My Japan: Yokohama

We were fortunate that AH has friends in Honmoku-Wada, Yokohama (second largest city after Tokyo). They kindly hosted us for three nights and two days when we arrived in Japan. Hamisah and spouse have been in Japan more than a decade and so are very much at home in this land of the rising sun. She took us around Yokohama, showing us the sights (and the shops, of course!).

Cherry blossoms at Honmoku -Wada (CNB 2012)

Plum blossoms at Honmoku-Wada (CNB 2012)

Ume or plum blossoms up close (CNB 2012)

Daffodils - my favourite spring flowers spotted at Hamisah's
neighbour's back garden (CNB 2012)

We checked out Yamashita Park by the harbour, and saw our first blossoms of the weeping cherry. What can I say ... our breaths were taken away!

The weeping cherry trees at Yamashita Park (SH 2012)

A close-up shot is inevitable ...

Weeping cherry blossoms against the Yokohama skyline
(CNB 2012)

Other spring flowers were also in bloom - we saw pancies, forsythia, camellia, magnolia, etc. There were quite a fair number of tourists there in the park, mainly from China. We all posed in front of the flowers, the cherry blossom trees, and also the big ships by the harbour.

Forsythia - another yellow spring flower (SH 2012)

SH and I (Hamisah 2012)

We had tea later at the Cafe de Pompadour in Queen's Square, and could not help having some cherry blossom steamed cupcakes and also spinach & cheese buns. Really oiishi (Japanese speak for yummylicious)!

Sakura cakes and spinach & cheese bun (CNB 2012)

We visited the office of our host in Pacifico, rubbing shoulders with very many sararimen (salary men) during their lunch hour.

A very clear day at the Pacifico (CNB 2012)

Lunch hour at the Queen's Square (CNB 2012)

We shopped at Motomachi, and Jack Mall, Yokohama World Porters, and the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse and ..., and ... (I can't remember anymore, being a shopaholic, not!).

Young mum & child fashion at Motomachi
(CNB 2012)

With host Hamisah at Motomachi (SH 2012)

Yokohama skyline with the Red Brick Warehouse to the right
(CNB 2012)

Food at Aeon Depato, I do remember, though.

All packed and ready to take home for lunch/dinner (CNB 2012)

As for the sights, the beautiful ferris wheel (at Yokohama Cosmoworld) we saw on our way to Queen's Square, I remember for the pretty pastel pinks and blues. I also remember vividly, more beautiful sakura blossoms all over the city. Thank you Hamisah, for driving us around to show us the sights.

Baby pink and blue everywhere at Cosmoworld (CNB 2012)

Housing and sakura trees around the city (CNB 2012)

Our kind hosts also took us to the Landmark (Tower) Plaza or Minato Mirai and treated us to a sumptuous Italian dinner at the Capriossa; Trattoria d'Italia where black ink pasta was the highlight of the evening. Needless to say, we all had black teeth and lips at the end of the dinner! Sorry no photos of black teeth and lips for you and posterity to laugh at! (Actually, I forgot to take one - it would have been hilarious!)

A part of Yokohama history beneath the Tower - what used
to be a dry dock (CNB 2012)

Our kind hosts in Yokohama (CNB 2012)

The four of us about to eat Italian in Japan (CNB 2012)

Black ink pasta in Yokohama ... (CNB 2012)

We left Honmoku-Wada by taxi to go to Shin-Yokohama and our shinkansen ride to our next destination, Okayama. Along the way at Mishima, we had the surreal experience of viewing the magical holy mountain of the Japanese - Mt. Fuji. But all too soon it was gone from view...

Our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji at Mishima Station (CNB 2012)

The almost symmetrical cone shaped Mt Fuji (CNB 2012)

3-12 April 2012