Day Tours from TokyoYokohama Day Trip from Tokyo: How to Spend One Day
A Yokohama day trip from Tokyo is one of the easiest days you can plan, because the ride takes 20 to 30 minutes and the city runs on plain train lines rather than tours. This page gives you one workable day on the ground: what to see in what order, what each sight costs, where the free parts are, and how the day looks from the first train to the last train. It also answers the tour-or-train question honestly. No tour in the day tours from Tokyo catalog covers Yokohama, so this is a do-it-yourself day, and the free day trips from Tokyo guide carries the full step-by-step train instructions. If you would rather ride a bus with a guide, the closest match is a Kamakura coast day, covered at the end.
The Red Brick Warehouse faces a paved square with the Minato Mirai skyline behind it. Photo: Nesnad, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Is it worth it
Yes, Yokohama is a good day trip from Tokyo. Regular trains reach Yokohama in about 20 to 30 minutes from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku. The sights sit close together around the harbor, several of them are free, and the whole day works without a tour.
Key takeaways
- The ride from central Tokyo takes 20 to 30 minutes, so the day trip needs no early alarm. See the sample day plan for the order to visit things.
- Harbor sights such as the Red Brick Warehouse and the Osanbashi rooftop cost nothing to enter, and Cosmo World charges nothing to walk in.
- There is no Yokohama day tour in the catalog. Compare the train day against the tours before you book anything.
- If you want a guided bus day on another day, the Kamakura coast is the pick, or check the ranking of day trips from Tokyo.
How to Spend a Day in Yokohama from Tokyo
One line runs most of this day. Tokyu Toyoko Line trains from Shibuya continue from Yokohama onto the Minatomirai Line toward Minatomirai and Motomachi-Chukagai, so you can ride into the harbor district without changing trains at Yokohama Station.
A Sample Plan, First Train to Last
The plan below follows the harbor from west to east, then back. No walking times between sights are published in the sources used here, so leave slack between stops and let the day breathe. The anchor times are the published opening and closing hours, not guesses.
If you plan to ride the Minatomirai Line more than twice, the line's own one-day ticket costs 460 yen for adults and 230 yen for children. Coming in from Shibuya on the Tokyu side, the combined Tokyu Line and Minatomirai Line pass costs 1,220 yen for adults and 610 yen for children, and JR users have the Yokohama-Minatomirai Pass at 530 yen for adults and 260 yen for children.
- Morning: leave central Tokyo on a regular train. The ride to Yokohama takes about 20 to 30 minutes from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya or Shinjuku.
- Late morning: bus 8 or 148 from Yokohama Station to Sankeien Garden, 30 to 35 minutes for 220 yen. The garden opens at 9:00 and entry stops at 16:30, so it fits best before lunch if you want time in the halls and lanes.
- Midday: ride back toward the water and work the Minato Mirai waterfront. Cosmo World is free to enter and the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel costs 900 yen. The CupNoodles Museum opens 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:00, and entry is 500 yen for adults and free for high school age and younger.
- Afternoon: ride the Yokohama Air Cabin from Sakuragicho to Unga Park on Shinko Pier, about 5 minutes over 600 m, for 1,000 yen one way or 1,800 yen return, running 10:00 to 22:00. Walk the Red Brick Warehouse, which is free to enter, with Warehouse 1 open 10:00 to 19:00 and Warehouse 2 11:00 to 20:00 daily.
- Late afternoon: continue to Osanbashi pier. The terminal building, known as the Whale's Back, opens 9:00 to 21:30, and the rooftop deck is free and open 24 hours, with harbor views that cost nothing.
- Evening: end in Chinatown. The nearest stations are Motomachi-Chukagai, 8 minutes and 230 yen from Yokohama Station, and Ishikawacho, 7 minutes and 200 yen. Eat, then ride the Minatomirai Line or a JR line back toward Tokyo.
What to Skip If You Are Short of Time
Sankeien is the first thing to drop. It needs a 30 to 35 minute bus ride each way from Yokohama Station at 220 yen per ride, and entry costs 900 yen, so it is the one sight that costs you both time and money. Drop it and the rest of the day chains together on foot and on the Air Cabin along the water.
The Ferris wheel is the second cut, since the harbor itself at Osanbashi is free and gives you the same skyline. Do not cut Chinatown, because it costs nothing to walk into and pairs naturally with the Motomachi-Chukagai station on your way out.
Sources: japan-guide Yokohama, CupNoodles Museum, Yokohama Air Cabin
What to See in Yokohama
Seven sights cover a full day, and several of them cost nothing at all. Hours, fees and closing days below come from the official pages and japan-guide.
Minato Mirai
Minato Mirai is the harbor district that holds most of the day's stops, and walking into it is free. Cosmo World amusement park charges no entry fee, so you can wander the rides and waterfront without paying, and the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel costs 900 yen if you want the ride. One thing to know before you plan around it: the Yokohama Landmark Tower Sky Garden on the 69th floor is closed for renovation and is due to reopen or later, so there is no tower observation deck to budget for.
