Yokohama

Yokohama, city and port in Japan, capital of Kanagawa Prefecture, on southern Honshū Island and the western shore of Tokyo Bay, near the city of Tokyo. Yokohama has excellent harbor facilities and is one of the leading ports of Japan. It is an industrial center with shipyards, oil refineries, and factories. In Yokohama are numerous shrines, temples, and Christian churches and a number of beautiful parks. Among the city’s educational institutions are Yokohama National University (1949) and Yokohama City University (1949).

Yokohama was a small fishing village with a population of about 350 when it was visited by United States Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854. The port began to flourish as a commercial center when it was opened to foreign commerce in 1859. Extraterritorial privileges were extended to foreigners, and the foreign settlement became the nucleus of the city. Yokohama was almost totally destroyed in 1923 by an earthquake. Gradually reconstructed according to government designs, the city is now among the most modern in Japan. It was heavily bombed in 1945, during World War II. Population (2008) 3,585,785.