YOKOHAMA-China Town

On Sunday night I decided to drive to Yokohama and eat some Chinese food. Yokohama is a city about 40 minutes by drive (on a highway) outside of Tokyo. It is right next to the sea, and apart from nice parks with classy fountains, you can enjoy the Chinese cuisine.

First, I went tto Yamashita park, where you can see the lit up buildings of Yokohama, the gorgeous cruise ships and the sea. It is a very picturesque spot that seems to be popular with couples. Another "date spot" (The japanese seem to be very fond of "date spots") is another park on top of a hill with another great view. This place is also infested with couples. Very nice

Next, we walked to chinatown. It was really busy with many people walking, talking and eating "nikuman", which is like a white ball with meat inside it. That is a poor description I know, but I don't really know what it's made of.
By the time we got there, it was already 8pm, but the streets were bright and lit up by colorful lanterns. In chinatown, there is also a temple among the restaurants and shops, and this is definitely something to see when you visit there. It's red, bright, slightly over-done with decorations and very beautiful. this kind of architecture is the pure opposite of japanese temples, so I found it very interesting. While the Japanese seem to prefer the more sedate colors and calm, simplistic architecture, Chinese seem to prefer the opposite.
There are many cute shops along the smalled paths in the town, and I found some cute shoes in one of the cubbyhole type shops. If you are feeling a little spiritual, you can also go and get your palm read, or do tarot cards. They charge a lot, but this is also very popular in chinatown.

Lastly, the cuisine. There are so many places to eat in Chinatown, and it's difficult to decided where to eat. But I've noticed that the big restaurants on the main street is over-priced and the portions are small. So, it's best to go to the alleyways to smaller restaurants ran by Chinese families. However, it's still a good idea to check what's in your dinner if you're not feeling so adventurous.