The Best of Yokohama With a Historian
Joined 2023
Hi, I'm John, and I specialize in informative yet irreverent tours full of fun facts and surprising truths. Here in Yokohama, the point of genesis for modern Japan, I'll let you in on the history of foreign settlement in Japan and Japan's economic development in the 19th century. As a bonus, we'll visit one of the best open-air architectural museums in the nation, letting you take in traditional architecture from all over Japan in just one place.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Motomachi-Chukagai Station (or your hotel)
Western mansions/gardens from the 1800s.
Yokohama was the epicenter of trade in the newly open-to-business Japan of the late 1800s. Here you can see the residences of foreign diplomats and businessmen who lived here during that era. There's even a whole cemetary dedicated to the foreign residents of Yokohama here, if you're into that!
Chinatown
Japan's biggest Chinatown and a bustling hub of commerce and kitsch, this is the perfect place to catch some grub and wander down some atmospheric alleyways.
Sankei-en Garden
One of the most unique gardens in Japan, it both serves as a (surprise surprise) garden, but also as an open-air architectural museum. This garden is filled with buildings that are many hundreds of years old, and can really immerse you in a traditional Japanese atmosphere.
Cosmoworld
This small amusement park is right in the middle of the city! It includes a few small roller coasters, a log ride, and an enormous ferris wheel. You pay for each individual ride, so this can be a very cheap way to have a bit of fun and excitement in the city.
Landmark Tower Observation Deck
Go inside one of the most unique-looking towers in the world and get amazing views of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area and (probably) Mt. Fuji!
Ending Point
Sakuragicho Station (or your hotel)
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
1. Guide fee
2. Hotel pickup (if staying in Yokohama--fees apply if staying outside of the Yokohama area)
1. Transportation fee (for you and the guide)
2. Entrance fees (for you and the guide) ~1,200 yen/person
3. Lunch (for you and the guide) ~1,500 yen/person
Tour Important Information
1. We'll be doing a lot of walking, so please wear some comfortable shoes.
2. If you have an dietary restriction, please let me know and I'll find a lunch spot that caters to your needs.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2023
About Tour Guide John L.
Hi travelers, I'm John! I'm a part-time teacher and a full-time history nerd, and I've lived in the Tokyo/Yokohama/Kamakura area for 6 years. If you're looking for a fun time hiking up some small mountains and avoiding the crowds by hitting up lesser-known(but still amazing) sights, then I'm your guy! Or, if you want to hit up all the big sights and be wowed by their splendor, I'm still your guy! So, let's get out there, have some fun, and I'll teach you all I know about Japan and its wonders!
Also, being a vegetarian, I know all the best veg-friendly places in the area, so I'm an excellent for vegetarians and vegans.
$67/ per group
More tours by John L.
Haunted Kamakura
Being the site of mass suicides, WW2 combat training drills gone wrong, and ancient battlefields, Kamakura is a perfect breeding ground for supernatural occurences and scary stories. Come with me and we'll go and see some of the spookiest sites in Kamakura, along with some of the highlights!
Hiking and Bamboo Forests in Kamakura!! 4-Hour Tour With a Historian
Hi, I'm John, and I specialize in informative yet irreverent tours full of fun facts and surprising truths. On this tour, we'll take a hike around Kamakura's ancient mountain trails which are flanked by shrines, graves, statues, and of course gorgeous natural beauty! We will also visit one of Kamakura's most beautiful temples and take in its stunning bamboo forest.
Let's Get (history) Nerdy! Customizable Full-Day Kamakura Tour
Hi, I'm John, and I offer informative yet irreverent tours full of fun facts and surprising truths. Come with me, a Japanese history major, and explore the capital of Japan's first samurai rulers! I do all the reading so that you don't have to! Please let me know if there's anything in particular that you want to see or avoid during our trip, and I will change the itinerary to suit your needs. I even have ideas for nature-lovers and people who want to avoid crowds! See the example below.
Other Popular Highlights Tours in Yokohama
Best Memories of Yokohama
In this tour, you will visit the most impressive places in Yokohama including Sky Garden of Landmark tower, Sankei-En Japanese Garden where you can experience the tea ceremony, and having a delicious lunch at my favorite restaurant. You can choose one place from the options in the itinerary during 15:00 to 16:00. I was born and grew up in Yokohama and I am sure this tour will become a good memory of your travel in Japan.
Yokohama, Now & Then
Only a 30-minute train ride from Tokyo, you can reach the unique cosmopolitan city of Yokohama. Yokohama has two faces: modern and classical. In this tour you can enjoy a modern life at Minato Mirai 21 and a classical one at Yamate Heights and China town. MM21 is a national project, starting in 1984, to create a new city at its waterfront, suitable for the 21st century. Yamate Heights, an old European settlement on a hill, preserves beautiful European style houses.
Yokohama is extremely a young city. It has only less than 160 years of history.
Yokohama has a fascinating tale of transformation from a small fishing village to the 2nd largest city. Its evolution is particularly notable for how it embraced international trade and modernization. Minato Mirai district is a large urban development. The name reflects its design and purpose as a futuristic city. We will explore how Yokohama has been developed so rapidly in 160 years, watching several historical architectures, etc.
Highlights of Yokohama & The Great Buddha of Kamakura
We will visit the Great Buddha of Kamakura and the highlights of your choice in Yokohama. It's possible to visit Shinyokohama Ramen Museum to try some ramens from all over Japan.
