October 14 marked 150 years since the first railway in Japan connected Shimbashi in Tōkyō with Sakuragi-chō, the original Yokohama Station. There have been three Yokohama Stations, with the current location in use since 1930. However, for 15 years the name “Yokohama Station” belonged to an impressive but long-forgotten brick palace. How many people pass by its remains daily without recognizing its place in Yokohama’s history?
The location of Sakuragi-chō was convenient to central Yokohama, but it was not on the main Tōkaidō route from Tōkyō to Ōsaka, requiring a time-consuming switchback. The opening of Tōkyō Station in 1914 ushered in a new age of speed, and the main line was re-routed through the new Yokohama Station the following year. Two stories high with decorative turrets, it incorporated lavish waiting rooms for all three passenger classes and combined a freight station as well. Nearby was the southern terminus of the private Tōyoko line from Shibuya.
The station was crippled by the 1923 earthquake and torn down entirely seven years later. Its ruins were bypassed by a new Tōkaidō route, and the Tōyoko line was extended to Sakuragi-chō. The brick palace passed into history, and then oblivion.
What is left? Its brick foundations were recently uncovered by construction of an office block, and there is a small display with inconspicuous signage and inadequate explanation–and consequently very few visitors.
Where is it? At the busy Takashima-chō intersection where Route 1 meets Route 16. It is next to a police kōban and a block away from Takashima-chō Station on the Yokohama Subway Blue Line. If you go there, take a moment to ponder its role in the Yokohama of a century ago, and how quickly it was forgotten.