Top 7 Recommended Things to See & Do in Yokohama Japan

When one visits Japan, they tend to visit the main cities such as Tokyo, Osaka, Hokkaido etc. And who can blame them cause these are truly beautiful cities. But if you are looking to walk the path less traveled, just a short train ride from Tokyo, there is a slightly less as dense but equally as beautiful city called Yokohama.

Getting to Yokohama is pretty easy, you can get there from Tokyo using their normal subway system and you do not even need to purchase a JR pass. So while you can choose to spend a night in the city, we personally just took a day trip to and fro from Tokyo. Here’s our travel blog‘s recommendation of 7 things to do in Yokohama.

1. Yokohama Pokemon Center

Calling all Pokemon Geeks! Yokohama has their own Pokemon Center located on the 4th floor of the Landmark tower, which is just walking distance from the train station. Satisfy your inner geek and shop from their wide array of pokemon goodies. From apparels such as shirts and shoes, to household products such as bowls, towels and mugs. Yokohama’s Pokemon Center has them all. You’ll also be able to get exclusive Yokohama Plushies that you would not be able to get at any other Pokemon Centers. Even if you are are not looking to buy anything, you can still head over and play their Pokemon related games etc.

2. Trick Eye Museum – Yokohama Trick Art Cruise

Directly opposite the Pokemon Center, there’s Yokohama’s own Trick Eye Museum called the Yokohama Trick Art Cruise. If you are not familiar with the trick eye concept, it is basically paintings and art that on camera, makes it seem 3D and real. If you haven’t yet been to the other trick eyes around the world, this would be a good time to visit. The trickart at Yokohama follows a cruise theme where you can expect lots of the photos to be of water-related activities.

3. Anime Shop – Jump Shop

Japan is known for it’s Anime. If you are too an Anime fan, there’s a “Jump Shop” right beside the trick eye museum. Jump shop is a popular chain around Japan that sells Anime related goods such as pens and shirts etc. From popular Anime such as One Piece and Dragonball to One Punch Man, you would be able to get your anime fix there.

4. Cup Noodle Museum

One of the key attractions people travel to Yokohama for is undoubtedly for the Cup Noodle Museum experience. If you have ever had a cup noodle, chances are that you have heard of Nissin. Momofuku Ando, the founder of Nissin, was the first person to ever create and develop the ability to have noodles served in a cup. Visit the cup noodle museum and join their tours and play with their interactive exhibits, which will walk you through Momofuku’s life and how he came to develop cup noodles. You’ll learn about the history of Cup Noodles, the various brands of Cup Noodles under Nissin over the years, and also read about the future and plans of Nissin.

On top of the museum itself, for a small fee, you would be able to join some of their hands on exhibits and attractions. You can learn how to create Chicken Ramen by hand at their ramen factory and experience the entire process of kneading, spreading, steaming and seasoning the wheat flour etc. The most popular attraction however, has to be the cupnoodle factory where you buy an empty Nissin Cup, colour and design it yourself, and then choose and customize the flavour of the Cupnoodles to your liking.

5. Shin – Yokohama Ramen Museum

Are you a big foodie like our Singapore Food Blog? Do you love Ramen? Do you want to find the best ramen in Japan? Then you can’t miss visiting the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. However, ample heads up, the term “Museum” is a bit of a stretch, because unlike the Cup Noodle Museum that provided information and exhibits, the Ramen Museum doesn’t. The Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum is more of a gathering of the best ramen shops in and around Japan.

You would have to pay a small fee to enter, and the setting of the place is leaned towards the traditional 80s look. It has 3 stories in total but only the bottom 2 stories have Ramen shops. You’ll be able to read about the background of each shop, where they are from and also the type of Ramen they serve. On the top floor just as you enter, there would be a signboard that shows which ramen shop has gotten the best votes from their customer the last month.

However, if you are thinking of going with a group of friends and go around the shops trying each of them, you can’t. Because each Ramen shop has a rule that every diner has to order something before they are allowed to enter. You can however, order their “half bowl” option so you would still have space to try another ramen shop.

6. Yokohama Cosmo World Amusement Park

One of the first things you would notice walking along Yokohama’s Ooka River is this big gigantic ferris wheel which is where Cosmoworld is located. Cosmoworld is separated into 3 separate sections, on both sides of the river, based on the varying age groups.  What’s unique about Cosmoworld is that unlike Tokyo Disneyland and other theme parks, Cosmoworld has no entrance fee and instead, you just pay for the individual rides that you wish to take. This also means that you do not need to spend the entire day here and instead can be just a pitstop you take on the way to Nissin Cup Noodles Museum.

7. Yokohama Bay Bridge

If you are thinking of doing something more relaxing, pack a lunch and walk over to Yokohama’s Bay Bridge. Take a step back in life and relax along the bridge while enjoying the gentle sea breeze (provided you are not visiting during summer or winter).  You’ll be able to find plenty of spots for you to take instagram worthy OOTDs and also parks around the area for you to sit down and grab a picnic. When we were there, we were also lucky enough to chance upon some people who were training for their Marathon.