1 Yokohama-Eki (train station)
Yokohama, Japan
The city Gwen Stefani overlooked
By Kei Hotoda
Published: November 14th, 2005 | 1:34pm
Though I was born and raised in Chicago, I consider Yokohama as my second home. Every summer break, I visit family there for at least a month. Gwen Stefani's current obsession with Japan doesn't make sense to me; I think it's because she's missing out on Yokohama.
I had friends in grade school with summer houses in Michigan or Wisconsin, but you have to admit that the rural Midwest does not compare to foreign urban space. Here is my chance to promote this underdog city — there’s no doubt that Tokyo is important and fun, but neighboring Yokohama deserves some attention and adoration as well.
The most famous, popular, and interesting sites are all located near each other in Yokohama’s central area. These sites include the Yokohama train station, the Landmark Tower, an enormous Chinatown, the Yokohama Stadium, and a street of sundry love hotels.
Yokohama-Eki (train station)
Some basic logic: All of Japan is roughly the size of California but its population is half the size of the entire United States. Therefore, bustling cities like Tokyo and Yokohama are incredibly dense. If you have a problem with claustrophobia, you should think twice before visiting a major city in Japan. Yokohama is home to 3.5 million people — about half a million more than Chicago’s population — meaning rush hour and last trains are nightmarish. On the bright side, because various train lines and people pass through this train station, people-watching can be fascinating.
Landmark Tower Japan’s tallest building stands at 300 meters (about 900 feet or 70 stories high), and contains offices, a hotel, a mall, and an amusement park, "Cosmo World," adjacent to it. A tall building like the Landmark Tower seems like a crappy idea for a country that sits on a major earthquake fault line, but it is equipped with the latest earthquake-protection gear. From the observatory deck, you get an excellent view of the rest of Yokohama, and under clear conditions, you can even see Mount Fuji, the highest natural point in Japan. If you are this lucky, you will experience the cheesy cliché of standing in an ultra-modern, man-made building (sorry ladies, but it's literally true) while viewing the all-natural and sublime Mount Fuji.
Chinatown
“Why does Yokohama have an enormous Chinatown?” is a good question to ask. Japan never particularly liked foreigners until 1854 when the United States sent kurofune, or “black ships,” with Commodore Matthew Perry to force Japan to open for foreign trade. Because Yokohama was close to the sea, it became a trading port, where foreigners would come and go. Today there is a large foreign community (a U.S. naval base is not too far away), and Yokohama boasts the largest Chinatown in Japan. There are a plethora of authentic restaurants and shops, filled with Chinese-style gear and panda goodies galore. Best of all, when walking along the streets, you will find many vendors selling plump manjyu, or steamed buns, which are a popular originally-Chinese-but-Japanese-adapted snack.
Yokohama Stadium – Home of the Baystars
Even though I am originally from an American city of not one, but two major-league baseball teams, I could care less about attending either of their games. However, when I went to my first Japanese baseball game, I found myself looking through the schedule to see if I could attend more games during my stay to cheer for my home team. Yokohama is one of the few Japanese cities that did not rip off or adapt their team name from a pre-existing American team, so seeing the Baystars play feels a little more authentic than seeing, for example, the Tokyo Giants play.
At least in Chicago, grubby, old men sell beer, and there are no real official cheers except “YEAAAH” or “BOOOO,” depending on the scenario. In Japan, the exact opposite occurs. Young girls sell beer, bento dinner boxes, and other snacks, while high school boys who pluck their eyebrows play the drums and trumpets and lead official, coordinated cheers (right). Fans are told what to cheer, and rhythm is a necessity if you’re going to try to go along; otherwise, you will find yourself awkwardly trying to clap and cheer along with everyone else. If you follow the cheerleaders, you will inevitably pay attention to the game and even learn all of the players' names.
Love Hotels
Affairs take place here, like anywhere else, despite a prevailing uptight, prude image of Japanese society. And due to limited space, couples, especially young ones, desperately seek privacy. Love hotels are the perfect solutions for both situations. Trips to these hotels rarely involve love, though — they ought to be called “lust hotels.” Whatever the title, they flourish in Yokohama not too far from Chinatown and the Yokohama Stadium. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to stay in one yet, but in the summer of 2005 I did pass by a string of them, including one that had a bent-over, female mannequin rotating on a pedestal at the front door.
Personally, I think Lost in Translation would have been more interesting had it been set in Yokohama. Tokyo is overrated and packed with tourists anyway. Yokohama is a captivating city in its own right, with a rich history and plenty to do. For an authentic Japanese experience, from baseball to manjyu to impure affairs, get lost in Yokohama.
Issue #23
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