Yokohama Day Trip Itinerary from Tokyo: Afternoon to Night

Yes, Yokohama is worth a day trip if you like harbor walks, Chinese food and a city skyline at night, and it’s one of the easiest side trips from Tokyo. This Yokohama day trip itinerary covers Chinatown, Yamashita Park, the Red Brick Warehouse and Minato Mirai after dark in one afternoon and evening. Direct trains from Shibuya take about 35 minutes, and transport costs 920 yen for the round trip with a Tokyu pass, as of October 2026.

Quick answer

• Time needed: an afternoon and evening, about 7 hours door to door from Shibuya. Add the morning for Sankeien Garden or the Cup Noodles Museum.
• Rough cost from Shibuya: 920 yen for transport with the Tokyu Line Minatomirai Pass, or about 1,035 to 1,066 yen paying by IC card, as of October 2026. Food, the Ferris wheel (1,000 yen) and the Air Cabin (1,000 yen one way) are extra.
• Best ticket: from Shibuya, the Minatomirai Pass. From Tokyo Station or Shinjuku, an IC card (Suica or PASMO).
• Good for: food, waterfront walks, night views, an easy half day. Skip if: you want temples, old wooden streets or Mt Fuji; Kamakura or Hakone fit that better.

Is Yokohama worth a day trip?

Yokohama is a port city right next to Tokyo. What you come for is the waterfront: Chinatown, a harbor-side park, old brick warehouses and the modern Minato Mirai skyline, all linked by promenades you can walk.

You’ll probably enjoy it if:

• You want an easy trip with no passes to study and no early start.
• You like food. Chinatown has more than 600 shops, according to the city’s official tourism site.
• You want a night view without paying for a tower: the waterfront itself is the view.
• It’s raining in the morning. This plan starts after lunch, and the Red Brick Warehouse and Cup Noodles Museum are indoors.

You can skip it if:

• You came to Japan for temples, shrines and traditional streets. Yokohama has Sankeien Garden, but Kamakura has far more of that.
• You’ve already spent evenings in Tokyo’s bay area and want something different from a big city.
• You want Mt Fuji. Go to Hakone instead.

Still choosing between areas? See LINK#10 Kamakura vs Hakone vs Yokohama.

Getting there from Shibuya, Shinjuku and Tokyo Station

For this plan, aim for Motomachi-Chukagai Station (元町・中華街駅), the last stop on the Minatomirai Line, about 1 minute on foot from Chinatown. The Minatomirai Line runs through from the Tokyu Toyoko Line, so many trains from Shibuya go straight there.

From	Route	Time (official)	Adult fare (IC card unless noted)
Shibuya	Tokyu Toyoko Line through to Motomachi-Chukagai	About 35 min	533 yen (309 Tokyu + 224 Minatomirai)
Shibuya	Same, with the Tokyu Line Minatomirai Pass	About 35 min	920 yen round trip (paper pass), plus unlimited Minatomirai Line rides
Shinjuku	From Shinjuku-sanchome Station, a Fukutoshin Line through train to Motomachi-Chukagai	About 43 min from Shinjuku-sanchome	711 yen (178 Tokyo Metro + 309 Tokyu + 224 Minatomirai)
Shinjuku	JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line to Yokohama, then Minatomirai Line	Check a route app	Check a route app (JR) + 224 yen
Tokyo Station	JR Tokaido, Yokosuka or Keihin-Tohoku Line to Yokohama, then Minatomirai Line	About 25 min to Yokohama, then 6 to 8 min	Check a route app (JR) + 224 yen

Fares as of October 2026. Not every train runs through at every hour, so check the destination on the platform display. The Minatomirai Line accepts IC cards and also contactless credit card tap at the gate.

Fare math: is the Minatomirai Pass worth it from Shibuya?

The Tokyu Line Minatomirai Pass costs 920 yen from Shibuya. It covers a round trip between your Tokyu station and Yokohama Station, plus unlimited rides on the Minatomirai Line for the day.

• Paying by IC card for this plan: Shibuya to Motomachi-Chukagai is 533 yen. Coming back from Minatomirai Station is 502 yen (309 Tokyu + 193 Minatomirai). Total: 1,035 yen.
• Same trip with the pass: 920 yen. You save 115 yen, and more if you ride the Minatomirai Line between stops.
• Round trip to Motomachi-Chukagai only: 1,066 yen by IC card, so the pass still saves 146 yen.

