yokohama echo

Marketplace for the Masses

The latest development in the Minato Mirai 21 area opened Sept. 10 to bands, parades and throngs of people. World Porters, the new six-story complex near Sakuragicho Station, is an import mart with merchandise, food and entertainment from around the world. The opening weekend saw performances of music and dance from Africa and Europe, as well as television crews, photographers and walking cartoon characters.

Japan's modern history began when the Japan-U.S. Treaty of Amity and Commerce was signed in Yokohama in 1854. Since that time, Yokohama has been recognized as a gateway between Japan and the rest of the world. World Porters is intended to build on this rich history, as well as the huge consumer base of Japan's second-largest city to bring a global service center to Yokohama.

The walk to World Porters is a pleasant 10 minutes from Sakuragicho Station along Kishamichi, past Cosmo World amusement park and the giant Ferris wheel. Kishamichi is a historical path that used to be a railroad and there are remnants from those days. This stroll offers a perfect view of the waterfront, as well as all of the facilities that have recently been opened there for the public. World Porters is situated at the end of this path next to the Navios seamen's center and is hard to miss with its colorful "W" logo intended to combine the colors of the sun, sea and nature. Once inside, if you don't mind the crowds, there is something for everyone.

The first floor is an international food marketplace with cuisine from all over the world where customers can sample different tastes. The second and third floors are packed with retail shops, including clothing, jewelry, toys, and specialty shops. The clothing stores carry a range of styles from young and casual to formal and expensive. The toys and novelty shops are filled with so many unique things that something is bound to make you nostalgic. There are goods from old TV shows, comic books, action figures and stuffed animals. The specialty stores include the music giant HMV, a BMX racing equipment store, a musical instrument store and an outdoor apparel store. These bring together in one building, items that were previously a task to find. The fourth floor is devoted to merchandise for the home, including furnishings, building materials, linens and interior design.

Stepping off the escalator on the fifth floor one arrives on "Broadway," a dining and entertainment floor designed to look like an old-fashioned American town. There are streetlights and replicated brownstones lining the walk, as well as park benches and a carriage. While it isn't quite clear what the name "Broadway" has to do with this design, as this name is used in America usually in relation to musicals and plays, the overall atmosphere is quite pleasant. At the top of the escalator is a multi-screen cinema and the entire floor is filled with the aroma of freshly popped popcorn. Along with the cinema is a store selling Warner Brothers merchandise and another shop with movie paraphernalia, such as posters and postcards. Dining selection on this floor is excellent, with most restaurants providing a view of the port skyline. Among the restaurants are a deli, an Indonesian restaurant with tropical decor, a wine bar and an American-style bistro complete with a hot fudge brownie dessert. The game center is brimming with the standard print club machines and salaried workers challenging their dancing skills, but there is a game into which you can climb and experience the feeling of being buried in a coffin. There is a billiard hall as well, where the tables are arranged so that there is plenty of space for the players and people can rent tables by the hour or half-hour.

The sixth floor is a business support center. Office space and equipment, such as computers, copy machines, FAX machines, etc., can be rented here. Support is available for new international businesses wishing to establish themselves in Yokohama.

A venture onto the roof of the building offers a beautiful view of the port and the Minato Mirai 21 area, though the "rooftop garden" is actually cement and "Astroturf." There are benches where people can escape the crowds and enjoy the scenery of Yokohama. Although the night view from this spot would probably be spectacular, the current hours of operation allow entrance only until 6 p.m.

World Porters is designed to bring imports from around the world and draw on the consumer base of the metropolitan area. It is intended to help the Minato Mirai 21 district in connecting Yokohama and Kannai stations, the two centers of Yokohama. It is a new place for people of all ages to shop, eat and enjoy themselves near the waterfront. It might, however, be advisable to purchase your return train ticket when you arrive in order to avoid the lines at the station upon your return. Judging by the crowds that flocked there on its opening weekend it is off to an impressive start.

Kim Friesen

E-mail:intlyoke@iris.or.jp

Yokohama Echo Index

Yokohama Association for International Communications and Exchanges(YOKE)

Yokohama City(Japan)