Yokohama Nishi Ward

Description

Onko Chishin! Trek-trek Sketch in Nishi-ward: JOINUS Yokohama



Going out from West Exit of Yokohama station, turning left and passing west exit police box, you will find “JOINUS Yokohama”. It’s always busy with many shoppers.

This area used to be inlet called “Sodegaura” back in Edo period. In Meiji and Taisho period, the inlet was landfilled. After the war, it was requisitioned by the U.S. forces and used as gravel yard, so it was called “desert left in backyard of Yokohama station”. I don’t have any memory of going to the west exit when I was little.

In April 1956 (Showa 31), arcade style shopping mall “Yokohama Meihin Street” and Takashimaya store were opened in this area. “Suzuki Camera” was on left side of the entrance of Meihin Street and “Mizunobu Fruit Shop” on right side. There were many new, stylish and fancy shops including bookstore, Japanese soba restaurant, Chinese restaurant, clothing sore, other restaurants, movie theater and beer hall on the street. It was still unsettling society after the war, so the atmosphere of the shopping street gave a sense of future hope. It was a birth of new attractive shopping town and many shoppers rushed here.

JOINUS Yokohama started from “Yokohama Meihin Street”



Title, picture and writing by Taro Suzuki (Nishi ward Cultural Association)



※This is a sketch and writing published in Yokohama Public Relation Nishi ward edition since June 2013. Please be noted that there’s a possibility that information in the article may be changed.



(Published December in 2016)