is a district of Naka Ward in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, located immediately west of

Yamate is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as ''The Bluff.'' The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still domi ...

and east of

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. It consists mainly of the Motomachi Shopping Street, a five-block long stretch of

boutiques A boutique () is a small shop that deals in fashionable clothing or accessories. The word is French for "shop", which derives ultimately from the Ancient Greek ἀποθήκη (''apothēkē'') "storehouse". The term ''boutique'' and also ''d ...

and shops, well known in Japan for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, original fashion, and Western influence.

History

Motomachi was originally a quiet farming and fishing village until 1859, when the Port of Yokohama was opened. Since then, the close-by

Kannai is a district in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan, bounded by the Ōoka River, JR Negishi Line, Nakamura River, and Yokohama waterfront. "Kannai" is not an official name of the area, but the common term of reference has been in use for over a centur ...

district became the foreigners' business district, and the adjacent

and Yamashitacho districts became the foreigners' residential districts. Situated in-between, with Yamate to the east, and Kannai and Yamashitacho to the west, Motomachi became frequented by many foreigners. Shops and businesses were opened, catering to the needs of foreigners. Soon after the start of the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

, the number of foreign residents increased. And western influence became more evident in Motomachi, with the opening of many

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

bakeries A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, donuts, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who w ...

, and boutiques. Such shops were uncommon in Japan at the time, and Motomachi helped introduce Western culture into Japan, as part of what is called . This was the beginning of the ''Motomachi Shopping Street'' as it is known as of 2008. In the 1970s, the "Motomachi Shopping Street" produced a new style of fashion called the (short for "Yokohama traditional"). The most famous producers of the ''hama tora'' style were ''Kitamura'

''Mihama'

and ''Fukuzō'

three of the most fashionable boutiques in Motomachi. In the 1960s, on one end of Motomachi stood the German Bakery and next door was the fantastic Madame Pompadour Bakery with the best puff pastry imaginable. When the aromas filled the street on Saturday mornings it was beyond description. On the end stood (and stands today) Nakayas grocery store, which sold wonderful liquor spiked communist jellies and jams from

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

; nearby the vinyl record store which made available many popular 45 rpm records of the day on RCA Victor such as the Monkees and the Beatles. In between as today stands the Union Supermarket where one could purchase US or Japanese versions of the same cereals such as Sugar Pops. And across the street stood the French Restaurant with the best chocolate ice cream.

Naming

Upon the opening of the Port of Yokohama in 1859, this area was called . The name was changed to ''Motomachi'' in 1860.

Education

The operates public elementary and junior high schools. Motomachi is zoned to Motomachi Elementary School (元街小学校), which feeds into Minato Junior High School ( 横浜市立港中学校).

Notes

References

*This article was translated from the corresponding article in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved on September 9, 2006, and with a few minor changes.

External links

History of Motomachi
*
Motomachi Shopping Street (official website)
{{coord, 35.4403, N, 139.648, E, source:kolossus-jawiki, display=title Naka-ku, Yokohama Neighborhoods of Yokohama Shopping districts and streets in Japan Tourist attractions in Yokohama