Minato Mirai 21

Minato Mirai 21, whose name means 'harbour of the future for the 21st century', is the shining modern face of Yokohama: a purpose-built waterfront district of glass towers, shopping malls, museums, gardens and promenades laid out on land reclaimed from old railway yards and the Mitsubishi shipyards. Planning began in the 1980s and construction has continued ever since, producing one of Japan's most photographed urban skylines, best appreciated as a single sweeping composition from across the water in the evening.

The district is anchored by the 296-metre Landmark Tower and radiates outward through a cluster of instantly recognisable structures. The three curving Queen's Square towers step down toward the harbour; the sail-shaped Pacifico Yokohama convention centre and the InterContinental hotel line the pier; and the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel, doubling as the world's largest clock when it was built, turns slowly above the Cosmo World amusement park, its rim glowing through nightly light shows. Preserved amid the modernity are two dry docks from the Meiji-era shipyard, one now the sunken Dockyard Garden event space and the other cradling the white-hulled sail-training ship Nippon Maru.

Walking is the joy of Minato Mirai. Wide brick-paved promenades and the elevated Kishamichi Promenade, built on genuine former railway bridges, let you stroll car-free from Sakuragicho all the way to the harbour. Along the route are the Cup Noodles Museum, the Yokohama Museum of Art, the vast Landmark Plaza and Queen's Square shopping arcades, and the red-brick warehouses just to the east. Grassy lawns and stepped waterfront seating invite picnics, and street performers gather on weekend evenings.

The district is designed for all weather and all ages. Underground and skyway passages connect the malls, stations and towers so you can move between attractions without stepping outside, a blessing in summer heat or winter wind. Families come for the Ferris wheel, the amusement rides and the interactive museums; couples come for the harbour views and the illuminations; shoppers come for the hundreds of stores and restaurants.

Minato Mirai truly comes alive after dark. The towers switch on coordinated lighting, the Ferris wheel runs colour animations on the hour, and the whole bay reflects the glow. Seasonal events fill the calendar, from summer fireworks over the harbour to a huge winter illumination and Christmas market around the Grand Mall. Access could hardly be simpler: Minatomirai Station sits directly beneath the district and is just one stop from Yokohama Station, while Sakuragicho on the JR line links it to the wider rail network. Allow at least half a day, and ideally stay into the evening, to experience both the daytime scale and the night-time sparkle of Yokohama's harbour of the future.