How to get to Yokohama
Yokohama is located in the Kanagawa region of central Japan. It is about 35 km from Tokyo and is an integral part of its metropolitan area. Yokohama is easily accessible from Tokyo thanks to the capillary network of railways. Yokohama is also easily accessible from the rest of the country. The city is in fact served by the high-speed trains of the Tokaido Shinkansen, and is located just 20 minutes from Tokyo Haneda airport. Buses complete the offer by providing low-cost solutions to reach distant cities, while local railway lines connect Yokohama with various tourist destinations in the region.
Getting to Yokohama from Tokyo
Yokohama is a large city that is part of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. Therefore, the train connections between Tokyo and Yokohama are widespread and frequent. The main lines have frequencies every 2-3 minutes, so visiting Yokohama is more like visiting a suburban district of Tokyo than a side trip to another city. Depending on which area of Tokyo you're starting from, there are alternatives by train.
Tokyu Toyoko Line and Fukutoshin Line
recommended from Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro
The cheapest and most comfortable line is the
Tokyu Toyoko Line, which departs from
Shibuya station, arrives at Yokohama station and then continues along the tracks of the
Minato Mirai Line. It is the most convenient line because it is the only line which, from Tokyo, goes directly to some central stations of Yokohama (in addition to Yokohama Station) near the most touristic areas: Minatomirai, Bashamichi and Nihondori stations are all strategic for visit the
Minato Mirai area, while Motomachi-Chukagai Station is perfect for visiting
Chinatown. The Toyoko Line has local trains that make all stops, and semi-express and express trains that are the fastest and arrive at Yokohama station in 25 minutes (280¥), Minatomirai Station in 30 minutes (470¥) and Motomachi-Chukagai in 40 minutes (500¥). Once in Shibuya, Toyoko Line trains continue along the Tokyo Metro's
Fukutoshin Line, providing a convenient and inexpensive direct connection to Yokohama from many other Tokyo stations along the Fukutoshin Line as well. These include Ikebukuro (40 minutes, 480¥) and Shinjuku (35 minutes, 450¥, Shinjuku Sanchome and Nishi Shinjuku stations).
JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line
recommended from Shibuya, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro - only if you have the Japan Rail Pass
The JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line connects Yokohama Station with several stations in Tokyo, including Ikebukuro (36 minutes, 650¥), Shinjuku (30 minutes, 570¥ and Shibuya (29 minutes, 400¥). In general, it is cheaper to take the Toyoko Line and the Fukutoshin Line (see above) from these stations, but if you have a Japan Rail Pass and can take the JR lines for free, then only in this case is it recommended to use this line.
JR Tokaido Line, Yokosuka Line, Ueno-Tokyo Line
recommended from Ueno, Tokyo, Shinagawa
The JR Tokaido Line, Ueno-Tokyo Line and Yokosuka Line connect Yokohama station with some important stations in Tokyo: Tokyo station (25-30 minutes, 480¥), Shimbashi (20-25 minutes, 480¥) and Shinagawa (15-20 minutes, 300¥). These three JR lines are almost equivalent between Tokyo and Yokohama. The Yokosuka Line takes a few minutes longer, so the other two are preferable, but it's a matter of 4-5 minutes apart. The Ueno-Tokyo Line also continues past Tokyo Station and also provides a direct connection to Ueno (32 minutes, 570¥).
JR Keihin-Tohoku Line
The JR Keihin-Tohoku Line is a slower local connection between Tokyo and Yokohama. It shares its route with the JR Tokaido, Ueno-Tokyo and Yokosuka lines, but makes many more stops and takes 10-15 minutes longer depending on the departure station. The only advantage is that the trains of this line, once they pass Yokohama Station, continue on the JR Negishi Line, a local line that serves various tourist areas of the city.
Getting to Yokohama from other locations
Tokaido Shinkansen
You can easily reach Yokohama by shinkansen train. All trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed rail line between Tokyo and Osaka also stop in Yokohama. However, the station served is not Yokohama Station, but Shin-Yokohama Station, located in a more peripheral area. Shin-Yokohama and Yokohama Station are connected by the Blue Line of the Yokohama Subway (8 minutes, 250¥).
Airplane
The reference airports of Yokohama are the two main airports of Tokyo, Narita and Haneda. Both are directly connected with Yokohama. Haneda Airport is very close to the city. Travel time between Haneda and Yokohama Station is about 20 minutes by Keikyu Railways lines (310¥). Narita Airport is much further away. The Narita Express offers a direct connection to Yokohama Station (90 minutes, 4770¥), alternatively you can reach Tokyo by any means and then continue to Yokohama.
Long-distance bus
The company
Willer Express offers low-cost and easy-to-book connections between Yokohama and Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Nagano, Kobe, Takamatsu, and several others locality of the country. Most buses stop near Yokohama Station
Guided tours, activities and other things to do
If you are planning a trip to Japan and you want to do something more than just visiting famous places and monuments, we suggest you to use
Rakuten Travel Experiences.
How to use Rakuten Travel Experiences
Rakuten Travel is a very useful website to
enrich your travel experience, especially if you are going solo or it's your first time in Japan.
Because of the language barrier (and more), in Japan it is very difficult to interact with the locals and to get off the tourist track.
Thanks to Rakuten Travel you can find a lot of interesting and sometimes unique
guided tours and activities all over Japan (and not only in Japan), that you would otherwise never be able to enjoy.
But there's more: on Rakuten Travel you can also
buy tickets for several famous attractions, events, transportation and other useful services for tourists. Last but not least, you can
reserve a table in hundreds of restaurants.
Some examples
Take a look at Rakuten Travel Experiences
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