Savvy Tokyo's Guide To Yokohama

Above, a view of the waterfront from the observation deck of the Landmark Tower. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one is going to spend any lengthy time around Tokyo, one easy day trip from the city is to go down to Yokohama.

Yokohama is familiar to Godzilla fans as it served as a battleground in two movies: Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) and in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). That is reason enough to want to pay Yokohama a visit.

Savvy Tokyo has posted a guide to Yokohama giving visitors ideas on what to see and do.

They start with:

From sightseeing to shopping to international dining to simply taking a deep breath of fresh air and standing against the ocean breeze, Yokohama is the city that appeals to all your five senses. 

Just under an hour on the subway from central Tokyo, the port city Yokohama is a welcome break from the busy streets of the capital with its relaxed environment, wide open spaces, and a harbor-side where it’s almost too easy to lose your worries and stresses as you stroll or cycle along. 

Whatever your purpose of visit is — from sightseeing to shopping to fancy eating or street food and chat along the ocean — Yokohama has more than enough to keep you busy. With the biggest and most celebrated Chinatown in East Asia (aside from China itself, of course), there is also a surprising amount of varied and inviting culture, food, and history here to explore. 

As a kind of quiet sister city to Tokyo, Yokohama is a fantastic place to visit and get to know.

To read more, go here. 

16 Things To Do In Yokohama

Above, Yokohama's waterfront with the InterContinental The Grand Hotel and Cosmo World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has been 25 years (Can you believe it?) since Godzilla battled Mothra and Battra in Godzilla vs. Mothra and it has been 16 years (Can you also believe that, too?) since Godzilla took on the Gods of Yamato in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. Both of these movie battles took place on the waterfront of Yokohama, Japan.

Those movies put Yokohama on the list of kaiju places in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. Besides those movies, Yokohama has other places to see and do (16 of them) and Japan Info has them listed in a new article.

They begin with:

Yokohama is the second biggest city in Japan after Tokyo and is just 30 minutes by train from the capital. This spacious and stylish city has a relaxed and fun vibe and is home to a small theme park and the famous Chinatown. If you’re staying in Tokyo, Yokohama is a great choice to visit for a day. Check out these 16 things to do in Yokohama for a cool and fun-filled trip!

 To see what they are, go here.

L.A. To Tokyo Price Check

Above, Yokohama Harbor and Cosmo World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since today is the last day of the month of June, I may as well do a check on the airfares between Los Angeles and Tokyo now. If there is a significant change next week, I'll post another update.

In looking at yesterday's Los Angeles Times Travel section, it appears that airfares between L.A. and Tokyo have risen since my blog post of June 9. As you call, the prices seemed to have fluctuated a bit. They shot up and then came down and then went up a little during the month.

In my post of June 9, the lowest airfare the Times came up with was $1,004.00 and the highest was $1,590.00. Keep in mind that these, and any other prices reported, do not includes fees and taxes that are added.

In yesterday's Times Travel section, the lowest they came up with was $1,154.00 and the highest was $1,740.00. It looks like the prices are climbing again, which is generally the case as we move further into vacation season.

I then checked my favorite source for airline tickets, GatewayLAX, to see if they can beat those prices and by how much.

I entered a departure date of Saturday, July 12 with a return flight on July 27. This is what they were able to come up with:

As usually the case, they were able to beat the lowest airfare the Los Angeles Times came up with. And, the flight (via Delta Air Lines) arrives and departs from Haneda, so you can avoid Narita International Airport altogether.

As I mentioned, if there's a significant change next week, I will do a follow-up price check.

YCVB Releases Video of Yokohama As Convention City

Above, the Yokohama InterContinental The Grand Hotel and Cosmo World. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Yokohama Convention and Visitors Bureau has released a new video promoting the city as a desirable venue for conventions, conferences and meetings.

According to Travel Daily News Asia-Pacific:

YOKOHAMA - Yokohama was where Japan opened its port for the first time following the national isolation policy under the Tokugawa Shogun era. The city therefore has a history of serving as the door for foreign cultures and products to enter Japan and spread throughout the country. "Japan's First Port of Call" is a slogan created in 2013 to show Japan and the rest of the world that Yokohama has continued to lead Japan's technologies and businesses from when the port opened 155 years ago to the present and that it is a city with an open disposition as well as flexibility.

The video includes scenes from past conferences held in Yokohama and interviews with participants to express thoroughly the attractiveness of the city and its achievements in hosting large-scale conferences. It introduces not only the state-of-the-art technologies and traditional cultures of Yokohama but also the modern atmosphere of jazz music and cocktails, which are said to have been introduced to Japan via Yokohama.

I have to admit that Yokohama would be a nice place to attend a convention in. I was last in Yokohama in 2005 and skirted near it on the way to Yokosuka during my most recent trip to Japan.

To read the full article and see the video, go here.

Yokohama InterContinental The Grand Hotel

Above, a view of the Yokohama InterContinental The Grand Hotel (at left) from the Landmark Tower.
  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The rounded (or crescent-shaped) Yokohama InterContinental The Grand Hotel was featured (and blasted by Godzilla) in 1992's Godzilla vs. Mothra.

Despite this, all websites (that I have found) mentioning the hotel's year of completion state it was built in 1998!  Maybe they all meant 1988?

The design was to resemble a yacht's billowing sail.  The hotel is located in Yokohama's Minato Mirai area and is in close proximity to the Cosmo World amusement park.

Above, the InterContinental The Grand Hotel and Cosmo World.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The hotel contains 593 air-conditioned guestrooms.  Depending upon your booking source, room rates rage from $105 to $138, which is quite reasonable for a hotel of this size and location.

Yokohama's role in kaiju history is covered in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan on pages 19-20.