After leaving Negishi Forest Park, I decided to go to the famous “Harbor View Park” in the afternoon when the rays of light on the Yokohama Bay Bridge would be better.
Although I knew little about the geography of the area or the transportation network, I aimed for JR Yamate Station. The map showed that it was a little closer than Negishi Station in horizontal distance, and from the view and terrain seen from the forest park on the hill, I calculated that it would be an easy walk to Yamate Station, which is generally downhill.
As it turned out, it was indeed quite hilly.
Since 90% of the trip was downhill, we were able to walk a ton and it was probably a 15 minute walk to Yamate Station.
It was a long way down the hill, but our next destination was on another hill. If we took the train from here, we would have to climb up again from Motomachi area. With the help of google doc, I found a city bus line from Yamate Sta. to the Harbor View Park.
By the way, a small story to tie up the loose ends while waiting for the bus. I realized that if I had walked from Negishi Forest Park to Negishi Station instead of Yamate Station, I would have passed by this store.
As a member of Yumi Arai’s “Rear Time enjoying” generation (before she became Yumi Matsutoya), I wanted to visit the “Yamate Dolphin” where one of her most famous songs “One Afternoon By the Sea” featured. I’d be so happy to see it. It seems to be a serious French restaurant, so it might have been too difficult for an old man to enter the restaurant for lunch alone, but at least I could have taken a view of the restaurant. Well, I’ll take a picture next time.
Back to the story, a 10-minute ride on a city bus from Yamate Station brings us to Harbor View Park.
The view is so captivating that all visitors are equally entranced by it. I thought it would be a shame if everyone took the same pictures from the prepared viewpoints, but I couldn’t help but take some pictures myself.
I dared to include the railing and the green in the foreground in the composition, thinking it would give a three-dimensional or “live local” feel to the image, but it was a mistake because it blocked the wake of the boat, which turned around in a delicious position.
The same image of a ship and a windmill for power generation in the Port of Yokohama, which anyone would want to photograph.
If you pan the camera slightly from there, you get this picture
Many visitors, after admiring the Bay Bridge and harbor scene for a while, next notice this at Yamashita Pier. A few seconds later they say, “Oh, it’s a Gundam,” and the pattern is usually the same. I was strangely impressed by the fact that the word “Gundam” came out of the mouths of men and women of all ages, even those who looked quite elderly, so easily.
The park is also famous for its beautiful gardens, especially for roses, but on this particular day, the flowers were not at their peak.
But the English-style garden is attractive enough in its natural state, not in “full bloom”.
I tried various ways to get a shot of the flowers and the Bay Bridge together, but this was the best I could do this time. I will eventually change the timing and get a better shot.
The ruins of the French Consulate, last photographed on the way back down the hill from the park. Only part of the building remains now, covered with ivy.
This hill was occupied by French troops from the end of the Edo to the Meiji period as a military strategic point. The French who came to live around the hillside even built a consulate on the hillside at their request.
This time, I took a photo walk in Yokohama, starting from the ruins-like First-class Horse Viewing Stand at the old Negishi Racecourse, and ending at the ruins of the French Consulate.
This time, I enjoyed walking with Lumix G99, Leica DG12-60mm, Leica DG50-200mm, and Leica DG8-18mm lens which I used only a little at the horse viewing spot. The lightweight m4/3 equipment was a great help for me as the pain in my shoulder has not healed well.
