So what's it like to see a Japanese take of Chinatown?
Chinatown was founded in 1863, shortly after the port opened, and is now the largest in the country. Many Chinese moved to Yokohama as merchants and craftsmen, settling in today's Yamashita-cho, setting the foundations of today's Chinatown. The first migrants had worked with British and American companies to facilitate trade, namely silk and tea.
The area was devastated by the Great Earthquake and World War II, rising from ruins into a shanty town of black markets, seedy bars, and finally a foodie destination in the 1970s.
Despite the architecture, it has a different feel from other traditional overseas Chinatowns. The retail mix is mostly restaurants. While there is plenty of street food, absent are supermarkets where items are laid out flea market style in the open. It seems not a gathering place for overseas Chinese but more a theme park for Japanese locals.