The district links directly to Sakuragicho Station and the Minatomirai Line stations, and the one-day Minatomirai Line ticket at 460 yen for adults and 230 yen for children covers hops between its stops.
Red Brick Warehouse
Entry to the Red Brick Warehouse buildings is free. Warehouse 1 opens 10:00 to 19:00 and Warehouse 2 11:00 to 20:00 daily, so it also works as an evening stop before dinner. The central plaza hosts seasonal events including an Oktoberfest, a Christmas market and a winter ice rink, which can fill the plaza depending on when you come.
The Air Cabin from Sakuragicho runs to Unga Park on Shinko Pier. This is the easiest place in the day to spend money on food or gifts, and the easiest to enjoy for nothing.
Osanbashi Pier
Osanbashi is Yokohama's international passenger ship terminal, a rolling wooden deck structure nicknamed the Whale's Back for its shape. The terminal building itself opens 9:00 to 21:30, but the reason to come is the roof: the whole deck is a free public viewing space, open 24 hours, with the Minato Mirai skyline on one side and the harbor on the other. It is the best free view in the city, and it works at any hour, including after dinner when the other sights have closed.
It slots naturally between the Red Brick Warehouse and an evening in Chinatown.
Chinatown
Yokohama's Chinatown is the day's natural dinner stop. Walking the streets and gates is free, and the cost is whatever you eat, which is the point of the place. Two stations serve it, so it fits easily at either end of the day: Motomachi-Chukagai is 8 minutes and 230 yen from Yokohama Station, and Ishikawacho is 7 minutes and 200 yen.
It works best as the last stop before the train back, reached from the Minatomirai Line's Motomachi-Chukagai terminus without a transfer from Shibuya trains.
Sankeien Garden
Sankeien is a large Japanese garden. It is the furthest stop in the day: bus 8 or 148 from Yokohama Station takes 30 to 35 minutes and costs 220 yen each way. Admission is 900 yen, and the garden opens 9:00 to 17:00 with entry until 16:30.
It closes from 26 to 31 December, so check that window if you travel over the New Year period. It is a calm, traditional counterpoint to the concrete harbor district, and it is the block to drop first if your day runs short, as the sample plan notes.
CupNoodles Museum
This museum turns instant ramen into a hands-on day, and it is the best bad-weather option in the plan. Admission is 500 yen for adults, and high school age and younger enter free, which makes it unusually cheap for a family. It opens 10:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:00, and it closes on Tuesdays and over the New Year holidays, so a Tuesday trip needs a different plan.
The make-your-own workshops cost extra: the My Cup Noodles Factory is 500 yen and the Chicken Ramen Factory is 1,000 yen for adults and needs a reservation, so book ahead if that is your reason for going.
Yokohama Air Cabin
The Air Cabin is an urban ropeway, a gondola line that crosses 600 m between Sakuragicho and Unga Park on Shinko Pier in about 5 minutes. It runs 10:00 to 22:00, which makes it both a midday shortcut and an evening ride with the harbor lit up. A one-way ticket costs 1,000 yen for adults and 500 yen for children, and the return costs 1,800 yen for adults and 900 yen for children.
The practical play is to ride one way for 1,000 yen rather than 1,800 yen return and walk back. It links the two halves of the harbor day, station to pier, without a train transfer.
Sources: Red Brick Warehouse, Osanbashi, japan-guide Chinatown
Yokohama Day Trip: The Best Escape from Tokyo
Minato Mirai, Chinatown and the waterfront on one day. Third-party video by Howzit Japan. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Tour or Train?
This is the shortest answer on the site: for Yokohama, there is no tour choice to make.
What the Tours Cover and What the Train Covers
No tour in the catalog is a Yokohama day, so if Yokohama is your destination, the train is the only way to do it as a day trip, and it is a good one. Tokyu Toyoko Line trains from Shibuya run straight through onto the Minatomirai Line, Yokohama is 20 to 30 minutes from four central Tokyo stations, and an IC card or a 460 yen Minatomirai day ticket covers the local hops. The table below sets the catalog's guided days against the do-it-yourself Yokohama day so you can see the trade in one place.
