- Address: Nishi District, Yokohama, Kanagawa 220-0012 Japan
The central and business district in the Japanese city of Yokohama is Minato Mirai (Minato Mirai) or abbreviated MM.
Description of the area
Today, this part of the village is the most attractive for visitors to Greater Tokyo . Here you can do tourism or shopping , business or various types of recreation. Infrastructure Minato Mirai is constantly growing and developing, new cafes, restaurants, shops, shopping centers, hotels , etc. are opening.
The area was designed by Ichio Asukata in 1965, but construction began only in 1983, and the main works were completed only in 2000. This area was originally called Heavy Industries Yokohama. There was a city pier and a sorting station, which were later converted into modern buildings. A large amount of land "won" by the sea by falling asleep coast with rubble and other materials.
The name of the district "Minata Mirai 21" is translated as "Port of the future in the 21st century". The name is chosen by local residents by public vote. Today about 79 thousand people work in this part of the city, and about 7,300 Japanese live. For a year here comes a total of about 58 million visitors.
What is the famous area of Minato Mirai?
There are such famous buildings:
- Queens Square Towers;
- office centers Pacifico Yokohama;
- hotel Yokohama Grand Intercontinental, executed in the form of a huge sail;
- skyscraper Landmark Tower, it consists of 73 floors and ranks third in the country in its height (about 300 m).
The last building, by the way, is not only a symbol of the district, but also a visiting card of the city of Yokohama. Here is the fastest lift on the planet. On the last floor there is the world's highest viewing platform, which offers a picturesque panorama of the sea, Mount Fujiyama and Tokyo .
In Minato Mirai in Yokohama, you should visit the entertainment park Cosmo World. There are such attractions:
- The Ferris wheel , which is called Cosmo Clock 21. The cabins lift visitors to a height of 112.5 m, and a full turn takes 15 minutes.
- The Kishamichi promenade is a pedestrian mall with an unusual railway.
In this area there are various museums :
- Artistic , where you can see works of art by local and international authors;
- Sea , famous for the 4-masted vessel "Nippon Maru", which was launched in the 30-ies of the twentieth century;
- Polytechnic - here visitors are introduced to the scientific and technological achievements of Japan, created recently.
In these institutions guests can also make virtual tours . For example, using a simulator to go on a helicopter flight. Many exhibits in museums are interactive.
What else to visit?
In Minato Mirai a huge number of interesting places, where you can usefully spend time. Here are located:
- Suspension bridge Yokohama Bay Bridge , which spread over the Yokohama Bay. It was built in 1989, has a length of 860 m and is an openwork structure. Machines can move here in 3 rows in both directions. On the structure is an observation deck (Heavenly Alley), from which you can see almost the whole city.
- The Queen Square - it was built in 1997. There are many hotels, shops, business centers, exhibition complexes and a multifunctional international concert hall, which is famous for its unique pipe organ.
How to get there?
From the center of Yokohama to Minato Mirai, you can take a bus to Negishi and Minatomirai or by car along the Metropolitan Expressway, Kanagawa Street and the Circular Road. The journey takes up to 20 minutes.
From Tokyo, there are buses and metro with lines Keihintohoku, Fukutoshin and Shinjuku to the station Edogawabashi.