is one of the 18 wards of the city of

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, Japan. In 2010, the ward had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 146,563 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km².

Geography

Naka Ward is located in eastern Kanagawa Prefecture, and east of the geographic center of the city of Yokohama. Its name means "middle ward." In the low-lying Northern district, commonly referred to as

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 century ...

, it hosts the Yokohama city hall and the headquarters of the Kanagawa prefectural government. The central part of the ward includes elevated ground; this area, known as

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 ...

, has long been a residential area. Along the shore lies

reclaimed land Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new land from oceans, seas, riverbeds or lake beds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamatio ...

upon which port facilities, part of the

Minato Mirai 21 , often known as simply Minato Mirai and abbreviated as MM (used on the minatomiri line station numbering; e.g. “MM 1”) is the central business district of Yokohama, Japan. Initially developed in the 1980s, Minato Mirai 21 was designed as a l ...

complex, and

Yamashita Park is a public park in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan, famous for its waterfront views of the Port of Yokohama. History Much of Yokohama was destroyed on September 1, 1923, by the Great Kantō earthquake. A Scotsman, Marshall Martin, advisor to Ma ...

were built. To the south are the piers, oil refineries and the central port of Yokohama. The Nakamura River, a branch of the

Ōoka River The is a river that flows through Yokohama, Japan. It is 14 km long and over 80 bridges are built on the river. There are large numbers of cherry tree A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe ( ...

, cuts across the northern part of the ward. The northernmost and southernmost points are upland.

Surrounding wards

* Nishi Ward *

Minami Ward Minami (kanji 南, hiragana みなみ) is a Japanese word meaning "south". Places Japan There are several Minami wards in Japan, most of them appropriately in the south part of a city: * Minami, Tokushima, a village in Tokushima Prefectu ...

* Isogo Ward

History

In the

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, the area of present-day Naka-ku was part of the ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil war ...

'' territory in

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

controlled directly by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

, but administered through various ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

''. Before 1667 much of the area in Naka-ku and Minami-ku was submerged and a part of a lagoon. In that year, a large scale reclamation project, the Yoshida Shinden was completed. During this period Naka-ku developed into a largely agricultural area compromised reclaimed paddy fields for rice production. In the

Bakumatsu Period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

, the signing of the Kanagawa Treaty provided for the opening of

treaty port Treaty ports (; ) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Qing dynasty of China (before the ...

s, and the area of what is now central Naka Ward was designated as open to foreign settlement in 1859. The Yokohama Cricket Club (now known as the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club) was established in 1868.

Yokohama Chinatown is located in Yokohama, Japan, which is located just south of Tokyo. It was established in the late 19th century, and has a population of about 3,000 to 4,000. Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown in Japan, larger than both Nankin-m ...

was also established during this period. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the area was transferred to the new Kuraki District in

. Yokohama's wards were established on October 10, 1927, with this area becoming Naka Ward. The

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

devastated downtown Yokohama. Yamashita Park was established in 1930 with landfill from the earthquake rubble. In December 1943,

was separated from Naka Ward, which also gave up some territory to Kanagawa Ward and Hodogaya Ward. Nishi Ward was separated from Naka Ward in 1944. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the Yokohama Air Raid of May 29, 1945 left 14,157 people dead, injured, or missing. After the

surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...

, some 74% of the land, 90% of port area in Naka Ward was occupied by the American military. The last of this territory was not returned to Japan until March 31, 1982.

Economy

Naka Ward is a regional commercial center and the old main business district of Yokohama. Yokohama's day labourers concentrate in the Kotobuki-cho ward near the

Ishikawachō Station is a passenger railway station located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Ishikawachō Station is served by the Negishi Line, which is linked with the Keihin-Tōhoku Line from to , and is al ...

. Historically, most used to work at the harbour, with 5500 labourers in 1982.

Transportation

Rail

East Japan Railway Company The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

– Keihin-Tohoku Line,

Negishi Line The Negishi Line () is a Japanese railway line which connects Yokohama Station, Yokohama and Ōfuna Station, Ōfuna stations. It is operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Freight trains also operate on this line, and it is essential f ...

Yokohama Line The Yokohama Line () is a Japanese railway line of the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) connecting Higashi-Kanagawa Station in Yokohama, Kanagawa and Hachiōji Station in Hachiōji, Tokyo. The line forms part of what JR East refers to as t ...

** - - - *

Keihin Electric Express Railway (), also known as or, more recently, , is a private railroad that connects inner Tokyo to Kawasaki, Yokohama, Yokosuka and other points on the Miura Peninsula in Kanagawa Prefecture. It also provides rail access to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. ...

Keikyū Main Line The is a railway line in Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keikyu. The line connects the Tokyo wards of Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Shinagawa, Tokyo, Shinagawa, Ōta, Tokyo, Ōta, and the Kanagawa Prefecture, Kanagawa municipalities o ...

** * Yokohama Minatomirai Railway Company –

Minatomirai Line The Minatomirai 21 Line (みなとみらい21線 ''Minato-mirai-21-sen''), commonly known as the Minatomirai Line (みなとみらい線 ''Minatomirai-sen''), is a subway line in Yokohama, Japan that runs from Yokohama Station to Motomachi-Ch� ...

