Yokohama is about 30 minutes from the center of Tokyo and it’s one of the first ports that opened to the world after isolation in Edo period. Yokohama has a lot of tourism spot like China Town or Minatomirai. Once you visit there, I am sure you will love its unique atmosphere. If you already fall in love with Yokohama, you should see it from another perspective. Yokohama Bay Cruising – Royal Wing is the one and only “Entertainment Restaurant Cruise Ship” in Japan.
The ship has 5 decks and you can go up to the top deck and enjoy the view of Yokohama Port. Each deck except the top deck is reserved for each restaurant plan. Cruising time is 1 hour 50 minutes for lunch and dinner cruise and 1 hour and 30 minutes for tea time.
Royal Wing Cruise departs from Osanbashi Pier and has three choices of cruise – lunch, tea time and dinner. You can also just get on the board without food. I tried tea time cruise with Chinese Dim-sam set at 1,500 yen. You also need to pay 1,500 yen for boarding so it costed 3,000 yen in total.
Chinese Dim-sum set comes with Salad, 3 steamed dim-sums, 3 fried dim-sums, dessert and soft drinks. Tea time is kind of short but is still enough to enjoy the top deck view after finishing your dim-sum so there is no need to rush.
From the top deck, you can see both old and new Yokohama. Minatomirai and Red Brick Warehouse makes a beautiful contrast of the Yokohama port view. The ship goes under the Yokohama Bay Bridge and reaches to Tokyo Bay. If you are lucky and the weather is clear enough, you might be able to see Mt. Fuji from the sea. (I wasn’t the lucky one…)
Why I recommend Yokohama Cruise is that you have a lot of choice before or after the cruise. At Osanbashi Pier, there are not only shops and restaurant, but also a walking deck and green spaces that you can lay back and enjoy Yokohama port’s view. Visiting Chinatown or Red Brick Warehouse is good for both family and couple or even travelers who are traveling by themselves. After the cruise, my favorite is Cup Noodle Museum in Minatomirai. Entry fee is just 500 yen. You can learn the history of instant noodles there and make your own Cup Noodle at 300 yen.
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