8: Yokohama Wanderings...

A Japanese cruise ship was docked on the other side of the undulating Marine Terminal

After our long days at sea (and my most recent bout of sea sickness), I prepared for our day of wandering (on solid ground) in Yokohama with much eagerness.

Through a series of talks on board, we had been briefed on the history, language, food and pop culture of Japan by Harumi Yamanaka, our very knowledgeable and charming Interport lecturer.

There is much that can be said about complexity of Japanese culture and the legacy of World War II, as well as the ironically intertwined relationship of Japan and the United States. But I will leave that discourse to the experts more knowledgeable in history and political science and anthropology (we have several of them on board this ship).  The lone observation I dare make is that the Japanese seem to have made a choice to put away the past and move on. All I can sense is a general feeling of hospitality and generosity, at least on the surface, which is all we really have the opportunity to experience on a voyage such as ours.

What I can say with some authority, is that an architect’s education is not complete without the study of Japanese aesthetics (wabi-sabi), art, design and construction. Then there is Japanese cinema, the genius of Akira Kurosawa in the past and more recently, for my daughter’s generation, the beautiful animated films of Hayao Miyazaki. Japan has given us: Sony, Toyota, Honda, Nikon, Canon (oh there are so many it’s impossible to name them all) and…Toto.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Toto will rule the world (or at least our bathrooms). It is inevitable. The Japanese take their wc’s very seriously. Even the smallest restaurant will have a spotless restroom with a Toto wc that looks complicated enough to engage in a conversation with you and possibly even take flight. It’s all a bit intimidating, but for the traveler, a true godsend. Knowing what lies ahead for us in future ports, I give thanks and take full advantage.

We did not know what to expect in Yokohama and in hindsight, it was a great port to start with…sort of a “soft landing”. From where we were docked, we could easily walk to the city center and other points of interest, such as one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was clear that Yokohama had invested in a city plan with included many public amenities, art installations and wide open spaces. The marine terminal had very helpful tourist information and they were also offering visitors free wi-fi that once joined, could keep you connected as you moved around the city through a wi-fi network.

Looking out towards the port from Hillside Park

The first day, Gary and I wanted to just walk the city without any pressure to be anywhere at any time. We headed towards what looked like a park on the map. It was the Hillside Park, and afforded us a panoramic view of the harbor and city. On the way down, we encountered a cemetery for foreign officers. Nearby, a group of pre-school children with matching color hats were playing exuberantly…so totally adorable, so totally free and happy as only children of that age can be, epitomizing what Jane Austen, writing in Sense and Sensibility, called “that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself”.

Cemetery for Foreign Officers

"Yellow Hat" children...nearby, there was another group of "Orange Hat" children.

Coming down the hill, we found ourselves in a chic shopping area with all the usual international prestige labels.  We did a bit of window shopping, coming across an MG, much like the one our good friend Peter had commissioned to be re-built by our other good friend Jack’s son (who did a truly beautiful, meticulous job).

Consulting our elementary map, it looked like we were close to Chinatown so that’s where we headed. Chinese New Year celebrations were still in full swing, so the area was bustling and lavishly decorated. We saw that many people were buying steamed buns from street vendors and small storefront shops. I spied one with a long line and Gary and I decided, why not give it a try? It hit the spot, warm in our hands and comforting in our stomachs, on that cold winter day.

Yummy steamed pork bun for 350 yen

At this point, I should make mention of our non-existent command of Japanese. We got by with a lot of smiling and bowing and pointing and a just a few words: good morning (spelled Ohayo gozaimasu, but easier to remember as “ohio gozaimasu”), good afternoon (konnichiwa), yes (hai), thank you (arigato) and good bye (sayonara).

Where we stopped for lunch...shumai and noodles...fantastic...

Despite our lack of preparedness, we managed to stumble upon a fantastic place to have lunch. It was a small insignificant storefront, but again, had a long line forming. We stood in line with everyone else, acting like we were in the know. After fifteen minutes of waiting, we were finally at the head of the line. The hostess did not speak English, but motioned us, as well as another gentleman who was by himself, to a table. Unlike all the other restaurants in the area, this one’s menu had no photographs! The gentleman, who did speak English, saw our confusion and came to our rescue, telling us a little about the restaurant and its specialties (shumai and noodles with beef or chicken or prawns), and how he felt it was possibly the best restaurant in Chinatown, as it had been there for many years and remained authentic.

It turned out that the gentleman was an engineer and had visited the US – Mountain View, California, actually a few years ago. We had a lovely conversation. He recommended some places to visit, all within walking distance, and after lunch we headed out to explore again, to the Brick Warehouses where we came across an ice rink and some beautifully designed stores and restaurants.

All in all, it was a very good day, and a wonderful introduction to Japan.