Yokohama Chinatown is a popular tourist spot where you can eat authentic Chinese cuisine. The area's look is inspired by China, and it offers gourmet dining, shopping, recreation, amusement, temples, and a great variety of other tourist attractions.

About Yokohama Chinatown

Yokohama Chinatown has a long history, and was developed around the 1860's, when the Chinese population in Yokohama started to grow. At the time, Chinatown consisted of only 3 shops, but now there are over 600. With the large numbers of shops and its 500 square meter area, it's not only the largest Chinatown in Japan, but in all of East Asia.

Things to do in Yokohama Chinatown

In Yokohama Chinatown, there's something fun to do in every direction, be it dining, shopping, playing, or sightseeing at a temple. We will introduce some of our favorite spots.

Yokohama Chinatown Food and Restaurants

There are over 300 shops that offer food in Chinatown. In order to get the most out of the gourmet experience, we recommend doing a walking tour while eating. Favorites are fried xiaolongbao dumplings, steamed Chinese buns, shark fin soup, steamed rice cakes wrapped in bamboo leaves, sesame dumplings, and almond jelly soft serve ice cream. The fried xiaolongbao dumplings are especially good. The balance of the texture of the dough and the collagen-rich juice is delicious.

Or if you'd prefer a more leisurely dining experience, go for a dine-in restaurant. At a restaurant, you can choose from fare such as Peking Duck, boiled shark fin, Mabo Dofu, fried rice, and much more. You can even choose from various regional cuisines, such as Cantonese, Shanghai, Szechuan, or Beijing styles.

The Yokohama Chinatown Gates

There are a total of 10 Paifang style gates spread amongst the entry points into the Yokohama Chinatown, on all sides of the area. Among these gates, the Zenrin Gate is often featured in television or magazine reports as having been the first built. It's a colorful and magnificent gate, and is very popular as a photography spot.

Yokohama Chinatown Temples

There are 2 temples in Yokohama Chinatown: the Yokohama Kantei-Byo Temple and Yokohama Maso-Byo Temple. The temples are shrines to Taoist deities, and have power over business prosperity and love. Especially pay attention to the gorgeous exteriors. Yokohama Kantei-Byo Temple has decorations with a red base, and dragons on the roof. Yokohama Maso-Byo Temple is decorated with statues of dragons on a blue base.

Yokohama Chinatown's Biggest Event: The Spring Festival to Celebrate Chinese New Year

In China, the lunar new year is called the Spring Festival, and there are many important customs surrounding it. In an attempt to enjoy the Spring Festival on the same scale as in China, the festival was founded in Yokohama Chinatown in 1986. 

There are lion and dragon dances, an imperial costume parade, as well as other shows introducing Chinese cultural customs, and the restaurants offer seasonal menus based around the festival. The festival is now the main event in Yokohama Chinatown, and draws the largest numbers of tourists during the year.

The festival is held over about 15 days between early February and early March. The dates change from year to year, so it would be best to check the Yokohama Chinatown homepage for details.

Access to Yokohama Chinatown

If you are headed to Yokohama Chinatown, take the Minato-Mirai Line from Yokohama Station to Motomachi-Chukagai Station. From Motomachi-Chukagai Station, it's a 1 minute walk.

Spot information

• Spot name：Yokohama Chinatown
• Street address： Yamashita-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 〒231-0023
• Access：About 1 minute from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minato-Mirai Line
• Wi-Fi：Available（YOKOHAMA CHINATOWN Wi-Fi）
• Language：Chinese
• Credit cards：VISA, MasterCard, JCB, AMERICAN EXPRESS, Diners Club International (Depending on the store)