YOKOHAMA TOUR | VISIT YOKOHAMA CHINATOWNS OLDEST TEMPLE
Yokohama Chinatown - or Motomachi Chukagai in Japanese is the biggest Chinatown in Japan. Located just a 5 minute walk from Motomachi Chukagai Station on the Minato Mirai Line, you don’t want to miss out on Chinatown on your Yokohama tour. In the 1850s/1860s, when Japan opened up its country after hundreds of years of seclusion during the edo period (1603-1868), many foreigners began settling in Japan. Foreigners were designated to live in certain places: Westerners on Yamate Hill and the Chinese in Motomachi Chukagai.
When the Chinese began setting up in the area, they also brought along with them their religion. According to legend, a local migrant brought a statue of Guan Yu, the most famous general from The History of Three Kingdoms and set up the Kanteibyo Temple for him in 1871. The Chinese respect Guan Yu for his integrity, steadfastness and leadership. He is often recognized as the Guardian God of the nation and God of Commerce and Wealth.
The temple has been destroyed several times from fires and earthquakes, so it’s not the original temple from 1871 but rather a resurrection of it in 1990, but the temple grounds has been there since.
Location:
140 Yamashitacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0023
Yokohama tour: Tokyo Guide Laura in front of Kanteibyo temple in Yokohama Chinatown.