Ranking as Japan’s second largest city, Yokohama lies about thirty minutes south of Tokyo. Yokohama is well-known for its large Chinatown and the Minato Mirai harbor district. But today we are here for breakfast, specifically the World Breakfast Festival. Over 20 eateries gather in Rinko Park to serve all varieties of morning dishes. Afterwards we plan on complementing our breakfast with instant ramen from the cup noodle museum.
A quick stroll from Minato Mirai station to Rinko Park.
Rinko Park provides a wide view of Yokohama Port.
Back to the breakfast festival which has quite the turnout. We decide to survey the options before buying food tickets.
Bad news. Looks like we arrived too late in the day. Most of the vendors have sold out: some wait for more supplies, others simply close up shop for the day. We decide not to wait hours in the sun and move on with our day.
The good news is there is plenty to see in Minato Mirai including a cup noodle museum. We take a stroll along the harbor to our next destination.
The Red Brick Warehouse consists of two historical port facilities repurposed into a shopping and entertainment complex.
Patches of artificial turf in the courtyard provide a nice place to sit and relax.
Inside is a variety of shops and restaurants.
Some of the establishments use extravagant displays to attract customers.
There is also a space for art and culture exhibits, like this gingerbread scale model of the warehouse.
The current art exhibit focuses on smart phone cases.
The warehouses are adjacent to a large green space, where lots of people relax and nap.
To disturb those people resting, ring these antique bells. Supposedly the bells act as a lucky charm for couples that ring them.
Close to the Red Brick Warehouse is the Cup Noodle Museum, which showcases the history of instant noodles.
The History Cube compiles all the variations of instant noodles the Nissin company produced. Over 3000 product packages are on display.
The original Chicken Ramen came out in 1958.
Since then Chicken Ramen has undergone a few revisions and re-releases.
A Noodle Bazaar allows visitors to try regional noodles which tailor their flavor to suit the taste of other countries.
Head over to the My Cup Noodle Factory to make a custom cup noodle.
Don’t forget to look around other areas of the museum for instant noodle related art.
Even though we didn’t get our breakfast fix, exploring a bit of Yokohama was still plenty fun. We will be back to explore other parts of the city.