My Yokohama

Just 30 minutes from Tokyo lies a city that moves to a different beat. Welcome to Yokohama.

Japan's original port city, Yokohama has an easygoing, free-swinging, even decadent soul. It's the birthplace of Japanese jazz, the home of Hamatora fashion that inspired Mariya Takeuchi's Plastic Love aesthetic, and a place where sleepy 1960s soda shops still thrive.

In this city of four million, you can stay in a comfortable hotel for the price of a Tokyo capsule, making it a perfect, less intimidating introduction for newcomers to Japan, or a fascinating level-up for seasoned travelers who want to leave the tourist trail.

This is not your standard travel guide. Forget the obvious landmarks and dive into the city's hidden gems. I'll take you beyond what you can find online and into the real Yokohama:

• Navigate a basement mall of izakayas affectionately nicknamed "Drunkard Town."
• Find the unmarked door that leads to an intimate, world-class, bargain-priced sushi counter with an English-speaking chef.
• Unwind in authentic jazz kissas (listening bars) perfectly frozen in the Showa era.
• Discover where to hunt for secondhand luxury handbags and take a creepy "science fiction" night cruise through industrial canals.
• Pet capybaras at a quirky urban animal sanctuary.
  

This guide is filled with honest, boots-on-the-ground advice. Every recommendation is personally reviewed by the author, with no sponsors and no affiliate links, just a passion for the city. Every place mentioned includes a scannable QR code with a direct Google Maps link.

This is the Yokohama that locals know. The one that's not on Tripadvisor. The one that will make you fall in love with this city. This is My Yokohama.