Pork buns and brightly painted Chinatown gates
Yokohama's Chinatown grew up after the port opened to foreign trade, and today more than 400 shops and restaurants fill its streets, about 35 minutes by train from Shibuya in Tokyo. Walk around with a steamed pork bun in hand, pass under the painted gates and light incense at a Chinese temple. Buying a bun at a shop counter and eating it as you stroll is the custom here, so you need not worry about eating on the street.
A pork bun shop founded in Chinatown in 1894, known for its big butaman, a steamed bun stuffed with juicy pork. Buy one at the counter and eat it while it is hot as you walk down the street.
A dim sum shop known for its small, bite-sized pork buns. They are a very different style from Edosei's big butaman, so try one from each shop and compare.
The brightly painted gate at the entrance to Chinatown's main street, the best-known gate in the district. The plaque on one side simply reads "Chinatown", and the one on the other side carries an old Chinese phrase meaning "be good neighbors with the country next door". Look at both sides as you pass through.
A temple to Guan Yu, a general from ancient China who is worshipped as a god of business, surrounded by pillars and roof decorations in vivid gold, red and green. Light a stick of incense and put your hands together in prayer, as local visitors do. Incense is sold at the temple.
A temple to Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess who protects sailors, with a vermilion gate and yellow tiled roofs. It stands a little away from the busy streets, so it is calmer than the shopping lanes around it. You can light incense here too.