We have told you about how easy it is to get around here in Japan, which makes it easy when you really do not have a plan to do anything. When people think of Japanese cities they think Tokyo, Hiroshima and Nagasaki first. However, they do not think of the second largest city, Yokohama. Yokohama is the capital of the Kanagawa Prefecture (state) and lies on the Tokyo Bay as a major commercial hub. It had a humble beginning as a fishing village which began to transform into the port it is today in 1859. Over the next hundred and fifty years, it would go through many transformations and restorations. It was destroyed by a earthquake in 1923 and by air raids during World War II that caused it to be rebuilt. In spite of this, Yokohama had many firsts for Japan that include its first daily newspaper (which started in 1870), first gas-powered street laps (1872) and power plant (1872). Yokohama contains a diverse selection of attractions for everyone. We went to Yokohama to see the Landmark Tower, which is the tallest building in Japan. It has 70 floors, but the 69 th floor is an observatory which offers a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. On clear day you can see Mt. Fuji in the distance. Landmark Tower has the second fastest elevators in the world. The elevators reach up to speeds of 28 mph, which means that you reach the top in less than 40 seconds. The views are fantastic from up there! We were not able to see everything we wanted that day, but we have plenty of days left in Japan. We are planning on going to Yokohama’s Chinatown, which is one the largest in the world. The Yokohama Museum of Art is also located near Landmark Tower, but we did not have enough Yen at the time to go through. Yokohama is an exciting city that we thoroughly enjoyed when we went. Now you can stop reading this and enjoy all the pictures we took!