Yokohama Port Walking Tour: 1860s Western Settlement Sites

Walk through the foreign settlement that built modern Yokohama

This 2.5-hour walking tour traces Yokohama's port-opening era through the Yamate district, visiting Harbor View Park, the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, and preserved Western-style homes like Ehrismann Residence and Bluff No.18. A live guide in English (or Spanish, French, or Korean) leads you through sites often missed by standard tours, ending at Motomachi Shopping Street, where a 150-year-old bakery still operates. The route is wheelchair accessible and suitable for all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Yokohama's historic port area

• Visit Harbor View Park for port views
• Pass by Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery
• Walk through preserved Western houses street
• Visit Japan’s first Western-style park
• Explore elegant Western mansions and gardens
• Stroll Motomachi Shopping Street and relax at café

The experience

The tour centers on Yamate, known as "The Bluff", where Western residents settled after Yokohama's port opened in the 1860s. Their presence shaped the city's early modernization, and the district still holds that layered history in its streets. You'll start at Harbor View Park, which once housed the British Consulate and now offers panoramic views of Yokohama Port and a rose garden that reflects the city's Western heritage. From there, the walk moves through a charming street lined with preserved Western houses (Berrick Hall, Ehrismann Residence, the Catholic Yamate Church) each one a remnant of the foreign settlement era.

The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is a key stop: over 3,000 gravestones honor foreign residents who contributed to Japan's modernization. You'll also visit what was once Japan's first Western-style park, a social hub for foreign residents with tennis courts and clubhouses. The tour includes time inside elegant Western mansions that once housed diplomats, surrounded by European landscaping and architecture. Throughout, your guide shares fun facts about Japan's "firsts" (from bread and beer to newspapers) all tied to this period of rapid change.

The route ends at Motomachi Shopping Street, a stylish historic street home to Western-inspired shops dating back to the Meiji era. You'll have time to relax at a Western-style café, reflect on what you've seen, and chat with your guide over coffee or tea. The entire walk is designed for all fitness levels and is wheelchair accessible, with public transportation options nearby if you need them.

What’s included

• English-language guide (also available in Spanish, French, Korean and additional languages).
• entry to preserved Western mansions and homes.
• access to Harbor View Park and the Yamate district.
• time at Motomachi Shopping Street with a café stop.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00 and 13:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (4 to 11 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 12

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, Cantonese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Reelu inc

Is this one for you?The tour starts in the Yamate district and is accessible by public transportation, so you don't need a car or a hotel in that specific neighborhood. The guide will direct you to the nearest station when you book. The 2.5-hour walk suits all fitness levels and is fully wheelchair accessible, making it workable whether you're staying anywhere in Yokohama.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Cantonese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 11 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What exactly is the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery, and why is it part of this tour?

The Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery holds over 3,000 gravestones of foreign residents who lived and worked in Yokohama after the port opened in the 1860s. It's a key site on the tour because it honors the people who directly shaped Japan's early modernization and the city's Western influence.

Does the tour include entry to the Western mansions and homes we visit?

Yes, you'll go inside elegant Western mansions that once housed diplomats and explore preserved homes like Ehrismann Residence and Bluff No.18. The cemetery is viewed from the exterior only.

How do I get to the starting point if I'm staying in central Yokohama without a car?

Public transportation options are available near the tour's starting point. The route itself is wheelchair accessible, and the guide can advise on the best train or bus connections from your hotel when you book.

What's special about Motomachi Shopping Street, and how much time do we spend there?

Motomachi is home to Japan's oldest bakery, Uchikipan, which has operated for 150 years, along with other Western-inspired shops from the Meiji era. The tour ends there with time to relax at a Western-style café and chat with your guide over coffee or tea.