Sightseeing
There are many tourist spots in Yokohama, involving both modern and traditional. It would be interesting to experience the various aspects of Yokohama.
Minato Mirai 21 close to the conference venue is shopping and leisure area which is catering for people of all ages. "Queen's Square Yokohama" is a complex city consisting of a shopping mall with an array of a variety of specialty stores, a unique department store, a hotel (Pan Pacific Hotel Yokohama), a concert hall and offices. "Yokohama Landmark Tower" is 70 story skyscraper at a height of 296 meter. The tower has a hotel and halls, and the view from Sky Garden on the observatory on the 69th floor is superb. At the Landmark Plaza, next to the tower, you can enjoy shopping. "Yokohama World Porters" has 160 unique shops provide fashion, food, entertainment etc. There is a cinema complex "Warner MYCAL Cinemas" consisting of 8 movie theaters on the 5th floor. "Red Brick Warehouse" is lovely red brick buildings with their original facades (about 100 years old) which have been refurbished from top to bottom. There are hall, and multipurpose space, restaurant with live performances, beer garden, and 31 shops selling a variety of food and goods. "Yokohama Cosmo World" is an amusement park with a Ferris gaining in public favor, which is one of the largest Ferris wheels in the world, with a capacity of 480 passengers and a height of 112.5 meters. You can also enjoy a roller coaster ride and a long flume ride. Other facilities, including "Kishamichi Promenade", "Minato Mirai Pukarin Sanbashi Pier (Floating Pier)", "Nippon-Maru Memorial Park", "Yokohama Museum of Art" and "Yokohama Jack Mall", are also available for shopping and leisure.
Yamashita Park/Port provides a romantic view of the Bay Bridge and ships passing through the port. There are many monuments showing international cultural exchange such as "The Girl with Red Shoes Statue", "Indian Water Fountain", and "Water Guardian Statue", a gift donated by San Diego, USA. You can view ships sailing in and out of the harbor and seagulls flying overhead make you enjoy the taste of Yokohama as a port city. The former cruise ship called "the Queen of the Pacific" sits in front of Yamashita Park. It is a luxury liner that was in service for 30 years from 1930 and has also been boarded by people such as Charlie Chaplin.
Chinatown Area is one of the biggest Chinatowns in the world, more than 500 restaurants and groceries etc. A unique look of the stores lining the streets, colored yellow and red, engenders another exotic atmosphere to Yokohama. There are several elaborately designed gates as a symbol of Chinatown. You can experience Chinese culture in the wonderfully exotic atmosphere.
Motomachi Area is a style and fashion district. A shopping street opened at the opening of the port by purveyors to foreigns' residents living in the foreign settlement. Still today, each shop's original clothes, shoes, and general goods are very popular throughout Japan, thus becoming a center of fashion. Yamate area, next to Motomachi, is used to be foreigners residential district. There are many western-style houses, museums and monuments.