One weekend in November, the weather was so nice that I wanted to go somewhere, so I went on a half-day “excursion” to Yokohama by myself.
Without any special destination idea, I decided to go somewhere in the Yokohama area. I thought about it on the train, but couldn’t come up with a coherent plan.
OK, Let me go to Grand Pier for the time being.
We went to the nearest station, Nihon-odori station on the Minato-Mirai line, and went to the pier.
This building next to the Yokohama Kaigan Church looks very old. The gingko trees in front of the gate were in full color. A couple was happily taking pictures, which made me feel excited.
Yokohama has been a distant city for me for a long time, but a few years ago I had an opportunity to visit the city on business for about half a year and finally learned about the geography of the area that is Yokohama within Yokohama: Japan Avenue, Kannai, Prefectural Government and Customs, Grand Pier, Yamashita Park, and Chinatown. Viva work, viva Yokohama!
Arrival at the Grand Pier. There were many visitors from early in the morning, including a group of joggers, who were probably lured by the fine weather just like me. Anyway, let’s go up to the rooftop plaza.
The rooftop plaza has a wide open sky and is truly exhilarating.
Thinking back, the last time I was at this pier, “the” Diamond Princess was docked there….
The “Nippon Maru” was there that day, so I took this shot of the Bay Bridge through the stern figure.
I was enjoying a wide view of Yokohama Harbor, but then I spotted something of interest in the southeast direction. That’s the “thing” you see over the bridge of the docked ship, is it Gxxxxx, no need to get down and dirty. It looks like you can see the back half of Gundam from here without going to Gundam Factory Yokohama.
Harbor view in the north direction.
Some of the plaza is also covered with grass, giving it a long, idyllic look under the autumn sky.
Looking east, once again we see the majestic view of the Bay Bridge.
In the center of the plaza is the Grand Pier Hall, where the outdoor and indoor areas are connected as one. It is so spacious when unmanned.
So, where to go from here was the question at this time. It was an easy choice, since the weather was so fine that it would be pleasant no matter where we walked.
Looking southwest toward ZOU-NO-HANA PARK, the round roof of Yokohama Customs, a.k.a. the “Queen’s Tower,” looked especially clear and graceful today due to the weather and the light.
In case you are wondering, the somewhat inconspicuous reddish-brown tower to the left is the “King’s Tower” at the Kanagawa Prefectural Government. The “Jack’s Tower” at the Port Opening Memorial Hall is not visible in this photo.
Okay, let’s walk from ZOU-NO-HANA (Elephant’s Nose) to Minato-Mirai direction on the Kishamichi promenade passing under the “Queen’s Tower” today.
After much pondering, I decided to walk along the standard tourist route.
The last time I visited Yokohama, the Yokohama Air Cabin had not yet opened, so it would not be a bad idea to see a gondola going through the sky along the promenade for the first time.
So, in the next installment of my whimsical stroll through Yokohama, I will walk from ZOU-NO-HANA Park to Kishamichi.
*But, although the sky looks beautiful blue to the human eye no matter which way you look at it, the color of the sky captured by a camera varies greatly depending on the direction (difference in light rays)…. This time, it is especially noticeable. I know in my head that this is the way it is, but it is difficult to take pictures.
Equipment used: Lumix G99, Leica DG12-60, Leica DG50-200
