Archived entries for
Exploring Yokohama Part 2
There are seemingly endless neighborhoods to explore in Yokohama.
I set out South, to check out the area where the port is and end up in Motomachi . If you walk down the waterfront past the ferris wheel, the first thing you hit is the Red Brick Warehouses , which are (you guessed it) converted into a mall. I imagine this spot would make incredible pictures on a clear, sunny day (notice the bay bridge in the background?). Next time the sky is blue I’ll have to come back.
Part of being the industrious, efficient people that they are, the Japanese seem to have devised a traffic solution. Lift the pedestrians ABOVE the street and then you don’t have to wait for them in crosswalks. No fatalaties. No problem. Check out this circle-walk!
Onward and upward. Yokohama got it start as a port town which made it the first real gateway to The West – this has two immediate implications: 1. there’s a lot of water and 2. locals seem to be pretty forgiving / obliging of our ignorance. It’s a great place to start out in Japan. I’d love to find somewhere that kayaks were for rent!
Walking around on this brisk, gray day, the city reminded me of Chicago.
Industrial. Serious. Beauty only available where you seek it out.
A little farther south I wandered into this park that looks like it will be really nice come spring. There were trees (uncommon in our concrete jungle) and people walking their dogs. A rose garden with a few resilient buds, and a small waterfall.
While little dogs in strollers dressed up as people are the norm, large dogs are a sight to behold. These guys are dressed up in Harley t-shirts. So. Weird.
But wait! There’s more. As I was leaving the park so were the Harley-Dogs, riding in style.