Side, Horizontal

Interesting Fact

Why is Yokohama City called Yokohama? The name 横浜 (Yokohama) combines 横, meaning “sideways,” with 浜, meaning “beach.” The old settlement stood along a long, narrow stretch of land beside the sea, giving the place its distinctive sideways shoreline. When Yokohama later opened to foreign trade in the 1850s, this once-small coastal settlement grew into one of Japan's major international ports. So the famous city name itself preserves a little piece of its original geography.