Yokohama's Finest
Sankeien Garden
Sankeien is a spacious Japanese style garden in southern Yokohama which exhibits a number of historic buildings from across Japan. There is a pond, small rivers, flowers and wonderful scrolling trails that make you think you are in Kyoto rather than Yokohama.
The garden was built by Hara Sankei and opened to the public in 1904. Among the historic buildings exhibited in the park are an elegant daimyo (feudal lord) residence, several tea houses and the main hall and three storied pagoda of Kyoto's old Tomyoji Temple.
Zoorasia
Zoorasia is one of Japan's newest, largest and best kept zoos. The zoo was established in 1999, and since then has been operating under the themes of "Symbiosis of Life" and "Harmony with Nature". The animals are generally kept in spacious areas that mimic their natural habitat to a degree that is not usually seen in Japanese zoos.
The animal exhibitions of Zoorasia are spread out amongst seven ecological areas: Asian Tropical Forest, Subarctic Forest, Oceanian Grassland, Central Asian Highland, Japanese Countryside, Amazon Jungle and African Tropical Rainforest. Among the zoo's highlights are the elephants, polar bears, black bears, okapi and proboscis monkeys. There are also a few restaurants and cafes, as well as nature trails and recreation areas for kids.
Yamashita Park
Yamashita Park is a public park that stretches about 750 meters along Yokohama's waterfront.
The park is about a hundred meters wide, and consists mostly of open green space. It was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Strolling through Yamashita Park, it is hard to miss the massive ocean liner in the water beside the promenade.
The ship is called the Hikawa Maru, and was first put into service in 1930 along the Yokohama-Vancouver/Seattle line. The ship had first-class cabins that attracted the likes of the imperial family and Charlie Chaplin for the transpacific journey. In 1960, after 30 years at sea, the ship was retired. It now serves as a museum, with informative displays and interiors in the style of the 1930s.
