Yokohama

Clinging to the south side of Honshu Island, Japan’s second largest city is culturally endowed to the tip, boasting a history of trade and seafaring that once placed it on the forefront of the country’s international scene. Travellers interested in glimpsing this prestigious past can wander the stretches of Osanbashi Pier and the port district (where Yokohama first boomed with trade), or head to the serene confines of the Sankeien Gardens, where the buildings mimic the Japanese traditionalism of historic Kyoto. But the Yokohama of today is much more than the port town of its past. It’s an energetic plethora of Chinese eateries and rumbling blues bars, cool boulevards and colossal baseball stadiums. It’s the place to be for a taste of Japan’s cosmopolitan thrust; to sample locally-caught seafood cooked up in Cantonese styles, or see neon-lit skyscrapers towering above colonial-esque districts like Yamate and the station area. With its highly-rated education institutions and bubbling youthful population, the city also boasts one of Japan’s best nightlife scenes, and partying travellers should be sure to quiz their Yokohama tourist guide for tips on the famous all-you-can-drink joints, English pubs and swish speakeasies that pepper its districts.