Yokohama has been Japan’s first international gateway since its port was opened to the world in 1859. To this day, the city is committed to attracting a diverse range of individuals and businesses from across the world, as well as to encouraging open innovation and creative human resources within the city. With this model in mind, the City of Yokohama’s International Relations Division and Policy Department has established and organized the new international convention Y-SHIP (Yokohama – Showcasing Highly Innovative Pioneers) to aid new citizens or businesses wishing to establish roots in Yokohama. In March 2023, the inaugural event was…
Author: Seasider
For some, a magazine can seem quaint, a curious media relic of a bygone age. What’s their value in a time of podcasts, streaming video, social media, or websites? For me, their relevance has only grown as technology has advanced perhaps more quickly than our laws and ethics (and brains) can keep up. I’ve been working on magazines since my first job in the late 1990s. I feel like I have some perspective. When I founded the Yokohama Seasider over 14 years ago, people were already saying that magazines were dead because of the digital age. Many magazines did disappear.…
The Cycle Messenger World Championships 2023 rolls into Yokohama on September 20th. This six-day international event centers around a variety of cycling races featuring bike couriers from about forty different countries. The first competition was held in Berlin in 1993 and Tokyo was Japan’s first hosting city in 2009. Yokohama now becomes the country’s second. In the 2022 world championships held in New York City, ‘Chikappa’ (Kohei Miyamoto), a rider from Yokohama-based messenger service Courio-City, placed first in the delivery race and will be defending that title on his home turf this year. Having local talent to cheer for is…
A Message from our Founder I remember my first night ever in Yokohama; I knew I wanted to move here and, not long thereafter, I did! I was surprised that in a city this big and diverse there was no international magazine (I come from a publishing background) and so I also made it my goal to launch one. The first issue in 2009 was only a few thousand copies and I distributed it on my bicycle with the help of a friend. Despite those humble beginnings, I had big dreams for it. And those big dreams continue… I always…
Welcome to August! As soaring temperatures around the world match those here in Japan, we recommend drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration while enjoying outdoor activities. This month, families reunite during the Obon holidays and festivals around Japan mark this special event. If you are staying in Yokohama, read our article in this month’s issue on rediscovering the Nogeyama area of Yokohama–nearby the well-known nightlife spot–with much more to see in the daytime for those Shōwa period aficionados. We are very happy to announce YSM is now an officially registered NPO! More information about our new initiatives will be…
The July heat has arrived. You might consider spending time outside of the city in cooler temperatures on an enjoyable hike in Miura, as featured in this month’s issue. We also highlight two new university campuses in Naka-ku that make Yokohama an even livelier and more attractive international destination for higher education. July is the perfect time of year to enjoy a day by the ocean, a barbeque party, and of course your get-away summer vacation. As the great British author of children’s literature and short stories Roald Dahl once said, “If I had my way, I’d remove January from…
June is but a passageway to hotter days as we look forward to a return of outdoor summer fun without masks. One event that gloriously returned in full was the Tōkyō Rainbow Pride, which we are very happy to feature in this month’s edition. Remember June is Pride Month–a celebration of diversity throughout the world. We also feature wood artisan and craftsman Daniel Mansson, whose works combine Japanese traditional aesthetics in a modern form. Read more about Daniel’s beautiful designs inside. As the French philosopher Sartre wrote, “To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for…
May is a fun month in Yokohama as the weather warms and beckons outdoor adventures throughout the city. Most of all, it features one of the sweetest and most important holidays of all, Mother’s Day. Of course, enjoy German bratwursts and German beer at the Yokohama Frühlingsfest (Spring Festival) held at the Red Brick Warehouse through May 7. In this month’s issue, we highlight Swiss architect Max Hinder who lived in Yokohama in the early Showa Era (1926-1989) and left an indelible legacy of Western-style buildings throughout Japan. On one of your outdoor excursions we recommend visiting the French Hill…
As we bid a sad farewell to the sakura season, we look upon April with a warmer smile as the outdoors become a place to visit and enjoy. If you’re looking for some local entertainment, try Noge Daidougei (Noge street festival) this April 22nd and 23rd. Engaging all your senses, the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse is home to the “2023 Flower Garden Festival” with over 25,000 flowers arranged in pastel colors spread all across the area held until April 23. As the old proverb goes “April showers bring forth May flowers”–instead, let’s all wish for glorious sunny weekends to get…
Sabatora Shuhan is a unique establishment in the Yoshidamachi neighborhood, tucked away on the second floor of a building on a narrow backstreet. The single-room standing bar operates as both a bottle shop and a tasting room for natural wines and craft beer. The shop opened about five years ago as a sister store of Sabatora Kajitsu-shu Shoten (currently closed), a bar in Ishikawa-cho. The concept for the new location was to provide a place where customers could casually try new natural wines at a reasonable price and then purchase bottles of those they fancied, as opposed to buying an…