Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Yokohama 2010

This photo is from 2006 but I am not sure that that was the last time I attended the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in Motomachi. Maybe. Anyway, this year the Parade is being held on the 20th of March between 1pm and 4pm. I suggest going a little early rather than a little late as in my experience the parade doesn’t take the three hours and you might just miss out. There will be crowds of people but not so many as to be too uncomfortable or that you won’t be able to see anything.

After the parade you should head over to Benny’s Place for a bit of craic.

Design a poster for the Yokohama Port Opening Festival

I didn’t notice any mention of a prize but it would be pretty cool to have your design used for the official Yokohama Port Opening Festival poster. There is only one winner which kind of makes sense. I mean, how many posters do they need? My guess is one.
You can find more details here: http://www.yoke.or.jp/englishblog/diarypro/diary.cgi?no=1051. The link on the page was broken but you can check out the Japanese Port Opening Festival Page here: Kaikousai.com.

Kanamara Matsuri Photo Gallery (2006)

These photos were taken on April 1st, 2006 when my camera was getting repaired and the lens of the camera I was using here was a little dirty so that is why some of the images look a little washed out in places. Don’t know what going on in these photos? Check out this post on the Kanamara Matsuri.

Flower Art Festival Gallery

We at Yokohama Living went over to the Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival that was held over the weekend to take some photos for those of you who weren’t able to attend. It was nice but I was a little disappointed. I don’t know what I was expecting but I know I was expecting something more. The petals of the flowers seemed to have been placed on what amounts to a great big coloring book and for the most part they kept within the lines. It was windy though and I also felt that some of the art wasn’t finished. It was also difficult to get a good view as we had to look at the flower art from the side mostly so it was difficult to get a good angle when shooting. Well, check them out for yourself.

Y150 – Port of Yokohama 150 Year Anniversary

On July 1st 1859 (June 2nd on the old lunar calendar) Yokohama officially opened the port and the effectively ushered in modern Japan. This year Yokohama is celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Opening of the Port and it is going to be a big celebration with many events.

The events will be mainly held in three areas: the Bayside Area, centered in the Minato Mirai district; the Mother Port Area Yokohama Station and the Yamashita-Yamate neighborhoods; and the Hillside Area near Zoorasia.

You may have already been to some of these events or perhaps you have seen the news. For instance, the spectacle art group LaMachine from France brought over their huge spider for a performance that has to be seen to believed. And there are a host of other events which you can check out on the official Y150 web site.

While many events are free some of theme require you to purchase a ticket. You can find more information on their ticketing page but to give you an idea. An adult day pass costs 2,400 yen. Befor purchasing your ticket I recommend that you plan your schedule carefully so that you can take in as many of the attractions as you can. If you think that you are going to be a repeat visitor you might consider buying the Bayside Unlimited Use Entry Pass which costs 10,000 yen for an adult. These tickets also entitle you to discounts at other great Yokohama venues such as the Nippon Maru and the Yokohama Museum of Art

Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival

From May 2nd to May 4th this year the Nihon Odori Flower Art Festival will be held in Nihon Odori (of course). Nihon Odori Avenue will be covered in beautiful art created from flower petals. You can check out the official website to get a better idea of what to expect. It’s all in Japanese but if you check out the Pre-Event page you’ll get a good idea about what is going down.

Red Brick Festival

The Red Brick Festival is being held down at the Red Brick Warehouses also known as Akarenga near Sakuragicho in Yokohama. Actually it has already started and I have even attended a little bit of it. The ice cream part. I took some photos of the cool and crazy ice creams that are on offer and to be honest the choice of flavors is amazing. And I chose the word carefully too because you ought to be amazed that they sell ice cream with flavors such as cow tongue, caviar, garlic, eel and wasabi. (See gallery below for more.) The one that attracted me most though was the stretching Turkish ice cream which I quickly ordered really hoping just to see it stretch. It didn’t stretch though and the flavor was a pretty standard vanilla. No complaints there. I didn’t try the other ice creams not because I was nervous about the strange flavor but just because I didn’t want to ruin my appetite.

There are a few other events at this festival including, I believe, some salsa and samba performances. You can find some information (in Japanese) on the Akarenga web site. It runs from July 25th to August 10th.

Photo Gallery: Yamato Awa Odori 2005

The Yamato Awa Odori is going to be held next weekend with some performances on Friday but most of the street festivities on Saturday and Sunday. I have attended this festival twice and this is a photo gallery from the first time in 2005. The Awa Odori is a very lively and fun festival so if you get a chance I highly recommend goiing to see one.

The festival is not held in Yokohama but in nearby Yamato City. From Yokohama Station it takes just 21 minutes on the Sotetsu Line. Make sure you take the train heading for Ebina though.

Train Timetable.

Fireworks in Yokohama Summer 2008

There are going to be several fireworks displays in Yokohama this summer. Here is a list of the bigger ones starting from tomorrow.

Minato Mirai Yokohama
July 20 — 19:30 to 20:40 Launched from barges off Yamashita Park, the fireworks can best be viewed from Rinko Park, Red Brick Warehouse and Yamashita Park accessible from Minatomirai, Bashamichi and Nippon-Odori stations on the Minatomirai Line or if you don’t mind walking a little, the JR Sakuragicho Station.

Number of fireworks: 6,000

Kanagawa Shimbun, Yokohama

Aug. 1 — 19:15 to 20:30 At Rinko Park near Minatomirai Station on the Minatomirai Line.

Number of fireworks: 8,000

Tsurumi River, Yokohama

Aug. 23 — from 19:30 At Tsukuno Park near Tsurumi Station on the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line.

Number of fireworks: 1,000

Kanazawa, Yokohama

Aug. 23 — 19:00-20:00 At Umi-no-Koen (Sea Park) in Kanazawa Ward, Yokohama, near Umi-no-Koen Shiba-Guchi, Umi-no-Koen Minami-Guchi and Nippon-Odori stations on the Seaside Line.

Number of fireworks: 3,500

Sagami Odako Matsuri

The Sagami Giant Kite Festival is held in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture during golden week. It is usually held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 5th and 6th. O-Dako loosely translates as large kite. There are many kite festivals held throughout Japan but this is one of the more spectacular ones.

You will be able to see five or six kites measuring up to and over 14 metres squared and weighing almost a ton take flight by the banks of the Sagami river. Its quite an amazing sight and it takes many men to control them. The kites are all handmade in the traditional style using bamboo for the framework and some pretty sturdy japanese paper as material. At the end of the festival the largest of the kites is set afire.

This festival has been held since 1830 and while there are many such festivals around Japan this one is famous for the sheer size of the kites.

How to get there
From Yokohama Station, take the Sotetsu Line to Ebina Station and then change to the JR Sagami Line to Sobudaishita Station. It should take less than 60 minutes including transfer. From Sobudaishita you can either take the shuttle bus or walk for about 20 minutes. Just follow the crowd.
Train timetables.

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