen Restaurants here. Visitors can pick and choose what regional ramen they want from Tonkotsu Ramen in Kumamoto to Hot Pot Ramen in Susaki, Kochi.
Tonkotsu Ramen is by far my favorite style, so we waited in line at Komurasaki. This ramen restaurant has been around since the mid 1950’s. Their tonkotsu broth was thick and creamy, it was delicious.
Now that life is somewhat back to normal after Covid-19, the Ramen Museum was crowded! There were lines in front of every ramen restaurant in the basement. Thankfully, the lines moved quickly, so we only had to wait for about 15-20 minutes.
Business Hours for the Ramen Museum are 11:00 – 21:00
Admission
Adults – ¥380
Children – ¥100
Walk Aboard a 1930's Vessel
There is no shortage of fun things to do in Yokohama. When exiting Sakuragicho Station, to the left is the Nippon Maru Memorial Park and the Nippon Maru is permanently docked here ⛵️.
The Nippon Maru was a sail training ship that was built in 1930. According to the museum the Nippon Maru was a training ship for public mercantile marine schools. Many of the students on board were young cadets that were in training to be future captains of merchant ships.
Stats we saw at the museum stated that the Nippon Maru sailed 45.4 times around Earth, a total of 1,830,000 kilometers. In the 54 years of being a training ship, 11,500 students were trained here.
The Nippon Maru has been permanently docked at Yokohama since 1985 and is currently a museum. Visitors can walk aboard the Nippon Maru and see what life was lick on a 1930’s training ship. You can view the sleeping quarters, kitchen, class rooms, medical room, etc.
Admission
Adults – ¥400 Ship Only, ¥600 for the Ship and Museum
Children – ¥200 Ship Only, ¥300 for the Ship and Museum
Is Yokohama Worth Visiting?
Yokohama is definitely worth visiting. With it being so close to Tokyo and Haneda Airport, Yokohama is a must when visiting Japan. The museums alone are worth a visit especially the Japan Coast Guard Museum, Cup Noodle, and Ramen Museums. Chinatown was fun to explore and highly recommended for any foodies like me. Whether you have a day or a weekend available, Yokohama is well worth visiting!
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Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇯🇵
Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖
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Activities and Tours 🏖 🚁
Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.
In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘
I recommend checking with Rental Cars.
Train Travel 🚂 🚊
For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site.
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4 Comments
camilla
Loved reading about things to do in Yokohama! Makes me want to go!
zimminaround
Thanks for reading! You should go! If you make it to Tokyo, it’s a quick train ride.
Johnny
Wow! I’ve been to Yokohama quite a few times, its exciting to know there are still things that I haven’t done there. The Cup Noodle Museum is definitely something I would like to try next time.
zimminaround
That’s awesome!
Is there anything that you did that I missed out on? I have plans to go back to Yokohama at some point to explore some more.