Another day of sleeping more than the usual because of the cold weather! I can imagine how hard it would be to actually work in Japan and wake up every morning. For today, I only have one thing on my itinerary – Yokohama! It’s a city I’ve always wanted to visit because of two anime that featured it – Honey & Clover and Bunggo Stray Dogs. It’s that iconic ferris wheel with the digital clock that I wanted to see for myself! But before all that – breakfast!

Getting there

Surprise, surprise – Yokohama is basically just one train ride away from the nearest station. From JR Bakurocho Station, I take the Sobu-Yokosuka line all the way to Yokohama for around 45 minutes. Going back, I rode from from Sakuragicho Station, via Negishi Line to Akihabara Sation. Net – getting to Yokohama from Akihabara is convenient as you won’t have several stops! One way costs around 550 JPY (225 PHP) – so it’s not that expensive, especially if you spend an entire day in Yokohama!

Yokohama Chinatown

My first stop in Yokohama is their famous Chinatown. I initially thought it would just be a few blocks of Chinese restaurants, stores, and establishments – and it was that – but the visuals of the place screamed China or Hongkong (not that I’ve been); it was more Chinatown than our Binondo in Manila!

At the first archway/gate that I saw, I thought that maybe this is a chill place where I could hang out and spend an hour or so.

When I got to the main archway/gate, people were literally spilling out of the street! This is the main road where all the big restaurants and shops are located, while smaller streets stem out from it.

In Japan, people normally don’t eat while walking – but I guess this place is an exception! With so many food stalls in the area, and people trying out everything, they’re walking around while eating their food! Or maybe that’s how you determine a Japanese person from a tourist!

I was already a little bit hungry but I decided to go around some more (while also looking for a restroom/toilet). Normally, there’d be public restrooms in parks/playgrounds and temples and in big buildings, but I had a hard time looking for one in Chinatown! I even walked up a random building which only had a restroom in one floor!

I was already hungry when I stepped out of all of the action in Chinatown and to my luck, I found a Pepper Lunch/Ikinari Steak outlet.  Finally, a Keto-approved lunch!

A quick Poke-Stop

After lunch, walked around a few blocks spinning new Pokestops (yes, I had to) until I got to Yamashita Park! But before that – a Lugia raid!

Yamashita Park

Yamashita Park is one of those perfect parks for families, friends and lovers to hangout in on Sundays. It’s right by the sea, so the breeze is cool even during mid-day. There’s a fountain, a big ship anchored on the port that you can climb up on, a garden with a lot of flowers blooming for spring, grass fields for picnics and games, benches for people watching and staring into the void (like what I did) – it’s really a perfect place to hangout for free!

Flowers in Yamashita Park

Let’s also remember that spring is not just for cherry blossoms – there are a lot of other beautiful flowers waiting for you to take their photos, too! People were flocking around these blooms in the park’s garden, taking photos of them. They too deserve the spotlight!

My stay in a place is largely determined by the raids in the area. I waited until another Lugia raid (which I failed at getting again). I need a weather-boosted Lugia, but they’re so hard to catch!

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse

My next stop is another of Yokohama’s icons – the Red Brick Warehouse. There’s actually two of them (1 & 2), and they are now being used as a mall, banquet hall and events venue. Right outside the Red Brick Warehouse was a Gudetama event. I didn’t go in anymore because I might spend too much time (and may spend some money) in there, so I settled with taking photos from the outside.

Similar to the Gudetama event, I also settled for taking photos of the Red Brick Warehouse(s) from outside. The stores inside looked fancy, and there was probably nothing for me to do in there. I just appreciated this visual gift from the past for what it is, its red brick exterior!

Cosmo Clock 21

The main reason I came to Yokohama for – not to ride it, but just to look at it because of personal reasons inspired by anime, specifically Honey & Clover, the scene of Yamada and Nomiya (skip to 2:57 on this video). It has a longer and more symbolic role in the anime, this is just a glimpse.

Anyhow, when I saw this ferris wheel from afar, my heart was already jumping with excitement. It was almost exploding when I was already up close, right in front of it!

Similar to Tokyo Tower, I came just to look at it and not go for a ride! I wanted to wait for the evening for the lights/illumination, but since I have an early day tomorrow (and I need to finish the blog today), I only spent around 10 minutes looking at the ferris wheel before finally saying goodbye.

Cup Noodle Museum

So, this was right across Cosmos Clock 21, but I didn’t go in anymore because of my three constant constraints (time, money and Keto).  I’ll reserve this some for some other time when I come back to Yokohama, whenever that will be!

Sakuradori

On the way to the train station, I passed by a road that was completely lined up with Sakura – which explains its name (Sakura road). It was a perfect way to end the day – I enjoyed slowly walking along that road thinking about how I’ve always wanted to come here and now that dream has come true!

That’s all for Day 4! Time is flying by so fast – I’ll already be halfway through my vacation tomorrow! I hope I get to wake up early for an out-of-town day trip!