Yokohama: A day trip from Tokyo
Step off the train at Yokohama Station and let your adventure truly begin. Too often overlooked, it rubs shoulders with its big sister Tokyo. It does, in fact, risk being swallowed whole by the bigger city. So if we must review it as a suburb then what a beautiful, original and authentic suburb it is!
Unlike the more popular tourist destinations, Yokohama quickly does away with the hand-holding and signage explaining the kanji (which to Western eyes looks more like inspiring artwork rather than a block of explanatory text). But we live in an age where for most of us our closest friend is the smartphone glued to our hand. This means that despite the lack of English direction, you can never get lost. With a pocket WiFi and Google Maps ready to go, the walk from the station towards the harbour is one of a completely different pace compared to any route taken within Tokyo.
The neon lights no longer assault your senses. The traffic, both motorised and pedestrian, is more sparse. And there's an overwhelming feeling that this is a city that isn't trying too hard to shine the brightest. It doesn't need to. It quietly presides over its allure and it will let you in on the secret too.
Pass the giant ferris wheel and the fun park (Cosmo World). Pause to take a photo of the engineers walking along the tracks of the rollercoaster, readying it for its mid-morning opening. Cross the bridge and open your arms to the sight of the sea and fill your lungs with crisp, salted air.
Yokohama is not only a fresh perspective on the Japan tourism experience, it can also offer you a unique and memorable adventure into a modern wonder. Instant noodles.
A visit to the Cup Noodle Museum on a weekday includes an authentic journey through the history of the world's favourite ramen, alongside packs of excited school children (happy to be free of the confines of the classroom for a few hours) and an enthusiastic team of museum workers. It's as bonkers as you expect it to be, but from the carefully reconstructed house of the Cup Noodle creator to the wall of ramen through the decades, it still has heart and soul. Where else can you colour in and then create your own flavour noodles? Simultaneously part of an infamous part of history and a testament to modern technology.
After packaging your "build a bear" style Cup Noodles into a vacuum sealed and then bubble wrapped bag, you can sling it over your shoulder and carry on further into the city. Yokohama has one of the best reincarnations of a Chinatown in the world. London, New York, wherever, they always assimilate a part of the culture from which they reside, and Yokohama is no different. There is something special about this combination of cultures, mostly it comes down to the flavour. Already similar but also worlds apart, you can experience a kind of culinary sensation usually reserved for boujee fusion restaurants, for a fraction of the price. Much like Shinjuku's Golden Gai, you could bounce from one eatery to the next all afternoon, or as long as the elastic on your clothing will allow.
If the crowds of Tokyo denied you entry to some of the "must-visit" shops and attractions (or if those swarms of people made you shudder at the thought) then Yokohama will welcome you with much more tranquil spaces. Tokyuhands, the multi-floored department store, is just as expansive as its Shibuya counterpart. Feel less pressure while you explore the face masks, stationary and yes, stickers. If you like stickers then Tokyuhands will blow your mind. Daiso, Hard Rock Cafe, it's all there but with less intensity. You are invited to take your time and thoroughly enjoy every moment of it.
Before boarding the train back to whichever luminous district of Tokyo you have chosen to sleep in, take a moment to meet the waters edge. Stand where the concrete kisses the rising tide of the bay and imagine for a second, the perfect storm. Should there be an earthquake with an epicentre *just so* there is no elevation behind you, save for the buildings shooting towards the night sky like wishes on a star. The whole area could be so easily engulfed by a monstrous tsunami. It's unlikely, but not impossible. And it is those kinds of thoughts which encourage a strong and aching sense of appreciation.
Japan has so many gifts to offer up to the discerning tourist, and Yokohama is one that should be taken and held against your heart tightly.
Written by Sarah
