Yokohama Second VisitJan 27, 2007
|
|
Modern art made from shipping containers...it is a port city afterall
Yokohama Bay Bridge
Me and my sweetheart over looking Yokohama Bay
| On this day we went to the port city of Yokohama. If you have kept up with our log you know that this is our second visit to the second largest city in Japan. This visit was awesome!! One of the best days and outings that Jim and I have had since we arrived!!! We were accompanied on this visit by Sean and Jennie Moonie, residents of Yokohama, and wonderful people. It is seldom that you befriend a couple, who are so entertaining and fabulous. Nobody goes to Japan to see Yokohama. It suffers from being the overlooked neighbor of Tokyo less than 20 miles to soutwest. The fascination of Yokohama is that more than any other city it bears the marks of Japan's opening to the West - the period spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which was one of the most turbulent and intriguing in Japanese history. (think The Last Samurai movie) It was during those years that the changes that made Japan modern and economically miraculous began. And the changes brought by Western things and ideas were usually first seen in Yokohama. Ok, that's the end of my historical perspective. Before heading to Chinatown, we strolled down Motomachi Street, sort of a rodeo drive like area with shopping and dining. Sean gave us an awesome and moving tour of the Yokohama Foreigners' Cemetery, on the hill south west of the Harbor View Park. This was reverently unique. To see the graves of over 4500 Westerners from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, was unbelievable. There are many feral cats roaming the cemetery area; as if it's there domain. Sean and Jennie continued our tour from a famous overlook, known as a spot for lovers at night, that provided us with an awesome view of the port city. We also saw the bombed out remains of the French consult, on French Hill. As you can tell, we really liked Yokohama. It reminded me Indy or Chicago back in the USA. |
Advertisement 
|
