Yokohama Park

Yokohama Park is a city park in Naka Ward, Yokohama, beside Kannai Station and the Yokohama City Hall. It opened in 1876, making it the second-oldest park in Yokohama after Yamate Park, and it surrounds Yokohama Stadium. Most visitors come for the spring tulips. Entry is free.

History of Yokohama Park

The park was built under an agreement with the foreign powers, who had asked for better living conditions in the settlement. It opened in February 1876 on the site of a former pleasure quarter and was open to Japanese and foreign residents alike, so it was first known as "Higa Koen," the park for them and us.

The city took over the whole park in 1909. After the postwar occupation ended in 1952, the stadium inside the park hosted school and amateur baseball for decades. Yokohama Stadium replaced it in 1978, and the park's gardens and fountains were rebuilt at the same time.

Tulips at Yokohama Park

The park plants more than 100,000 tulip bulbs of about 70 varieties each year, with local volunteers helping to plant them around November. Bloom times differ by variety, but the tulips usually flower from early to late April. The beds run through the park, so you can see them on a short walk from Kannai Station.

The city's Yokohama Park page links to the ward's tulip updates in Japanese.

What else to see in Yokohama Park

• Japanese garden: a pond and stream in a traditional style, built in the late 1970s

• Suikinkutsu: a buried water chime under a stone wash basin (tsukubai), which makes a ringing sound as water drips into it

• Water plaza: four water sculptures added in 1987

• Yokohama Stadium: home of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars baseball team, which brings big crowds to the park on game days

For game information, see the Yokohama Stadium page.

How to get to Yokohama Park

The park is about 5 minutes on foot from JR Kannai Station on the Negishi Line. There is no parking. It sits between the Kannai business district and Chinatown, which is a short walk south.

That makes it easy to pair with a lunch in Chinatown. This Chinatown food and temple guide covers what to eat there.