Yokohama Station Area Guide

Yokohama City is located in Kanagawa Prefecture, to the south of Tokyo. Yokohama Station is just 25 minutes from Tokyo Station, making it fairly easy to get between the two cities. The unique blend of commercial and entertainment developments along the Yokohama waterfront provides a charming cityscape. For those who would rather live in a more suburban environment, there are plenty of neighborhoods located more inland that offer reasonable commute times and provide quiet, relaxed family-friendly areas.

Contents

• Location
• Key Stats
• Orientation Around the Station
• Livability
• Useful Info at a Glance
• Yokohama Apartments

Location

The capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama is a sprawling city that claims the title of the second largest city in Japan by population (3,749,972 as of December 2019). As it covers over 400 km² there’s almost too much area to go over in a single guide, so a majority of this page will focus on the area surrounding Yokohama Station. Generally speaking, however, Yokohama is a city where you can find practically any kind of neighborhood: from the luxury apartment complexes near Yokohama Station and Minatomirai to the more affordable and less crowded residential neighborhoods away from Tokyo Bay in Asahi Ward and Izumi Ward.

Key Stats

Average Rent near Yokohama Station

Apartments For Rent in Yokohama

Train Lines

JR/Subway/Other	Line
JR East	Tokaido
JR East	Yokosuka
JR East	Yokohama
JR East	Shonan-Shinjuku
JR East	Keihin-Tohoku
JR East	Negishi
Keikyu	Keikyu Main Line
Tokyu	Toyoko
Sotetsu	Sagami
Yokohama Minatomirai	Minatomirai
Yokohama Municipal	Blue Line

Accessibility

Orientation Around the Station

Yokohama Station can seem like a giant labyrinth that was built with the intention to trap some sort of mythical creature within its halls. But, fear not, by understanding the separate parts of the station you can find your bearings and make your way through unscathed (hopefully).

The station can be split up into three large corridors. It can be helpful to get acquainted with the layout (available at the JR East website, here) before arriving for your first time.

• The Central Passage East Exit is connected to the LUMINE department store at the station. If you keep following this exit you’ll find Yokohama Porta, an underground shopping mall lined with various shops and restaurants. Through this is Sogo Yokohama, another large department store with plenty of shopping and dining options. There is also an above ground route from the station that doesn’t traverse through Yokohama Porta. This is the closest exit to Yokohama Sky Building.
• The Central Passage West Exit is currently partially under construction (as of December 2019) as work on Yokohama Tower is being completed. Scheduled to be finished around March 2020, this 26 story building will be home to a NEWoMan shopping mall and a T-Joy movie theater. Once outside the station, you’ll see a large bus terminal for those making transfers to other public transportation.
• The Southern Passage is the closest to the Sotetsu Line and Blue Line, which is a handy bit of info to keep in mind if you’re planning on making any transfers to those lines.

Livability

Yokohama Station resides in Nishi Ward, the smallest of Yokohama’s 18 wards in terms of area (7.04 km²). While not as sprawling as some of Yokohama’s other wards, here you’ll find the heart of the commercial activity in Yokohama, including the Minatomirai district (a modern waterfront area with shopping complexes, a ferris wheel, and Yokohama Landmark Tower). Living so close to Yokohama Station can prove to be a bit of a double-edged sword: on one hand, the transportation accessibility is practically unmatched compared to other neighborhoods in Yokohama, but this means it’s one of the busiest stations and there always seems to be a crowd in and around the station.

Surrounding the station, outside of Nishi Ward, the neighborhoods become a little more quiet and residential. To the north of the Station is Kanagawa Ward, where the spacious Mitsuzawa Park is located. The population density of this ward is 10,189 (as of January 1, 2019), making it almost half as densely populated as Tokyo’s most crowded wards. Being just north of Yokohama puts these neighborhoods in between Tokyo and Yokohama, which can be a very beneficial location for those who need to split their time between the two cities.

West of Nishi Ward is Hodogaya Ward (population density: 9,383) where the Yokohama National University campus exits. There are many parks and open green spaces interspersed between the residential neighborhoods in this ward, giving residents a natural respite from the department stores and crowds around Yokohama Station.

Yokohama is home to one of the largest Chinatown districts in Japan. This is due to the number of Chinese that arrived in Yokohama when the port was opened to trade with other countries in 1859. Over 600 stores can be found in the approximately 250,000 square meter area. Perhaps not surprisingly, the authentic Chinese cuisine is one of the major reasons why visitors flock to these streets. From spicy Sichuan dishes and Beijing whole roasted duck, to Taiwanese xiaolongbao dumplings, you’ll be able to get your fill of great Chinese tastes here.

While there’s not enough space in this article to write about each ward in Yokohama City, it’d be a shame to not introduce one of the more popular residential wards that you can find here. Totsuka Ward is located to the southwest of Yokohama Station, with Totsuka Station being approximately 11 minutes away (roughly 12 km) from Yokohama Station on the JR Tokaido Line. The neighborhoods are generally within commuting distance to Yokohama while being tucked away in quiet, calm streets.

Useful Info at a Glance

Supermarkets

*This is just a selection of supermarkets in the area.

Gyms

*These are just examples of gyms available in the area.

Universities

Language Schools

Ward Office, Police, Library

Hospitals

*These are examples of clinics in the area.

Parks

Department Stores/Shopping Malls

Yokohama Apartments

Apartments for rent near Yokohama Station:

• Yokohama Station apartments
• Tennocho Station apartments
• Sakuragicho Station apartments
• Mitsuzawa-Shimocho Station apartments
• Tammachi Station apartments
• Wadamachi Station apartments

There are a variety of housing options around Yokohama Station. You can find budget-friendly studio apartments for as low as ¥40,000 per month in Nishi Ward! For more space around Yokohama Station, check out 1LDK apartments in Hodogaya Ward, which start at approximately ¥80,000 per month!

Apartments For Rent in Yokohama

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