Yokohama
Yokohama
Station is
a major interchange station located
in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Prefecture, in the south of Tokyo.
It is the busiest station in Kanagawa
and the 5 th busiest in Japan.
Yokohama
Station is served by JR East Tokaido
Main, Yokosuka, Yokohama, Shonan-Shinjuku,
Keihin-Tohoku, and Negishi Lines;
Keikyu Main Line; Sotetsu Sagami
Railway Main Line; Tokyu Corporation's
Toyoko Line; Yokohama Minatomirai
Railway Company's Minatomirai Line;
and the Yokohama Municipal Subway
Blue Line.
Yokohama
Station is situated in a very busy
commercial district of Yokohama.
The east and west of the station
have a complex underground business
district spanning several floors
and is connected to the buildings
surrounding the station. Some major
shopping centers located in this
area are:
On
the east side –
Porta
Porta
is a large underground shopping
mall spread over 21,000 m? of space
on the second level of the basement.
It has 110 specialty stores and
a large variety of restaurants,
cafés, and fast food joints.
Two of the best known stores here
are Kyukyodo (a
shop, founded in 1663, that specializes
in Japanese paper products called
washi ) and Ceno
Zoic (a shop that sells
imported items for the kitchen,
ranging from tableware to furniture).
Porta is designed in a unique way,
with the passageways looking like
Italian streets lined with shops,
cafés, and restaurants.
Just
above Porta is the main Yokohama
bus terminal. Adjacent to the bus
terminal is a large parking lot
with space for 500 cars.
Sogo
Yokohama
Sogo is the world's largest department
store. Located directly opposite
the east exit of Yokohama Station
and facing the sea, Sogo is housed
in a 10-story building. It covers
a total floor area of 184,940 m?,
of which 75,000 m? is sales floor.
Sogo stocks practically everything
– from clothes to jewelry and cosmetics,
and from tableware to furniture.
The food market is on the two basement
floors. Groceries from practically
every country in the world can be
found here. There are also many
stalls that sell prepared meals.
Restaurants are on 10 th floor.
The sixth floor houses Sogo
Museum of Art – Japan's
first in-house museum. It exhibits
various works of art of both local
and international artists.
Bay
Quarter
Bay
Quarter is located right behind
Sogo. Though relatively new, this
commercial complex has become hugely
popular, mainly because of its shape,
which is designed like a luxury
cruise liner. It is open air and
has 7 floors. Bay Quarter is connected
by a long bridge to Sogo, and connected
by another bridge to Sea Bass ferry
pier, from where ferries can be
taken to sightseeing spots of Yokohama
four times an hour.
There
are a total of 75 stores in Bay
Quarter, besides a high class spa,
a deep sea water swimming pool,
a pet hotel, and a dog café
where owners and dogs can dine together.
There are also some fine restaurants,
a Spanish bar, and a café
facing the Port of Yokohama
Lumine
Lumine
is another huge shopping center
in this area with over 200 shops
and restaurants. Most of the shops
here cater to the fashion-conscious
consumer with the latest in all
brands of clothes, footwear, and
accessories available here. Other
shops sell household goods like
tableware and furniture. The large
well-stocked Yurindo Book Store
is on the fifth floor and in the
basement is Seijo Ishii Supermarket.
Sky
Building
The
Yokohama Sky Building is a large
29-storied shopping complex. From
basement level 1 to the 8 th floor
is Marui Department Store
. This is a popular place
to shop as almost everything can
be found in this large department
store, and the goods are all high
quality at a price lower than other
places.
The
upper floors of Sky Building have
various specialty stores, restaurants,
and cafés. On the 14 th floor
is Sky Spa Yokohama
(featuring saunas, Jacuzzis, and
other spa facilities), and Yokohama
Cruiz Cruiz (a 360-seat
huge restaurant) covers the entire
28 th floor. The Yokohama
City Air Terminal (YCAT)
is on the 1 st floor. Visitors can
catch buses to the airport from
here.
On
the west side –
The
Diamond
Diamond
is a large scale underground shopping
area that covers most of the west
side of Yokohama Station. Spread
over 21,000 m? of space, this 35
year old shopping area is one of
the oldest malls in Japan. The outlets
at Diamond include fashion, shoes,
and accessories shops; an excellent
second hand CD and record shop;
other specialty stores like the
one that sells unique blends of
coffee, or the excusive stocking
store; and dozens of first class
restaurants and cafés.
Takashimaya
Having
opened its first store in Nihonbashi,
Tokyo, more than 300 years ago,
Takashimaya is one of the oldest
department stores in Japan. The
Yokohama Takashimaya, located in
front of the west exit of Yokohama
Station, is one of the most reputed
shopping centers of the city. The
first floor has Takashimaya's own
brand of women's and men's clothing;
the second floor has international
brand names like Chanel, Cartier,
and Guchi; and the other floors
have a large variety of different
stores, some excellent restaurants
and coffee shops. The Museum
of American Folk Art ,
a place that sells Native American
handicrafts, is a popular store
on the sixth floor.
Sotetsu
Joinus
Sotetsu
Joinus is another shopping center
located just outside the west exit
of Yokohama Station. It consists
of mainly fashion boutiques and
shops selling fancy and luxury items.
CIAL
CIAL
is a 7-storey shopping center with
about 150 shops dealing primarily
with daily necessities like clothes,
cosmetics, and food.
More's
A
7-storied shopping complex, More's
has about 150 shops selling clothes,
cosmetics, and other necessities
targeting mainly the young. There
are also some good restaurants.
Vivre
Vivre
is a large shopping center popular
especially among the teenagers of
Yokohama, because of its trendy stores
selling fashionable clothes and accessories.
There is also a large CD shop and
a computer store, besides some good
restaurants and cafés. The
rooftop of Vivre features a popular
flea market.