Yokohama Chinatown
横浜中華街 · Naka, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture
With more than 160 years of history, the largest Chinatown in Japan and Asia, where ten gates hold up a 'little China'. Chinese compradors who came with Western merchant ships when Yokohama opened in 1859 put down roots here; today more than 200 Chinese restaurants sit side by side with the Kantei-byō and Ma Zhu temples, and when the gongs and drums of Lunar New Year sound, the whole street becomes the most nostalgic place for overseas Chinese.
Know before you go
- When worshipping at the Kantei-byō and Mazu temple, don't be loud, take selfies with your back to the deities or point at them
- don't blow out incense that's still burning. During the Lunar New Year lion-dance 'cai qing', don't reach out to touch the lion's head or cut across the procession. As for food, dim sum is best 'eaten hot', and takeaway is fine, but don't eat inside the temple halls. Most businesses in the district are run by Chinese residents — haggle moderately and don't drive prices down aggressively
- ask shopkeepers before taking photos, especially of kitchens and household shrines. Put rubbish in the sorting bins, and don't sit on the ground under the gates or in the temple squares and block the way.
This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.
Stories & people
Stories & people
History
A Chinatown born when the port opened
After Yokohama opened as a port in 1859, large numbers of Chinese came to settle here, many working as compradors for foreign trading houses, handling trade in raw silk, tea and other goods with Japanese merchants. The Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923 devastated Chinatown, and through repeated rebuilding it grew into one of Japan's largest Chinatowns today.
Source: Wikipedia: Yokohama Chinatown
Culture
Culture & customs
Background
This is a history of the port's opening written with chopsticks. In the early days, Chinese compradors fluent in Chinese and Western languages and skilled in the silk and tea trade settled in Yamashita-chō, and the Kantei-byō temple, Chinese guild hall and Chinese school followed, giving the district its first shape. Battered by the Sino-Japanese War, the Great Kantō Earthquake and Second World War air raids, it fell for a time after the war into a black market and 'dark street', then, through the joint efforts of the Chinese community and the city government, transformed into a food and tourist destination. In 1955 the 'Zenrin-mon' gate was unveiled and the street was officially named 'Chūkagai' (Chinatown). Descendants of Cantonese families are still the core of the community, while newer migrants from mainland China and Taiwan have brought bubble tea and Sichuan food, making the district ever more diverse through 'reconciliation', with 18 million visits a year.
Local customs
- Chinatown keeps its festivals by the lunar calendar: at Lunar New Year there are dragon and lion dances and (electronic) firecrackers, and worshippers throng the Kantei-byō
- on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month, Guan Yu's birthday, businesses solemnly worship the 'martial god of wealth'. Everyday eating centres on 'yum cha' — the dim sum trolleys and freshly steamed xiaolongbao of morning tea are a fixed ritual for older Chinese residents. Shops often hold a lion-dance 'cai qing' at their doors for good luck — if you come across one, feel free to watch. The district's linguistic landscape is unique: Chinese signs, Japanese sales calls and occasional Cantonese haggling drifting past — three languages mixed, yet with an order of their own.
Religion & beliefs
- The district's faith centres on Yokohama Kantei-byō (dedicated to Guan Yu, worshipped by business people as the martial god of wealth) and Yokohama Ma Zhu Miao (consecrated with spirit from the ancestral Meizhou temple in 2006, the first Mazu temple in Japan). Keep quiet when worshipping: after offering incense and a donation, put your palms together and pray silently
- flash photography of the deities is generally banned in the halls, and after drawing a fortune stick you can ask the temple to interpret it. On big days such as Lunar New Year and Guan Yu's birthday there are formal ceremonies and processions — don't block the way or touch the ceremonial regalia when watching. The Mazu temple is a Taoist temple: removing your hat when entering the hall and not laughing loudly are basic respect for the deity and worshippers.
Etiquette
Etiquette & taboos
Don’t DON'T
- When worshipping at the Kantei-byō and Mazu temple, don't be loud, take selfies with your back to the deities or point at them
- don't blow out incense that's still burning. During the Lunar New Year lion-dance 'cai qing', don't reach out to touch the lion's head or cut across the procession. As for food, dim sum is best 'eaten hot', and takeaway is fine, but don't eat inside the temple halls. Most businesses in the district are run by Chinese residents — haggle moderately and don't drive prices down aggressively
- ask shopkeepers before taking photos, especially of kitchens and household shrines. Put rubbish in the sorting bins, and don't sit on the ground under the gates or in the temple squares and block the way.
