Cheap things to do in Yokohama
Chinatown, jazz bars, free zoos and izakaya crawls without breaking the bank.
This is Yokohama for the traveller who wants the full city without the bill: waterfront walks, free museums, a deep dive into Noge's after-dark alley culture and a proper Chinatown night out. Two of the three days keep you almost entirely in Naka Ward, where the good stuff is dense and walkable. Day three is Sankeien's gardens, an old katsu counter and the Cup Noodles Museum, then ramen where the iekei style began.
Day 1: Bluff, bay and Chinatown
A free morning through treaty-port mansions and hilltop harbour views rolls into bargain shellfish sets and an easy Chinatown night lit by temple lanterns.
- 10:15 AM
Yamate & Motomanski historic district
Free stroll through treaty-port-era Western residences and the Yamate historic houses, leafy, photogenic and costs nothing.
Map - 12:30 PM
Shirahara (shellfish and sashimi lunch)
Shellfish and sashimi lunch sets that punch well above their price, top value in Kannai.
Map - 2:00 PM
Harbor View Park 港の見える丘公園
Hilltop park above the harbour, free views over the bay and the Rose Garden, a perfect easy afternoon wander.
Map - 7:30 PM
Hotenkaku Tenshimpo
Cheap and cheerful Chinese in the heart of Chinatown, local staple, no frills, easy on the wallet.
Map - 9:00 PM
Yokohama Chinatown (Chukagai)
After dinner, walk the lit gates and lanes to Kanteibyo temple, glowing gold at night; looking costs nothing.
Map
Day 2: Waterfront, Noge and jazz
Walk the waterfront, eat omurice at a post-war diner, watch red pandas for free, then lose a few happy hours in Noge's lantern-lit alley bars before a nightcap at Chigusa.
- 10:30 AM
Coastal running and cycling
A flat 3 to 4 km waterfront walk from the Red Brick Warehouses to Yamashita Park, free and scenic all the way.
Map - 12:30 PM
Center Grill (yoshoku diner
Post-war yoshoku diner famous for ketchup Napolitan and omurice at dirt-cheap set prices.
Map - 2:00 PM
Nogeyama Zoo
Free zoo with red pandas, zebras and reptiles, a beloved 90-minute outing on the hill, totally free.
Map - 7:30 PM
Noge Hormone Center and izakaya crawl
Lantern-lit Noge alley with 600+ tiny venues, grilled hormone, yakitori and fried skewers at standing bars, pure cheap fun.
Map - 9:30 PM
Jazz Bar Chigusa (oldest jazz bar
Among Japan's oldest jazz bars, right in Noge, the perfect low-key nightcap to finish the crawl.
Map
Day 3: Sankeien, katsu and Cup Noodles
Sankeien Garden for the morning, katsu at Katsuretsuan, the Cup Noodles Museum, dusk in Rinko Park and an iekei ramen dinner at Yoshimuraya.
- 9:30 AM
Sankeien Garden
About 900 yen buys a morning among ponds, a hilltop pagoda and farmhouses moved from the countryside.
Map - 12:30 PM
Katsuretsuan (katsuretsu since 1895)
Bashamichi's katsu house since 1927; the lunch set is the cheapest way into the thin, crisp cutlet.
Map - 2:00 PM
Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama
About 500 yen to get in and 500 more to design your own cup to take home; closed on Tuesdays.
Map - 4:30 PM
Rinko Park 臨港パーク
Free waterside lawns at the tip of Minato Mirai, quiet at dusk as the harbour lights come on.
Map - 6:30 PM
Yoshimuraya (iekei ramen birthplace)
The shop that started iekei ramen: pork and soy broth, spinach and nori. Closes at 20:00 and on Mondays.
Map
Where to stay
Hotel Route-Inn Yokohama Bashamichi
Budget-priced and right in Bashamichi, which puts Chinatown, Noge and the waterfront all within walking distance.
Make Yokohama your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App StoreBefore you go
Book ahead
- Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama: a few days ahead
- Yokohama Stadium: weeks ahead
- Hakone: a few days ahead
- Lake Kawaguchi: a few days ahead
- Yokohama Country Club: months ahead
- Hodogaya Country Club: months ahead
Skip these
- The Air Cabin gondola is a short ride, not transport, and the walk waterside takes about 12 minutes.
- Chinatown all you can eat tout restaurants on the main drag, where the tout rather than the queue does the work.
- Paying for three observatories that overlap, pick Sky Garden by day or Cosmo Clock by night.
- Taking the Shinkansen to Shin-Yokohama for sightseeing, slower door to door and dearer than JR or Tokyu to the bay.
The full Yokohama travel guide: when to go, safety, getting around