Entertainment

Yokohama is a young, vibrant city that offers a diverse range of activities to ensure that you enjoy your time here. Whether your interest lies in the traditional or the contemporary, the active or the passive, the night scene, sightseeing or sports, you will surely find a variety of entertainment to hold your interest.

Yokohama is a port city, so there is plenty to do on or near the water. You could start by heading for the Minato Mirai Pukari Sanbashi (Floating Pier) from where you can either relax and enjoy the view or maybe board a boat for a harbor cruise. Another option is to make a day of it in Yamashita Park, where the Hikawa-Maru, the "Queen of the Pacific," is anchored. Or how about taking a cruise to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, an artificial island that has a large aquarium and underwater tunnel as well as many other leisure facilities? And if it is beaches you yearn for, just take a short train ride to Enoshima, where you can claim a spot on the sand along with hordes of trendy Japanese youth.

If your interests lean towards more intellectual pursuits, there is a multitude of museums and galleries, as well as temples, shrines and sightseeing attractions to keep you occupied. Whatever period interests you is represented, from prehistory (such as the Santonodai Ancient Relics Site, which holds relics going back 10,000 years) to the nuclear age (as found at the Mitsubishi Minato Mirai Industrial Museum), and so is just about every subject under the sun, including dolls (Yokohama Doll Museum), tin toys, silk, fashion, literature, horses and even ramen, the legendary, ubiquitous noodles (Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum). You will be able to see exhibitions of ukiyoe (Japanese woodblock prints), impressionists, surrealists and modernists as well as photographs, posters, stained glass and ceramics. And just down the road, at Kamakura, there is a plethora of temples and historical sites that will keep you on your feet all day.

Sports fans, participants and spectators are almost spoiled for choice in Yokohama. Kanagawa Prefecture has three professional soccer teams and the International Stadium Yokohama, with a capacity of 70,000 spectators, staged the final of the 2002 World Cup. If you are a baseball fan, you might want to catch a Yokohama Bay Stars' game at the Yokohama Stadium, which also hosts American football and concerts. For those who prefer to participate rather than watch, there are so many opportunities in Yokohama. The Yokohama International Swimming Pool, the "Water Arena," is one of the biggest pools in Japan, and there are many more pools in the city. Other sports you may want to try include bowling, golf, archery, judo and tennis.

Children are also well provided for in Yokohama. The Kodomo no Kuni (Children's Land) is paradise to the young ones. There are also three zoos, Yokohama Zoo ”Zoorasia”, Kanagawa Zoological Gardens of Yokohama and Nogeyama Zoo, which is located in beautiful Nogeyama Park. Take the kids to the Motion Display Museum to see American toys from the 1920s to the 1950s or give them a treat at the Yokohama Children's Science Museum. Or what about an afternoon in Yokohama Joypolis, where they can try out virtual reality and arcade games?

There is no shortage of venues to enjoy the performing arts. Whether you want to experience traditional Japanese theater like Noh (at the Yokohama Noh Theater) or a rakugo one-man comic show (performed at Miyoshi Hall), or you prefer classical music by some of the world's top performers, Yokohama has something for everyone. All of the top rock and jazz artists come to Yokohama, too. Just check out Kanagawa Kenmin Hall or Kawasaki Club Citta for some of the top billings. But it is not only the big names that play Yokohama. You can see world-class local and foreign musicians performing every night of the week in dozens of clubs and other venues. Movie buffs are also well provided for. There are cinemas throughout the city showing road show films, art movies, classics and reruns.

There is plenty of entertainment on hand for adults in Yokohama, of course. A lot of people start the evening at Gaspanic, where they either sway to the resounding rhythms bouncing off the wall while hanging on to the compulsory drink or try to arrange a date for the rest of the night. The area around Ishikawacho is packed with bars and pubs that open up as the sun goes down. Motomachi is another lively area in the evening. But it is not only these two areas that cater for adults. All over the city you will find karaoke lounges, pubs, discos, hostess bars, massage salons, jazz spots and all kinds of theme bars. Those who go in for a more personal kind of entertainment with an element of risk involved might try the area around Koganecho Station.

No matter how long you stay in Yokohama, you will not be bored. There is just so much to see and enjoy.