Where the name Minatomirai comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
Minatomirai is not an ancient place name. It was created for a redevelopment project intended to transform Yokohama's industrial waterfront into a new urban center. In 1979, the city announced its basic plan for the waterfront. Two years later, following a public naming process, the project received the name Minatomirai 21, suggesting a harbor city looking toward the 21st century.
The land around today's Minatomirai Station was once dominated by the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Yokohama Shipyard. Ships were built and repaired beside the waterfront, while nearby docks and cargo facilities supported port activity. After the shipyard's relocation, construction of Minatomirai 21 began in 1983. Industrial land gradually became the site of office towers, shopping complexes, cultural institutions, and public spaces.
In 1989, Minatomirai became the official name of the central district. Queen's Square Yokohama, which houses the present station, opened in 1997. The Minatomirai Line followed in 2004, adopting the neighborhood's name. Unlike many Japanese place names that describe older landscapes, this one was chosen to describe a city that planners and residents hoped to create.
→ Walk from Minatomirai Station through Queen's Square toward Landmark Tower. Modern buildings occupy former shipyard land, but Dockyard Garden preserves an actual ship-repair dock within the new city.
Sources (in Japanese): 横浜高速鉄道・みなとみらい駅 駅名の由来, 一般社団法人横浜みなとみらい21・事業の経過
At the foot of Yokohama Landmark Tower lies a vast stone structure from the age of industrial shipbuilding. Known today as Dockyard Garden, it was originally the No. 2 Dry Dock of Yokohama Dock Company, completed in 1896. Ships entered the dock before the water was drained away, allowing workers to inspect and repair their hulls. Workshops, industrial equipment, and cranes once filled the surrounding waterfront.
The Yokohama Dock enterprise was established in 1889, and its No. 1 Dock was completed in 1898. In 1935, the company became part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Shipbuilding and repair remained central to the area for decades. The No. 2 Dock ceased operating in 1973, and the shipyard's relocation was completed in 1983. The former industrial grounds then became the foundation for the Minatomirai 21 redevelopment project.
Walk from Minatomirai Station toward Landmark Tower and look down into Dockyard Garden. Its massive stone walls reveal the scale of the vessels once repaired here. Continue toward Nippon Maru Memorial Park, where the former No. 1 Dock and the preserved sailing ship Nippon Maru tell another part of the waterfront's industrial story. These surviving structures make it possible to walk directly through the shipbuilding history hidden within the modern skyline.
→ Visit Dockyard Garden beside Landmark Tower to see the stone No. 2 Dry Dock completed in 1896. Continue to Nippon Maru Memorial Park, where the former No. 1 Dock and historic sailing ship preserve the area's maritime past.
Sources (in Japanese): 横浜ランドマークタワー・ドックヤードガーデンの歴史, 横浜都市発展記念館・みなとみらい線 駅に刻まれたまちの歴史
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).