Yokohama is the city directly to the west of Tokyo. It sits at the western edge of the bay, and as we found out when we were there it has more of an ocean feel to it than anywhere we've been in Tokyo. The air there actually has that salt spray feeling that I love. The best thing is that it is only about 1 hour from our apartment. Only 24 minutes by express train from the other side of Tokyo.
It also has the 2nd largest Chinatown in the world. Someone told Kirk it was the largest Chinatown in Asia...to which Kirk had to reply 'well wouldn't that be Beijing?' Yep, gotta love the hubby. There were some really nice temples and shrines there, but with Sarah we weren't up to climbing the steps to get to them. Sometimes you just have to know when to say 'next time'.
The area where Sarah and I had our photos taken is outside a really cool shopping area that has been created inside these old brick warehouse buildings. There are two building full of little shops of every sort, from custom leather goods to tea to glasswork. A park has sprung up around them and there were tons of people just out enjoying the ends of the day by the water.
The last pic is of the cruise ship dock and yep, that is another park that has been created on top of the building. Japan is huge on eco-projects and putting grass on top of buildings is apparently just one way that they offset the greenhouse gases the businesses cause.
We're already planning a return trip because there was just so much we didn't get to see. There are areas of town that date back to 1850 when Yokohama was the first port city to receive foreigners. Most of those buildings have western influences and have been declared national treasures. There are also parks in that area that have French, Italian, British and Spanish influences, all within walking distance to each other.
Kirk and I both agreed that if we were living in Japan for the long haul Yokohama would be a beautiful city to live in. As it is, we'll have to settle for frequent visits.
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