List of Museums in Yokohama

Here is a list of Yokohama’s museums and their web sites. If I have left any out or if there are any dead links please just leave a comment. To be honest, I haven’t been to most of these museums as I am not really a museum person but if you have and would like to review any of them please contact us.

1. Yokohama Museum of Art (English/Japanese)
2. Mitsubishi Minato Mirai Industrial Museum (English/Japanese)
3. Nippon-Maru Memorial Park (English/Japanese)
4. Sogo Museum of Art (English/Japanese)
5. Yokohama History Museum (English/Japanese)
6. Electric Power Historical Museum (English/Japanese)
7. Kanazawa Bunko Museum (English/Japanese)
8. Iwasaki Museum (English/Japanese)
9. Kanagawa Museum of Modern Literature (English/Japanese)
10. Yokohama Yamate Museum of Tennis (English/Japanese)
11. Equine Museum (English/Japanese)
12. Yokohama Streetcar Museum (English/Japanese)
13. Museum of Yokohama Urban History (English/Japanese)
14. Yokohama Museum of Eurasian Cultures (English/Japanese)
15. The Japan Newspaper Museum (English/Japanese)
16. Broadcast Library (English/Japanese)
17. Silk Museum (English/Japanese)
18. Yokohama Doll Museum (English/Japanese)
19. Yokohama Archives of History (English/Japanese)
20. NYK Maritime Museum (English/Japanese)
21. Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History (English(pdf)/Japanese)
22. Japanese Overseas Migration Museum (Japanese)

Tags: Art, galleries, gallery, history, museum, museums, Yokohama

No Comments | Posted in » Art, Sightseeing, culture

Olympic Torch in Japan

Protests that have been following the Olympic Torch all around the world against China’s treatment of Tibet have continued in Japan. I can understand the protests against China but I don’t really understand why they have to disrupt the torch relay. I think a lot of people feel honored to carry the torch for their country. It is a source of pride. But these demonstrations are almost turning it into something to be ashamed of. The Olympic Games are being held in China, but they are not China. I think the protesters should find another way to give their message.

The torch relay has become something of a farce because of this issue. We read about the routes being changed suddenly, running through warehouses, traveling through secret locations and other such nonsense. I said nonsense, but necessary nonsense it seems. Below is a quote from the Mainichi Daily.

Police guards in track suits surrounded the torch bearers and another 100 uniformed riot police ran alongside six patrol cars and two motorcycles. They were backed up by thousands of other police.

Tags: anti-China, Nagano, pro-Tibet, protests, The Olympics, video

No Comments | Posted in » News

Cinema in Landmark Plaza

I have been aware for quite a while now that there is a cinema in Landmark Plaza, which is attached to Landmark Tower, but I have never been there. I guess it is pretty small and the movies shown are not new releases. They seem to show a mixture of movies. April’s theme appears to be chick flicks and they are showcasing four movies:

1. In Her Shoes　(イン・ハー・シューズ）
2. The Queen （クィーン）
3. My Life Without Me　（死ぬまでにしたい10のこと）
4. Sakuran　（さくらん）

You can see the schedule on this Web Site. It is in Japanese though. Tickets are 100 yen for adults, 700 yen if you have a Landmark Plaza Club Card. There is also a printable coupon with which you can get in for 800yen and it seems that if you have a receipt from Landmark Plaza of over 1000 yen you can also get the same discount.

Maybe these offers are time limited so please check before you go.

Tags: cinema, discount, Landmark Plaza, Landmark Tower, movies

No Comments | Posted in » Entertainment

Getting Sick in Japan

I came across this very useful web site for people who are unfortunate enough to get sick while in Japan and need to see a doctor or go to a hospital. Actually, many doctors in Japan speak English so it may not be a problem but just in case this website provides a bilingual questionnaire which you can fill out before you go to the doctor to speed up the process. It is available in several languages apart from English too. Just click on the language of your choice for a printable pdf file.

Tags: bilingual, doctor, Health, hospital, medical, multilingual

No Comments | Posted in » Health, Practical

Yokohama Triennale 2008

The Yokohama Triennale was first held in 2001 and will be held for the third time this year from 13 September to 30 November 2008 (79 days). It is basically a showcase of modern art from both Japanese and foreign artists and according to their web site will be held at several locations in Yokohama. Luckily most of them are pretty close to each other which means if you are stuck for time you may be able to take in all the exhibitions in one day. Although it is probably better to break it up into several viewings so you can really appreciate the art.

Videos, installations, photography, painting, and sculpture—by about 60 to 70 selected artists from many countries will be put on display. And if it is like previous years some of the art will be interactive.

See Official Site for more details.

Tags: 2008, Art, artists, modern art, Yokohama, Yokohama Triennale

No Comments | Posted in » Activities, Art

Sending Money Home from Japan

There are several ways to send money home from Japan but most of them are costly. One of the best deals that I have found is golloyds. There is 2000 yen charge (not including bank charges) to send money home and the service is available to most countries in various currencies. Check official site for details on how to apply for this service.
Official Site: (English/Japanese)
Printable Application Form: (English/Japanese)

There is a “Member-get-member Progamme” so dont forget to ask your friends if they are using this service and if they are be sure to put their name on the application form next to “Introduced by…” so they can receive 2000 yen from golloyds.

