Yokohama, Japan

Chinatown –

We woke up extra early and met up with Ellen to check out Yokohama’s Chinatown. We left at 7:30 and walked from the pier. Everything was closed… All the restaurants had plastic food for choices.. BUT it was all closed… We wandered around and stumbled upon a Chinese Temple which opened at 9 a.m. We found a street vendor who was preparing for lunch, there was steam coming pouring out of bamboo steamers, and she had samples on plates. Ellen and I salivated and decided to return. So we walked to the park at the waterfront first and then returned just in time to get fresh and delish dim sum. We had to get back to the ship by noon.

There is a vast difference in the esthetics of Japan and China. Where Japan is all in the simple details and amazing symmetry of the homes (like in the pictures of Kamakura, where all the woodwork is perfectly lined up and everything has a balance), China is way over the top with decorations. Just compare the gates of Chinatown and the gates to the Temples.

Entrance to Yokohama’s Chinatown

Entrance to Japanese Temple (main Shinto Temple in Kamakura)

Woman cleaning up before opening her shop in Chinatown

Typical street scenes in Chinatown

Dragons decorating roof of a restaurant in Chinatown

Child on his way to school. Is he not adorable? Do you see his crocs??? And his very well dressed Mom?? Everything in Japan seems to reflect an elegant simplicity…

Obviously this is a Temple in Chinatown (in Yokohama) !

Right next door to the temple was a school, and they were having relay races.

And here is the stall where we ate lunch..

Japanese everywhere seem to flash the peace sign whenever you take their pictures. Young or old, it doesn’t seem to matter….

On the way back to the ship we walked through a waterfront park and came across nursery school kids being wheeled in a sort of playpen carriage. Boy, does she have her hands full. On the Israeli kibbutzim they do the same thing, but there the playpens are bigger and hold a couple more kids.…..

This is for you, Carol and Alice!!! When we asked this lady if we could take a picture, she smiled and nodded and stopped walking the moment she stopped so did all the pugs. Now that is what I called “trained!”

There were people scattered everywhere drawing the views. You could feel the tranquility. This woman was oblivious to all the kids running around her and was just in her own little world.