Motomachi Shopping Street

元町商店街

Motomachi is Yokohama's original European-influenced fashion street, established in the 1860s to serve the foreign settlement. Its mix of heritage brands, independent boutiques, and European-style cafes preserves a cosmopolitan atmosphere distinct from any Tokyo shopping district.

Motomachi Shopping Street runs for about 600 meters in Yokohama's Naka-ku, parallel to the historic foreign settlement district, and it preserves a cosmopolitan atmosphere that dates to its founding in the 1860s when it served the European and American residents of the neighboring Yamate bluffs. Today the street mixes Yokohama-original brands (Kitamura leather goods, Fukuzo tailor, Star Jewelry) with independent boutiques, galleries, and European-style patisseries and cafes.

The appeal for fashion visitors is the contrast with Tokyo: Motomachi is quieter, more considered, and architecturally distinct. The buildings reflect a century of Western-influenced design that has no parallel in Tokyo's shopping districts. The street connects at its eastern end to Yokohama Chinatown — the largest Chinatown in Japan — making it natural to combine fashion browsing with a Chinatown lunch. The broader Yokohama waterfront (Yamashita Park, Red Brick Warehouse) is also within walking distance.

Practical info

Address: Motomachi, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0861
Hours: Most shops 10:00-19:00
Nearest station: Motomachi-Chukagai Station (Minatomirai line), 1-minute walk

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