Latest articles
Meiji Bricks and Tiles Beneath Chinatown’s Streets
The bricks under Masobyo and Japan’s first Western roof tiles.
Meiji-Era Sewers Still Work Beneath Chinatown
Meiji brick sewers and the start of modern sewerage in Japan.
The First Church After Japan Opened Stood Next to Chinatown
The statue at Lot 80 and Japan’s first post-opening church.
Lot 135: Where Chinatown’s History Keeps Returning
The hospital, theater and consulate that once stood in Yamashita-cho Park.
Pianos Were Once Made in Chinatown: The Story of the Chew Piano
A piano shop at 123 Yamashita-cho, and the pianos that survived.
Japan’s First Newspaper Was Born Next to the Kanteibyo
The stone at Lot 141 and Joseph Heco’s Kaigai Shimbun.
Yokohama Chinatown’s Festival Calendar: A Year on the Lunar Calendar
A year on the lunar calendar, from New Year to the winter lanterns.
Tailors, Barbers and Cooks: The “Three Blades” of Yokohama’s Chinese
Scissors, razors, knives: three typical trades.
Chinatown Has Ten Gates. What the Four Guardian Gates Mean
East, south, west, north: four gates, four guardians.
Chinatown’s Street Names Are Newer Than You Think
There was once an alley called “Bathhouse Street.”
Mooncakes Were Once Made Only for the Mid-Autumn Festival
The yolk is the full moon: mooncakes and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Chinatown’s New Year Arrives in February
Lunar New Year 2027 falls on February 6. What is the lion dance at shop fronts?
A Sea Goddess Temple Built on a Planned Condo Site
Opened in 2006 on land linked to the Qing consulate. Five incense burners.
Ramen’s Roots Lie in Yokohama’s “Nankin Soba”
From Meiji-era Nankinmachi to a bowl in Asakusa.
Cantonese, Shanghai, Sichuan, Beijing: What’s the Difference?
Four regional styles that make choosing a restaurant easier.
How Yokohama Chinatown Began
Why the streets are diagonal, who came first, and how it became a food town.
There’s No Saury in Sanma-men
Soy sauce ramen topped with a thick bean-sprout sauce. Its origin is debated.
The Station Shiumai Made to Taste Good Cold
Released in 1928. Dried scallop and the art of food to go.
Kanteibyo: Burned Three Times, Built Four
From a small shrine in 1862 to the fourth temple in 1990.
FAQ
- Is there saury in sanma-men?
- No.
- Which restaurant invented sanma-men?
- It almost certainly comes from Yokohama, but the first restaurant has not been identified.
- Why does Kiyoken write “Shiumai” instead of “shumai”?
- The founding president’s accented “shiimai” was said to be close to the Chinese pronunciation, and the company judged “Shiumai” the most faithful way to write it.