Things to do in Yokohama during the weekends

Hi Christine. Although I am currently living in Indonesia I usually travel with my family to Japan every couple of months or so. And Yokohama is one of our favourite places. Some of the places that we visit are very suitable for weekends.

1)  Yokohama Park. This park is in the centre of the city and beside the Yokohama Baseball Stadium and at one of the entrances to Chinatown. The park has some natural areas with large trees, ponds, rocky stepping stones across small streams, as well as cherry trees and tulip beds. On the far side of the park is a children's playground with lots of great climbing frames for your children. There are benches all around and it's nice to let the children run around and play while you sit nearby.

2) Motomachi Street. This is a really nice pedestrian type street full of interesting shops selling all kinds of things. There are expensive designer brands as well as shops selling typically Japanese things. Running parallel to this street is a small street with many quaint smaller shops that sell foods, craft materials, toys etc. It is a nice street to spend an hour or two strolling a long and there are many great restaurants for lunch or dinner.

3) The Anpanman Museum. Younger children love this place. Anpanman is a Japense superhero for toddlers and young children. The museum is quite interesting with activities for children where they can make masks or just climb around inside. There are also lots of little stores selling Anpanman Items and souvenirs and even an Anpanman Cafe selling all sorts of Anpanman cakes and pastries. It can get crowded on weekends but is worth queuing up for.

4) Stormy Monday. This small pub and music venue is one of the best in Yokohama and they have live performances every weekend and sometimes on weekdays too. Most you can find some of the best jazz and fusion and blues bands in Japan performing here with occasionally bands from the USA and UK on tour in Japan.