Tour prices are quoted exactly as the operators list them.
| Option | Price | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train, your own day | 20 to 30 minutes each way from central Tokyo, fares not stated, plus 460 yen Minatomirai day ticket | Full day, you set it | Everything on this page. No guide, no bus, no fixed schedule, and every fee listed here is paid only if you choose that sight |
| Kamakura and Enoshima day trip with Enoden ride | $78 | 10 hours | Kamakura and Enoshima by coach and train, Enoden ride included, Great Buddha admission of 300 JPY extra, no Yokohama |
| Kamakura and Enoshima 1-Day Bus Tour | $61 | 9-10 hours | Kamakura and Enoshima by bus, Hase-dera and Great Buddha entrance fees included, lunch extra, no Yokohama |
The Verdict by Traveler Type
If you want Yokohama, go by train. The city needs no guide, the lines are simple, and the Sankeien and CupNoodles Museum fees are 900 and 500 yen and most of the harbor is free to enter. If you want a guided day with a group and you are open on destination, the coast is the catalog's pick for this part of Kanto: the Kamakura and Enoshima 1-Day Bus Tour at $61 includes the Hase-dera and Great Buddha entrance fees, runs 9-10 hours, and can be canceled free up to 24 hours ahead, though a bus with fewer than 10 bookings can be canceled.
Pair it with your Yokohama train day on another day of the trip rather than choosing between them.
Sources: Minatomirai Line tickets
An ornate gate marks an entrance to Yokohama Chinatown. Photo: 経済特区, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There from Tokyo
One short block, because the journey really is simple.
The Ride
Yokohama is about 20 to 30 minutes from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku on regular trains. The useful line for this day is the Tokyu Toyoko Line from Shibuya, whose trains continue from Yokohama onto the Minatomirai Line toward Minatomirai and Motomachi-Chukagai, which puts you in the harbor district without a change. For platform-by-platform instructions, ticket gates and fares from your own starting station, use the step-by-step guide to free day trips from Tokyo, which handles the transport in full.
Note that Shin-Yokohama, not Yokohama Station, is the Tokaido Shinkansen stop, so the bullet train is the wrong tool for this particular day.
Day Trip Tips
Six small things that decide whether the day runs smoothly.
Do
- Do buy the Minatomirai Line one-day ticket at 460 yen for adults and 230 yen for children if you will ride the line more than twice, because Tokyu Toyoko Line trains run through onto it toward Minatomirai and Motomachi-Chukagai.
- Do check which day of the week it is before you build the day around the CupNoodles Museum, because it closes on Tuesdays and over New Year, with last admission at 17:00.
- Do reserve the Chicken Ramen Factory ahead if you want a workshop, because it costs 1,000 yen for adults and needs a reservation, while the My Cup Noodles Factory at 500 yen is the simpler option.
- Do save Osanbashi for the evening, because its rooftop is free and open 24 hours, so it is the one sight that works after everything else has closed.
Don't
- Don't plan around the Landmark Tower Sky Garden, because it is closed for renovation and is due to reopen or later.
- Don't leave Sankeien until late in the day, because entry stops at 16:30, the garden closes at 17:00, and the bus out from Yokohama Station takes 30 to 35 minutes each way.
- Don't visit Sankeien between 26 and 31 December, because the garden is closed for that stretch.
Yokohama Day Trip Questions
Can Yokohama be a day trip from Tokyo?
Yes, and it is one of the easiest. Trains take about 20 to 30 minutes from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku, and Tokyu Toyoko Line trains continue onto the Minatomirai Line, which puts you next to the harbor sights. See the sample one-day plan for the order to visit things.
What should I do on a one-day trip to Yokohama?
Chain the harbor sights together: Sankeien Garden in the morning, Minato Mirai and the CupNoodles Museum at midday, the Air Cabin to the Red Brick Warehouse in the afternoon, and Chinatown for dinner. Each stop's hours and fees are listed in what to see.
Is there anything worth seeing in Yokohama?
Yes, and several of the best things are free: the Red Brick Warehouse buildings and their event plaza, the Osanbashi rooftop open 24 hours, and walking into Cosmo World. The paid highlights are Sankeien at 900 yen and the CupNoodles Museum at 500 yen for adults, both covered in what to see in Yokohama.
How long is the train from Tokyo to Yokohama?
About 20 to 30 minutes on regular lines from Tokyo Station, Shinagawa, Shibuya or Shinjuku. The Tokaido Shinkansen serves Shin-Yokohama rather than the harbor-side Yokohama Station, so for this day trip the regular train is the right choice, as explained in getting there.
Is there a guided tour to Yokohama from Tokyo?
No tour in the day tours from Tokyo catalog is a Yokohama day, because the city is simple enough to do by train and no bus is needed. The closest guided option is the coast: the Kamakura and Enoshima 1-Day Bus Tour at $61 covers Hase-dera and the Great Buddha fees over 9-10 hours, and is compared against the train day in tour or train.
How much does a day trip to Yokohama cost?
The core day is cheap. The published fees are 900 yen for Sankeien, 500 yen for the CupNoodles Museum, 900 yen for the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel, 1,000 yen one way on the Air Cabin and 460 yen for a Minatomirai Line day ticket, and the Red Brick Warehouse, Osanbashi rooftop and Chinatown streets cost nothing to enter. The full breakdown sits in what to see.