Motomachi / Yamate元町・山手

A trendy town of absolute discovery. Seek out the former foreign residential area at the foot of Yamate.

Yamate became a popular little hill for foreigners to reside on when Yokohama Port was opened to the world for international trading about 150 years ago. Ever since, Motomachi has prospered at the foot of Yamate, as a shopping arcade where they originally used to sell daily goods to the foreign residents of Yamate. Each store sells original clothes, shoes, and goods, attracting visitors from throughout the country, making Motomachi a trendsetting town.

Yamate has an exotic atmosphere with many foreign houses and churches in the area. Minato-no Mieru-oka-koen is a park where you can enjoy a view of the entire Yokohama Port, and that is what the name of the park literally means. There is a viewing spot and a rose garden in the park, and it is a much-appreciated place for relaxation for local people. There is also a Western-style cemetery in the front of the park, where about 4,500 foreigners from more than 40 countries, including those who contributed to the town during the time of opening Yokohama Port in the 19th century, sleep.