Yokohama is the second largest city of Japan after its capital, Tokyo, that is located just one hour from it. Yokohama is one of Japan’s biggest port cities, and lies in the Honshu island, on the Tokyo Bay. But Yokohama isn’t famous just to be a commercial city and an important port area. The city is in fact worldwide known for its famous pink ferris wheel and its historical museum of ramen.
Cosmo Clock 21
Cosmo Clock 21 is the name of the famous huge ferris wheel at the Cosmo World amusement park in the Minato Mirai 21 district of Yokohama. At the time of its construction, the ferris wheel was the tallest one in the world, but now it has been beaten by the new ferris wheel of Osaka, the Tempozan ferris wheel. The Cosmo Clock 21 is 112.5 metres tall ( 369 ft), and offers a spectacular view of the bay. At the center of the wheel it is also present a huge digital clock, showing all day long the current hour. Nevertheless the wheel is not the only attraction in the theme park. You can also find rollercoasters and water attractions.
Ramen is one of the most loved food in Japan and it is very popular all around the world. Shin- Yokohama Ramen Museum was founded in 1994 and soon became the first world food theme amusement park. The concept of the museum is to give the possibility to people to try different kinds of ramen without having the need to move to one region to the other in order to do so. The attraction is divided into two sections. The first floor gives a short historical panorama of the invention of ramen, while the lower ground is instead a recreation of a typical Japanese street of 1958 ( the approximate period when instant ramen was invented) and presents 9 different shops where to try various styles of ramen. The lower floor really makes you feel like you are back in time, in a complete magic atmosphere of older Japan.
These are the two main things to see in Yokohama, even if it is a very charming city and offer plenty of other things to do. If you have the occasion of visiting Tokyo, be sure to reserve a day to go on a trip to Yokohama, have fun at the Cosmo World park, and enjoy some delicious ramen for dinner!
Photo by Joits
