Yokohama, Japan

 
A view of Yokohama from our apartment

We lived in Yokohama from July 1995 to September 1996. My company headquarters for Japan is located there. Yokohama is a very pleasant city to live in. As a port town, it is fairly cosmopolitan, by Japanese standards. Many people speak English, there is a large Chinatown, shopping is great, and there are a number of parks around. We loved our apartment, which overlooked Yokohama. We could see the park, which filled with cherry blossoms in spring. We could see Landmark tower and the Marine Tower. We could see the Grand Hotel (where MacArthur stayed the night before the Japanese surrendered, if you care about that type of thing). We could also see the Gaijin Bochi (foreigners' cemetery), a very popular destination for Japanese tourists. Not because they think the only good foreigner is a dead foreigner. It's because they find western style burial grounds to be beautiful. To each his own, I say. Cherry Blossoms and Yokohama Tower Yokohama Tower used to be the tallest building in Asia (the towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are now taller). It dominates the skyline in Yokohama. The Nikko Hotel in the Landmark is excellent, if you're ever in Yokohama. There is not much in the way of tourist attractions in Yokohama. It's close to Kamakura, Tokyo, Hakone, and Mt. Fuji, so those are all worth a trip. If you look for something to do in Yokohama itself, you can go people watching on Motomachi, a famous shopping street. Or go to Sanki-en garden. It's is full of historical Japanese buildings and worth a visit anytime of year (especially during winter). If it's summer, go hang out at the public pool in Motomachi-koen. You might spot some tattooed Yakuza, if you're lucky (okay, I have a warped concept of luck). Or, the next best thing, there might be a festival in town. Cherry blossom season is great. The summer fireworks are excellent. Or any of the Chinatown festivals are worth visiting. "Fire Flowers" Blossoming