Beware the Black Ships! - A Quick Trip to Yokohama (横浜)

My mother and I managed to escape Tokyo for a day and had lunch with an old friend of hers in Yokohama (横浜). Yokohama is roughly 46 miles away from Tokyo, but by taking as express train, my mother and I arrived there in about 20 minutes. 

Yokohama is the second largest city in Japan, boasting a population of 3.7 million! (Tokyo's population is about 13 million). It lies along Tokyo Bay, making it an important port city. Here are some key historical tidbits (courtesy Wikipedia):

-Yokohama was a small fishing village up to the end of the Edo period (1603~1868), during which time, Japan maintained a policy of national seclusion; foreigners were allowed little to no entry into Japan. 

- In 1853, American Commodore, Matthew Perry (in Japan he is often referred to simply as "Perry" or ペリー) arrived in Yokohoma with his fleet of American warships. The Japanese refer to these as his "black ships" (thus the title of my blog post). Perry arrived in Yokohama under the directive of Manifest Destiny issued by the 13th President of the USA, Millard Fillmore. 

A contemporary Japanese drawing of one of Perry's "Black Ships"

Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry 

- Perry negotiated with the Tokugawa Shogunate government, which led to the signing of the "Treaty of Peace and Amity." This treaty opened the ports of Yokohama, allowing for commerce to occur. For the purpose of the treaty, the Port of Yokohama was opened in June of 1895. 

- By the late 1880s, mainly foreigners occupied the low-lying districts of the city.

- In 1861, Japan's first English language newspaper (The Japan Herald) was published in Yokohama. In 1865, the first ice cream and first beer were manufactured in the city. The first gas powered street lamps were introduced in 1872. 

- After the Meiji Restoration (1868), the Yokohama port was developed for silk trade with Great Britain. Similarly, the first railway connecting Yokohama to Shinagawa and Shinbashi (both in Tokyo) was built. 

- Much of Yokohama was unfortunately destroyed on September 1, 1923 by the Great Kanto Earthquake (関東大震災). The Yokohama police reported that with a pre-earthquake population of approximately 434,170, the estimated casualty rates were: 30,771 were dead and 47,908 injured. 

- In WWII, Yokohama was again destroyed by American B-29 bombers. An estimated 7~8,000 Japanese were killed in a single morning air raid on May 29, 1945, in an event now referred to as the "Great Yokohama Air Raid". On this morning, B-29 bombers firebombed the city in one hour and nine minutes. 42% of Yokohama was reduced to rubble during this one air raid. 

- In 2002, the FIFA World Cup final was help at the International Stadium Yokohama. 

Hopefully I didn't overwhelm you with all of that information. I guess I'm still a historian at heart. Once I start reading history, I have the need to share all that I have learned. (Haha!) Now, back to 2014 and my Yokohama adventures! 

My mother and I made our way to the high end department store, Takashimaya, where we were meeting her friend for lunch at the top floor. We lunched at a fine Japanese restaurant and enjoyed their "kaiseki menu". Kaiseki refers to a type of multi-course meal and is comparable to Western "haute-cuisine."

The restaurant

Our special Kaiseki menu

Course 1: Japanese Omelet 

Cooked Shrimp

Edamame

Black Sesame Tofu with Uni

Salmon Sushi (wrapped in Bamboo Leaf)

Junsai

Course 2: Fish, Chicken, and Bamboo Dumpling in a clear soup

Course 3: Snapper sashimi (ceviche-like)

Course 4: Tuna with a ponzu gelee, served with tomatoes

Course 5: Foie Gras chawanmushi

Course 6: Wagyu steak served with braised vegetables and an onion sauce 

Course 7a: Jako-gohan with miso soup and assorted pickles 

Course 7b: Cold soba noodles 

Dessert A: Warabimochi (蕨餅)

Dessert B: Matcha Castella Ice cream

Dessert C: Adzuki beans with mochi ice cream

The meal was delicious! I was particularly impressed by the chawanmushi and the wagyu. I've had truffle chawanmushi in Manhattan and with the added surcharge or about $20+ foie gras could be added to heighten the dish. This chawanmushi wasn't like that. The flavor of the foie gras was somehow worked into the dish so that it was subtle, but present. Very delicious! Also, the chawanmushi had bits of cod fish in it, which was really tasty.

My favorite dish was definitely the Wagyu steak. I'm not overtly a huge steak lover, but this Wagyu… I could've eaten an entire Wagyu cow! The meat was like butter. It literally disintegrated in your mouth and it was so juicy!!!! Only in Japan have I eaten steak THIS delicious! The accompanying vegetables were also beautifully prepared and seasoned --- but I am still thinking about that steak! 

For dessert, I opted for the more traditional option of "warabimochi." This is essentially pieces of fresh mochi, covered in kinako (soy bean powder) and served with a molasses sauce. It's soooooo good!!!! My mother order the adzuki dessert, whilst her friend ordered the castella dessert.

After lunch, the three of us roamed the department store. I roamed the floors, wide-eyed, looking at all of the fun foods on display, as well as souvenir goods.

Novelty Yokohama Curries

Moomin!

Very cute mug

One of the main reasons for meeting at this department store was to meet with the kimono department. My mom was getting her measurements recorded for future kimonos. Today I learned, kimonos are gorgeous, BUT insanely expensive!

After the kimono fittings and a bit more browsing, mom and I went to pick up some more nespresso cartridges. Whilst we were at the nespresso stand, we sampled the mocha flavored coffee. It was so delicious! 

We ended the day with afternoon tea at the top floor lounge of the Yokohama Bay Sheridan. The lounge was beautiful and the afternoon tea was lovely, however, due to the rain and fog, we couldn't see the beautiful city of Yokohama! Such a tragedy!

The beautiful hotel lounge

For my afternoon tea, I tired the "Paris-Singapore" blend, which is essentially a black tea and Oolong tea blend. It was really delicious, although it smelled a bit like cough medicine. My tea was accompanied by a slice of chocolate banana cake. It was sooo yummy! 

Though our trip to Yokohama was short, it was really lovely. We got to enjoy a delicious lunch and afternoon tea, got to browse Takashimaya, but most importantly, my mother got to spend time with her friend!