こんにちは!
The number of things to do and places to see in Tokyo is limitless. There are shops, shrines, temples, museums, cafes, etc. Once in a while, it’s nice to experience something a little different though. There’s so much in Japan to see outside of Tokyo, and I want to see as much of Japan as I can. That’s why at the end of September, I spent the weekend in Yokohama.
Yokohama is Japan’s second largest city and is about an hour south of Tokyo. It’s right on Tokyo Bay, so it has a great view of the sea.
One of its best attractions is the Sankei-en gardens. The gardens were built in the 1800s by a Yokohama businessman named Sankei Hara and have been open to the public since 1906. At 175 thousand square meters, it has a wide variety of ponds, streams, flowers, trees, etc.
The gardens also have a wide variety of Japanese architecture, including houses, tea houses, pagoda, etc.
There are also stray cats that roam around!
My favorite part about Yokohama is its Chinatown. It’s the largest Chinatown not only in Japan, but also in Asia. My friends and I stayed at an Airbnb right in the middle of it, so we had the perfect opportunity to explore.
There are many shops and restaurants, but the real highlight is the street food. My personal favorites were the chashuman (steamed pork buns), and Xiao Long Bao (grilled soup dumplings).
Another Yokohama highlight is the Cup of Noodles Museum.
It’s a great museum that teaches the history of cup of noodles. The best part is getting to make your own!
If you ever find yourself looking for a new place to explore, I highly recommend Yokohama!
Sara Macconnell
<p>Hi! My name is Sara MacConnell and I'm studying abroad in Tokyo in Fall 2018. I've been taking Japanese classes since I was a freshman in high school, so I'm very excited to spend a whole semester getting to put my language skills to use! I'm a rising senior at the University of Puget Sound where I study Japanese and Business Administration. On campus, I'm involved in greek life, I'm the publicity chair for Students Against Sexual Assault, I do costume design for the theater department, and I work in my school's study abroad office. My favorite things to do are photography, hiking, cooking, trying new restaurants, and watching Netflix with my friends.</p>