** - Nihon-ōdōri - Motomachi-Chūkagai *

Yokohama City Transportation Bureau The Yokohama City Transportation Bureau, legally the is the local government administrative agency in charge of public transportation, public transport services in the city of Yokohama, Japan. Subway operations The Yokohama Municipal Subway con ...

– Blue Line ** – – *

Japan Freight Railway Company , or , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It provides transportation of cargo nationwide throughout Japan. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo near Shinjuku Station. The Japan Railways Group was foun ...

- Tōkaidō Freight Line

Highways

Shuto Expressway The is a network of Toll road, tolled expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are Grade separation, grade separated and have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that require cauti ...

* National Route 16 * National Route 133 * National Route 357

Ferry

* The Port Service

Education

Colleges and universities: *

Ferris University is a private women's college in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. It is a part of . The predecessor of the school was founded by American Presbyterian missionaries in 1870 with the assistance of James Curtis Hepburn, primarily to teach the Englis ...

Kanto Gakuin University is a private university located in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. History It traces its roots to The Baptist Theological Seminary of Yokohama established by Albert Arnold Bennett, a missionary of the American Baptist Churches, American Baptist ...

The

Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education The is the board of education for Kanagawa Prefecture in Japan. The board consists of six members; one of them is elected as the chair, and one of them is appointed by the board as the superintendent. The board administers municipal education an ...

operates prefectural high schools: * * The operates municipal high schools: * * The municipal board of education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Junior high schools: * Honmoku (本牧) * Minato ( 港) * Nakaodai ( 仲尾台) * Otori ( 大鳥) * Yokohama Yoshida ( 横浜吉田) Elementary schools: * Honcho ( 本町) * Honmoku (本牧) * Honmoku Minami ( 本牧南) * Kitagata ( 北方) * Makado ( 間門) * Motomachi (元街) * Otori (大鳥) * Tateno (立野) * Yamamoto (山元) Additionally, the zones of Azuma Elementary School (東小学校), Ishikawa Elementary School ( 石川小学校), Minami Yoshida Elementary School ( 南吉田小学校), Minatomiraihoncho Elementary School ( みなとみらい本町小学校), and Negishi Elementary School (根岸小学校), all with campuses outside of Naka-ku, include portions of Naka-ku. Private primary and secondary schools: *

Yokohama International School is a co-educational international school located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The school consists of a pre-school (Early Learning Centre), a kindergarten/ elementary school (grades K-5), a middle school (6-8) and a high school (9-12), covering ...

Yokohama Overseas Chinese School The Yokohama Overseas Chinese School (YOCS) is a Republic of China-oriented Chinese international school in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It serves elementary through senior high school.Yokohama Yamate Chinese School The Yokohama Yamate Chinese School is a Chinese-style primary and junior high school in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Serving levels kindergarten through ninth grade, it is one of two Chinese schools in Japan oriented towards mainl ...

Yokohama Jogakuin Junior and Senior High School is a Christian private girls' secondary school in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan, It was founded on September 13, 1947, as a post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, ...

* Saint Maur International School

Local attractions

*''

Hikawa Maru is a retired Japanese ocean liner that Yokohama Dock Company built for the NYK Line. She was launched on 30 September 1929 and made her maiden voyage from Kobe to Seattle on 13 May 1930. She is permanently berthed as a museum ship at Yamashit ...

'' * Isezakichō *

Japan Coast Guard Museum Yokohama The is a museum in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, dedicated to maritime security and the Japan Coast Guard. It opened on 10 December 2004. Exhibits The centrepiece of the museum is a North Korean spy vessel, which was sunk by th ...

* Motomachi * NYK Maritime Museum *

Ōsanbashi Pier is the main international passenger pier at the Port of Yokohama, located in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. Ōsanbashi is the oldest pier in Yokohama, originally constructed between 1889 and 1896. Major cruise ships such as the ...

* Sankeien *

Yokohama Archives of History The in Naka ward, central Yokohama, near Yamashita Park, is a repository for archive materials on Japan and its connection with foreign powers since the arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853. The archives are next to Kaiko Hiroba (Por ...

Yokohama Bay Bridge The is an cable stayed bridge in Yokohama, Japan. Opened September 27, 1989, it crosses Tokyo Bay with a span of 460 metres (1,510 feet). The toll is ¥600. The bridge is part of the Bayshore Route of the Shuto Expressway The is a net ...

* Yokohama Curry Museum (closed 2007) *

Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

Yokohama Marine Tower is a high lattice tower with an observation deck at a height of 100 metres in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. The light characteristic is marked by a flash every twenty seconds, whereby the light's colour is alternating red and green. Originally, ...

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse The is a historical building that is used as a complex that includes a shopping mall, banquet hall, and event venues. The complex, officially known as the , was originally used as customs buildings, and has two sections: Warehouse No.1 and No.2. ...

Yokohama Stadium is a baseball stadium in Naka-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1978 and has a capacity of 34,046 people. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars. The stadium features dirt around the bases an ...

Events

* Yokohama Honmoku Jazz Festival, annually in late summer

Notable people

* Anna Ogino, author

References

* Kato, Yuzo. ''Yokohama Past and Present''. Yokohama City University (1990).

External links

*
Official website
(Archive) * {{Authority control Wards of Yokohama