Locals appreciate DO
- Yokohama residents treat Chinatown as 'their own kitchen': families come for morning yum cha at weekends, and pork buns, shūmai and rice-noodle rolls with a pot of pu'er are a fixture for old Yokohamans
- young people come late at night for giant fried chicken cutlets and bubble tea. Locals favour the old establishments hidden behind the gates — Cantonese congee shops open for decades, dim sum shops that serve only the neighbourhood. At festivals, the lion-dance troupes of Chinese-community youngsters are everyone's pride
- on ordinary days, older people like sitting in the sun and chatting in front of the Mazu temple — the district's everyday life is far richer than the tourist zone.
Plan your visit
Practical info
Travel tips
- Right outside 'Motomachi-Chūkagai Station' on the Minato Mirai Line, about 1 hour direct from Shibuya in Tokyo on the Tōkyū Tōyoko Line. Chūkagai Ōdōri is pedestrian-only from noon to 8 p.m., good for wandering. Food map: Cantonese dim sum, Peking duck, Sichuan spice and Taiwanese snacks each have their merits, and lunch sets are the best value
- for 'tabehōdai' (all-you-can-eat), check the time limit carefully. Both the Kantei-byō and Mazu temple are free to visit (donations as you wish). Lunar New Year (January–February) and the Chinese National Day golden week are busiest
- for quiet, go on a weekday morning. Nearby you can visit Yamashita Park, the Red Brick Warehouses and the Motomachi shopping street — a day along the 'Minato Mirai Line' is just right.
Maps & transport notes
- Paste '横浜中華街' into Google Maps to find the centre of the district
- search the landmark gates separately as '善隣門', '朝陽門' and '朱雀門', and the temples as '横浜関帝廟' and '横浜媽祖廟'. For transport use '元町・中華街駅' (Minato Mirai Line) or '石川町駅' (JR). The English 'Yokohama Chinatown' also works. Note that 'Nankinmachi' is Kobe's Chinatown and 'Shinchi Chūkagai' is Nagasaki's, so add '横浜' to avoid confusion.
Eat nearby
What to eat nearby
Must-try
- Xiaolongbao / siu mai
- Mapo tofu
- Peking duck
Xiaolongbao / shūmai (dim sum), mapo tofu (lots of Sichuan restaurants), Peking duck, almond jelly / mango pudding, pork buns (big buns from old shops)
| Where to eat | Long-established restaurants on Chūkagai Ōdōri (such as Chongqing Hanten), cafés on the Motomachi shopping street |
|---|---|
| Dining etiquette | For tabearuki (eating as you walk), finish in front of the shop before moving on; don't bring outside food into restaurants |
| Typical price per person | JPY 2,000–3,500 ≈ CNY 90–158 |
| Tips | Tabehōdai (all-you-can-eat) quality varies, so ordering à la carte at dim-sum specialists is safer; at weekends the main street is crowded — choose old places in the side lanes. |
Prices are typical rates as of October 2026, not exact quotes; CNY equivalents are approximate where exchange rates fluctuate.
hirotomo · CC BY-SA 2.0
Photos
Photos
Syced · CC0
Syced · CC0
Syced · CC0
Sources & verification notes
- Yokohama Chinatown public historical materials and Wikipedia (researched on 2026-10-16)
- check businesses' opening status on site.
- Sources: Yokohama Chinatown: zh.wikipedia.org, 'Yokohama Chinatown' and 'History of Yokohama Chinatown' (port opened 1859, Zenrin-mon 1955, Mazu temple 2006, 18 million visits a year).
- To verify: the 'what locals like' and 'taboos' parts of entries are mostly long-standing, stable social and cultural knowledge, cross-checked against travelogues and media rather than individually sourced from official sources
- for specific businesses (such as Bills, Kaikōan, Niki no Kashi), check the latest Google Maps reviews to confirm they are open.
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