The catch: it’s a paper ticket, sold only at Tokyu ticket machines (not at Yokohama Station), from first train to 10:30 p.m. At Shibuya, use a Tokyu Toyoko Line machine. It’s valid only on the day you buy it, and you can’t stop off at stations along the Tokyu line.

Half-day plan: Chinatown to Minato Mirai at night

A rough guide for an October weekday from Shibuya. Train times and walking times come from the operators and the city; how long you stay at each stop is up to you.

Time (approx.)	Where	Getting there (official time)
12:30 p.m.	Leave Shibuya	Through train to Motomachi-Chukagai, about 35 min
1:10 p.m.	Chinatown: lunch and a walk	1 min on foot from Motomachi-Chukagai Station
2:45 p.m.	Yamashita Park	3 min on foot from Motomachi-Chukagai Station (exit 4)
3:30 p.m.	Yamashita Rinko-sen Promenade to the Red Brick Warehouse	About 500 m of promenade from the west end of the park
3:45 to 5:15 p.m.	Red Brick Warehouse: shops, cafés, the harbor	Building 1 open until 7:00 p.m., Building 2 until 8:00 p.m.
5:30 p.m.	Cosmoworld and Cosmo Clock 21 after dark	Ferris wheel ride about 15 min
6:30 p.m.	Kishamichi promenade to Sakuragicho, or the Air Cabin	Kishamichi is about 500 m; Sakuragicho is 3 min from its end
7:00 to 7:30 p.m.	Head back	Minatomirai Station (2 min from Cosmoworld) direct to Shibuya, or JR from Sakuragicho

1. Chinatown

Yokohama Chinatown grew up after the port opened, when Chinese merchants arrived with Western traders. Today it has more than 600 shops packed into a grid of streets, with decorated gates (pailou) built according to feng shui. Two temples sit inside: Kanteibyo, dedicated to Guan Yu, and Masobyo. Shop hours vary shop by shop. For what to eat and how to choose, see LINK#19 What to eat in Yokohama Chinatown.

2. Yamashita Park

Yamashita Park runs for about 700 m along the harbor. It opened in 1930 on land reclaimed with rubble from the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. Entry is free. The retired ocean liner Hikawa Maru is moored in front of the park.

3. The promenade and Osanbashi Pier

From the west end of the park, the Yamashita Rinko-sen Promenade follows an old freight line for about 500 m, past the entrance to Osanbashi Pier to the Yokohama Customs area. The Red Brick Warehouse is just beyond.

Optional detour: the rooftop of Osanbashi Pier is a free public plaza open 24 hours. It looks straight across the water at Minato Mirai, so it also works as a night-view spot if you’d rather come back here after dark.

4. Red Brick Warehouse

Two brick warehouses from the Meiji and Taisho eras, now full of shops and restaurants. Building 1 is open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and Building 2 from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; some cafés and restaurants keep different hours. It’s about 6 minutes on foot from Bashamichi or Nihon-odori Station.

5. Minato Mirai at night

From the Red Brick Warehouse, walk west toward the big Ferris wheel. Your options for the view:

• Cosmo Clock 21: the 112.5 m Ferris wheel at Yokohama Cosmoworld. A ride takes about 15 minutes and costs 1,000 yen, as of October 2026. Entry to Cosmoworld itself is free. The wheel is lit from sunset until about midnight. In October 2026 the park is open 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays and until 10:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays, and closed on Thursdays. Ride tickets stop 15 minutes before closing.
• YOKOHAMA AIR CABIN: an urban gondola, 630 m each way and up to about 40 m high, between Sakuragicho Station and Unga Park near Cosmoworld. 1,000 yen one way or 1,800 yen round trip; a one-way Air Cabin plus Cosmo Clock 21 set ticket is 1,700 yen (sold at the staffed window). Hours vary by day; on October 9, 2026 they were 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Kishamichi: a free promenade over the water on a railway line opened in 1911. It’s about 500 m long and links the Shinko area with Sakuragicho Station.

Note: the Sky Garden observation deck on the 69th floor of Yokohama Landmark Tower is closed for building renovation. Reopening is planned for 2028 or later.

A full-day version: add Sankeien Garden or the Cup Noodles Museum

Morning option A: Sankeien Garden

Sankeien is a large Japanese garden with historic buildings, designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty. It suits you if you want one traditional stop in the day.

• Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (last entry 4:30 p.m.). Closed December 26 to 31.
• Admission: 900 yen for adults, as of October 2026. 800 yen if you show a Minato Burari Ticket.
• Getting there from Chinatown: city bus No. 8 or No. 168 from the Chukagai-iriguchi stop (stop No. 2), about 15 minutes to Sankeien-iriguchi, then a 5-minute walk. City buses cost a flat 220 yen per ride, paid when you board. The city has applied to raise this to 240 yen, planned for around January 2027.
• Free English guide: volunteers run a 60-minute English tour at 1:30 p.m. (not December 26 to January 3, and it may be cancelled for weather). Free coin lockers are by the main gate.

Sample morning: leave Shibuya around 9:00 a.m., reach Motomachi-Chukagai around 9:35, take the bus, spend about two hours in the garden, then bus back to Chinatown for lunch and continue with the half-day plan.

Option B: Cup Noodles Museum

The CUPNOODLES MUSEUM YOKOHAMA is 8 minutes on foot from Minatomirai or Bashamichi Station, so it fits between the Red Brick Warehouse and the Ferris wheel.

• Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., last admission 5:00 p.m. Closed Tuesdays (Wednesday if Tuesday is a national holiday) and over the New Year holidays.
• Admission: 500 yen for adults; high school age and younger free, as of October 2026.
• My CUPNOODLES Factory: design your own cup and choose the soup and toppings, 500 yen per cup, about 45 minutes. It runs on numbered tickets, and the museum warns these can run out early on school-trip days (for example October 14 to 16, 2026). Go early in the day if this is the reason you’re visiting.

If you add the museum, move Chinatown earlier so you reach the museum by about 3:30 p.m.

Getting around Yokohama

Most of this plan is on foot along the water. For the gaps:

• Minatomirai Line: six stations from Yokohama to Motomachi-Chukagai. Single IC fares are 193 to 224 yen. A 1-day ticket costs 460 yen at any station’s ticket machine, so it only pays off from about three rides. The Minatomirai Pass from Shibuya already includes this.
• Akai Kutsu bus: a retro-style sightseeing loop from Sakuragicho Station (stop 3) past the Red Brick Warehouse and Chinatown. About every 20 minutes on weekdays and every 15 on weekends and holidays; 220 yen per ride.
• Bayside Blue bus: from Yokohama Station East Exit (stop A4) to Minato Mirai, the Red Brick Warehouse, Chinatown and Yamashita Park. About every 30 to 40 minutes; 220 yen.
• Minato Burari Ticket: 700 yen for a day of city buses (including the Sankeien routes) and the Blue Line subway in the central area. It doesn’t cover the Minatomirai Line. Worth it only if you’ll take four or more buses.
• Sea Bass water bus: links Yokohama Station East Exit, Hammerhead, the Red Brick Warehouse and Yamashita Park by boat. Check fares and times on the operator’s site.

Combining Yokohama with Kamakura

You can do both in one long day: Kamakura in the morning, Yokohama in the evening. Kamakura’s main temples close in the late afternoon, while Yokohama’s waterfront is at its best after dark, so this order makes sense. JR’s Yokosuka Line runs directly between Kamakura and Yokohama; check a route app for the time and fare. For the Kamakura half of the day, see Kamakura and Enoshima day trip itinerary.

Who should do what

You are…	Best plan
First time, a free afternoon	Half-day plan, Minatomirai Pass from Shibuya
Staying near Tokyo Station	JR to Yokohama, then the Minatomirai Line; IC card
Want one traditional sight	Full day with Sankeien Garden in the morning
Traveling with kids	Cup Noodles Museum (not on Tuesdays), then Cosmoworld
On a tight budget	Skip the paid rides: Osanbashi rooftop and Kishamichi are free night views
Visiting on a Thursday	Cosmoworld is closed; use the Air Cabin or Osanbashi for the view
Only one day near Tokyo and want temples	Go to Kamakura instead, or combine both

Practical tips

• No reservations needed: train tickets, the Ferris wheel and the Air Cabin can all be bought on the day.
• Check closing days before you go: Cosmoworld closes on Thursdays (October 2026 calendar), the Cup Noodles Museum on Tuesdays.
• Buy the Minatomirai Pass at Shibuya before you board. Yokohama Station doesn’t sell it.

Related guides

• LINK#10 Kamakura vs Hakone vs Yokohama
• LINK#19 What to eat in Yokohama Chinatown
• Kamakura and Enoshima day trip itinerary