Japan is Nippon 日本語
The ornate red and gold front gate of Kanteibyo temple in Yokohama Chinatown
Photo: Iokseng, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Kanagawa · old town

Yokohama Chinatown

横浜中華街

Japan's largest Chinatown, with over 600 shops packed into about 500 m square. Graze on street food as you take in colourful gates and Chinese temples.

Crowds walking along a busy street of shops and restaurants in Yokohama Chinatown
Photo: 運転太郎, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A brightly decorated Chinese temple in Yokohama Chinatown lit up at night
Photo: Gorgo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A neighbourhood born with the opening of Yokohama Port

Yokohama Chinatown is in Yamashita-cho, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. When Yokohama Port opened in 1859, this area was land known as Yokohama Shinden. After the port opened, Chinese people who came with Western merchants began to live here, and before long they opened shops of their own and a neighbourhood grew up.

It was badly damaged in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 and in air raids during the Second World War, but it recovered each time, and today it is known as Japan's largest Chinatown.

Ten gates and two temples

Ten Chinese-style gates called pailou stand in Chinatown. The gates at the four points of the compass each have their own guardian and colour: Choyo-mon in the east is blue, Suzaku-mon in the south is red, Enpei-mon in the west is white and Genbu-mon in the north is black. Zenrin-mon, one of Chinatown's symbols, was built in 1955 as the first gate.

In the neighbourhood are the Yokohama Kanteibyo, dedicated to Guan Yu, a general from the Three Kingdoms, and the Yokohama Masobyo, dedicated to Mazu, goddess of the sea. Both have stunning, colourful decoration.

Grazing your way through over 600 shops

According to Chinatown's official website there are about 630 shops, about 200 of them Chinese restaurants. You can enjoy it however you like, from a full course meal in a restaurant to takeaway treats such as pork buns, xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) and sesame balls.

Celebrations are held around Chunjie (Chinese New Year), the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day (China's founding anniversary).

Getting there

The nearest stations are Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line and Ishikawacho Station on the JR Negishi Line. There are also buses from Sakuragicho Station and from the east exit of Yokohama Station; get off at a stop such as Chukagai Iriguchi.

Tips

  • If you buy sweet roasted chestnuts from a street stall, it is safest to choose one of the shops certified under Chinatown's own recommended chestnut shop scheme.
  • Some places serve the Dragon Highball, a cocktail born in Yokohama Chinatown made of Shaoxing rice wine topped up with soda.
  • The dates of events such as Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival change every year. Check the events information on the official website.

Sources

Updated 28 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.

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