Yokohama

First a fishing village, Yokohama developed into a bustling port city following the establishment of foreign trade after the opening of Japan in 1854. It was the site where Commodore Matthew Perry landed and forced Japan to sign the Kanagawa Treaty ending over 200 years of isolationalism by the Tokugawa Shogunate.

At the forefront of the Meiji restoration, the first train line in Japan connected Tokyo and Yokohama. However, Yokohama was devastated by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and again by the firebombings of World War II, and never really regained its prominence.

Yokohama is half an hour away from Tokyo, and effectively forms a part of the giant conurbation. Yokohama does not have its own airport.

You can reach Yokohama from Tokyo's two main airports. Some Narita Express trains from Narita Airport go through to Yokohama (1½ hours, ¥4290 or free with JR Pass).

thumb|350px|View of Yokohama skyline and passenger port Yokohama is not a very automobile-friendly place, especially for foreigners. Public transit and walking works best.

The official guide site has some maps in English. The Minato Mirai 21 subway line from Yokohama station down the harborfront to Chinatown is the best method of accessing the main tourist haunts.

While Yokohama, like most of Japan, is very safe, the Kotobuki-cho area is one of Japan's largest slums with a large number of mostly male homeless people, and numerous yakuza-run businesses. While violent crime is still generally rare, sexual harassment tends to be more common than elsewhere, so women in particular might want to avoid visiting that area alone.