According to a Japanese government national survey, one in every 50 people in the working-age population has difficulty living and is isolated from social life. The major causes of this problem aren’t only rooted in their school or social life. The pandemic was a factor, and people in many age groups have had to leave employment to care for their family members, due to the low birth rate and aging society. K2 International Japan, located in Negishi, has been helping young people with these problems become independent since it was established 35 years ago. Katsuo Kanamori, the company’s leader, used…
Author: Seasider
If you have been to Gōra (or its vicinity), you will have noticed, high on a hillside across the valley, a forest clearing in the shape of the Chinese character “大”, read “dai”. The hillside is a flank of Myōjōgatake, one of the two summits explored in this article. Take a bus from Hakone Yumoto Station to Miyagino-bashi. Signs to Myōjōgatake are clear except at the first cross-roads, where the ambiguously placed sign should actually be directing you to the right. After about ten minutes’ walk, the paved road changes to gravel, and a couple of minutes after that, the…
For many people the end of the year is a time of reflection (perhaps regrets), while the new year always seems like an opportunity for goal-setting and renewed hope. Did you make any New Year’s resolutions? What do you hope to accomplish? Share your goals and dreams with others! Positivity has a way of multiplying. We at the Seasider hope we can bring you more pages and richer content this year. Through your support and the support of our sponsors, we will!
Located about an eight-minute walk from Keikyū Minami-Ōta station, Yokohama Suzuki-ya is near the end of Don Don shopping street. It looks like an ordinary local liquor store that you might find in your neighborhood, but once you step inside, you’ll be astounded by the variety of the bottles filling up the shelves. There’s a wide range of Japanese sake and shōchū (a distilled liquor), as well as wine and craft beer, including imported and domestic brands. The third-generation owner, Takashi Suzuki, welcomes every customer with a charming smile. If you love drinking, you’re in utopia! The family has been…
After climbing a gentle slope in Midori-ku, you’ll find “Nagomi (753) Village,” with a Japanese-style house, shop, and gallery. Occasional markets and other events take place here, attracting local residents in the Nakayama area. The main attraction is “Qin Café 753,” inside a refurbished old folk house. Looming over the roof is a huge cherry tree, nearly one hundred years old. Kazuki Tsuji, the owner of the cafe, has two decades of experience in French cuisine. According to Tsuji, during his training in France, he reconsidered the charms of Japanese food culture, especially the traditional seasoning, shōyu (soy sauce). Upon…
Yokohama has been Japan’s first international gateway since its port was opened to the world in 1859. To this day, the city is committed to attracting a diverse range of individuals and businesses from across the world, as well as to encouraging open innovation and creative human resources within the city. With this model in mind, the City of Yokohama’s International Relations Division and Policy Department has established and organized the new international convention Y-SHIP (Yokohama – Showcasing Highly Innovative Pioneers) to aid new citizens or businesses wishing to establish roots in Yokohama. In March 2023, the inaugural event was…
For some, a magazine can seem quaint, a curious media relic of a bygone age. What’s their value in a time of podcasts, streaming video, social media, or websites? For me, their relevance has only grown as technology has advanced perhaps more quickly than our laws and ethics (and brains) can keep up. I’ve been working on magazines since my first job in the late 1990s. I feel like I have some perspective. When I founded the Yokohama Seasider over 14 years ago, people were already saying that magazines were dead because of the digital age. Many magazines did disappear.…
The Cycle Messenger World Championships 2023 rolls into Yokohama on September 20th. This six-day international event centers around a variety of cycling races featuring bike couriers from about forty different countries. The first competition was held in Berlin in 1993 and Tokyo was Japan’s first hosting city in 2009. Yokohama now becomes the country’s second. In the 2022 world championships held in New York City, ‘Chikappa’ (Kohei Miyamoto), a rider from Yokohama-based messenger service Courio-City, placed first in the delivery race and will be defending that title on his home turf this year. Having local talent to cheer for is…
A Message from our Founder I remember my first night ever in Yokohama; I knew I wanted to move here and, not long thereafter, I did! I was surprised that in a city this big and diverse there was no international magazine (I come from a publishing background) and so I also made it my goal to launch one. The first issue in 2009 was only a few thousand copies and I distributed it on my bicycle with the help of a friend. Despite those humble beginnings, I had big dreams for it. And those big dreams continue… I always…
Welcome to August! As soaring temperatures around the world match those here in Japan, we recommend drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration while enjoying outdoor activities. This month, families reunite during the Obon holidays and festivals around Japan mark this special event. If you are staying in Yokohama, read our article in this month’s issue on rediscovering the Nogeyama area of Yokohama–nearby the well-known nightlife spot–with much more to see in the daytime for those Shōwa period aficionados. We are very happy to announce YSM is now an officially registered NPO! More information about our new initiatives will be…