Tags: golloyds, japan, japanese, money

No Comments | Posted in » Practical

Renting DVDs in Yokohama

Japanese TV doesn’t provide a lot of English speaking TV shows, at least not at a time when most people want to watch them so its nice to be able to rent a video when the mood strikes.
At the Sotetsu Exit of Yokohama Station there is a video store called Hollywood Video. To join you need photo ID, proof of address and also a small membership fee which is usually reimbursed in the form of a free video rental. The staff usually speak Japanese but if you are stuck they are quite young so someone is bound to be able to help you out.
Rental is usually about 400yen per day/3 days/week depending how new the video is.
Special rates apply on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month when the video are about 200 yen. You’ll have to get there early though to get a popular release.

Tags: CD, DVD, DVDs, Hollywood Video, rental, Sotetsu, video, Yokahama

No Comments | Posted in » Entertainment

Kanamara Festival

Below you can find an amalgamation of posts I had made regarding the Kanamara Festival which will be held in Kawasaki this weekend I believe. I will post a couple of photo galleries in here in the future but if you can’t wait you can find one gallery over at deadhippo.com at the time of posting.

The Kanamara Festival is held near Kawasaki Daishi Station on the first Sunday of April. The small procession of mikoshi (portable shrine) starts off at Kaneyama Shrine (aka Wakamiya Hachimangu) and beats its baudy path through the smaller streets of the neighborhood. During the festival you’ll be able to see all shapes and sizes of phallic objects, from giant statues being carried by middle-aged men in drag to small candies being licked by pretty young ladies. There are even people displaying daikon (japanese radish) carved in great detail to resemble…well…a picture tells a thousand words.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that this festival is celebrating the penis for in a way it is - a steel penis. The legend goes that there was a demon living in the vaginas of the women in this area and a local metal-smith forged a steel phallus which broke the demons teeth and thus ridding the town of it forever. This legend was mostly wishful thinking on the part of the locals, many of whom had caught venereal diseases from the prostitutes that were common in this area in the Edo Period (1603-1867), during which this festival began. Even today Kawasaki is famous for its red-light district.

Well, I did a bit of research about this and have attended the festival. The festival was originally a fertility festival and the locals would attend to ensure they would have plenty of healthy children. This was a pretty common pagan ritual all over Japan and indeed it is still lightheartedly carried out in many towns. The purpose for the festival as for most of the local festivals was to generate income/trade for the towns people and religious people.
Later this particular areas festival evolved as this area became a red-light district and venereal diseases became common. Then the legend about the iron penis was formed and the festival got its current name. And as with many festivals it continued to this day even though people no longer believe the legends.
It is also true that most people in Japan don’t know about this festival. In fact most people in Tokyo or Yokohama, cities that are part of the same urban conurbation as Kawasaki have more than likely never heard of such an event.
I have attended many festivals in this area and I have never seen so many foreigners as I have at this one. In fact aside from the JLPT I have never seen so many foreigners in one place as I have at this festival. There are many Japanese people there but I think they have the same curiosity as us. One elderly Japanese lady told me of her experience one day when she wanted to visit Kawasaki Daishi and came across this scene. She was embarrassedly describing the scene to me when I suddenly realised that I had been there taking photos. Oh she laughed.

Tags: festival, funny, Kanamara, Kawasaki, penis, sex, weird

No Comments | Posted in » Festivals, Funny or Weird

Cheap Accommodation in Yokohama

In the old forum, Hamaholic told us about two places to find cheap accommodation and as I am about to remove that forum I thought I had better keep that very useful piece of information.

1. Super Hotel
2. Yokohama Hostel Village

Tags: Accommodation, bargain, cheap, Hamaholic, hostel, hotel, Kannai, Super Hotel, Yokohama Hostel Village, youth hostel

No Comments | Posted in » Accommodation

Which came first - the sharp pencil or the Sharp company?

Here is a post from my forum which I thought some people might find interesting. It’s not a random post. I actually wrote it.

What I heard first about the origin of the “sharp” pencil I now believe to be a myth. I heard that the name came about because they were first manufactured or at least made famous by Sharp Corporation.

The reality seems to be a little different. The mechanical pencil was invented by Sharp company but at the time the company was called Hayakawa Sougyousha and the pencil was given the rather long title of Hayakawa-shiki Kuridashi Enpitsu (早川繰り出し鉛筆) which roughly translates as Hayakawa-style push out pencil.

The pencil became popular throughout the world and in order to get patents in other countries it was renamed “sharp” pencil, indeed because it was sharp. And I suspect that because of the popularity of and the financial success generated by the sharp pencil the company was renamed - Sharp.

(Disclaimer: research done on internet so I can’t guarantee the validity of these statements)

Tags: history, pencil, Sharp

No Comments | Posted in » Uncategorized