Yokohama

On October 2nd, I went to Yokohama for a class trip and got to experience a different environment compared to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. I went to a customs museum, Cosmoworld, and a museum based on Yokohama's ports.

The customs museum focused heavily on imports with a fairly heavy emphasis on counterfeit goods. There was an entire section near the end of the museum that presented a counterfeit item with the real item and it was fascinating to see how similar the two looked. I know if I tried to buy a luxury brand item from a second-hand shop, I would probably end up buying the counterfeit. The mascot of this museum was also really cute and I got a picture with it.

Cosmoworld is an amusement park that's somewhat compact, defined by its giant ferris wheel. There are plenty of rides at this amusement park, from a roller coaster that goes underground, to the classic 4-D ride. One interesting thing to note about this amusement park is that you can buy tickets to individual rides. This was a great concept to me because it allowed me to get what I wanted without paying an exorbitant price, though the only ride I did was the ferris wheel in the end. I highly recommend going to Cosmoworld if you ever end up in Yokohama as it's very close to the station and surrounded by plenty of other attractions.

The last major event of my class excursion was visiting this museum that was filled with mini replicas of locations, old technology, and ships. I am pretty sure it was a port museum, but my memory of the event is a bit scattered and I cannot recall the name of the museum. Either way, I really enjoyed seeing all the different replicas because I personally adore details and every replica was detailed to the max. 

My field trip ended in the largest Chinatown in Japan and it was definitely a sight to see. It was utterly packed when I went and it was difficult to navigate, so I found it hard to stay long in the area. I had wanted to go to the cup noodle museum once my trip ended, so I attempted to book it when I had the chance, but I am someone who easily gets distracted and on my way out, I spotted a small dessert shop. They were selling oreo ice creams with chocolate churros and it was amazing! I plan to go back to Yokohama to see Chinatown in the winter as Chinese New Year decorations are put up. I want to explore more of Chinatown the next time I go, though I believe it will be difficult to avoid the crowds.

Overall, Yokohama was great and I recommend it for those who want to get away from Tokyo. There are plenty of things to do every day and lots of events that occur throughout the year.