2022-04-06

Harbor View Park


Springtime at this park presents an abundance of colors and textures with carefully tended flower beds and lovely water fountains throughout the park.

The park is a popular destination for young families, young couples, photographers, and tourists from the world over. 

First, a little history:

After the Namamugi Incident where a British merchant was killed by the retainers of a samurai in 1862, French and British forces established garrisons on the Bluff in Naka Ward, Yokohama, to protect their respective citizens from further attacks under the treaties that gave foreigners extraterritoriality. 

French Hill Park was the site of the French marines from 1863 until 1875. After the Meiji restoration the marines withdrew and the French Consulate was built on the same site in 1894.

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the consulate along with the rest of Yokohama and Tokyo. Remnants of rebuilt consulate, which burned down in 1947, can still be seen along with the windpump.

Like the French, the British had troops assigned to a garrison from 1862 to 1875. The British located their forces higher up on the bluff at the crest of the hill. The British garrison had barracks, a naval hospital, storage facilities, a church, and a large parade ground.

After the British forces left in 1875, wealthy foreign merchants and expats rented lots on the Bluff for residential and commercial use. 

In 1962, land was turned over to the city of Yokohama where French Hill Park and Harbor View Park were established.

Entrance to the park is only a 1-minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minato-Mirai Line, which runs through Yokohama Station onto the Tokyu-Toyoko Line to Shibuya Station in Tokyo.


Yokohama Marine Tower | 横浜マリンタワー
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
45 mm ISO 100 for 20 sec. at ƒ/13

French Hill Windpump | フランス山の風車
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
40 mm ISO 100 for 40 sec. at ƒ/11

Located just below Harbor View Park on the Yamate Bluff (Yokohama, Japan), French Hill Park was the site of the French marines from 1863 until 1875. The French Consulate was built on the same site in 1894 after the Meiji Restoration (1864 to 1889).

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the consulate along with the rest of Yokohama and Tokyo. Remnants of the rebuilt consulate, which burned down in 1947, can still be seen here at the park next to the old windpump, which is still standing.

Harbor View Park Observatory | 港の見える丘公園 展望台
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
28 mm ISO 100 for 15 sec. at ƒ/10

The semi-circle shaped observatory deck of Harbor View Park (Yokohama, Japan) includes a covered space with benches and a roof designed in the shape of seabird wings in flight.

This observation deck is one of the main attractions at this park for both photographers and tourists, and is especially popular among couples looking for a romantic view of the harbor.

Located only within a 1-minute walk of Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line, the park draws visitors from not only residents of Kanagawa Prefecture, but also Tokyo and overseas tourists enjoying a day in Yokohama. 

Urban Waterfront Skyline | 横浜港
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
45 mm ISO 100 for 20 sec. at ƒ/13

View of the Yokohama waterfront from an observation deck of Harbor View Park in Yokohama, Japan, featuring the Wangan Shuto Expressway in the foreground, the Yokohama Marine Tower on the left, the cruise ship Osanbashi Pier in the mid-ground, and high-rise apartment towers in the background.

What was once a fishing village until the arrival of U.S. Naval Commodore Perry in 1859, Yokohama has become the 2nd largest city in Japan. The waterfront district is the biggest attraction for residential use, commercial activities, and is a popular tourist attraction. From this viewpoint of Harbor View Park (1-minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line), you can enjoy beautiful views of the harbor.

Yokohama Bay Bridge | 横浜ベイブリッジ
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
105 mm ISO 100 for 25 sec. at ƒ/13

Harbor View Park, near Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line in Yokohama (Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan) offers fantastic nightscape views of Yokohama Bay Bridge--the gateway to the Port of Yokohama for ships sailing in and out of Tokyo Bay. The bridge has a cable-stayed design with an 860-meter/2,820-foot span that crosses Tokyo Bay allowing vehicular traffic to bypass congestion on the bayshore route for quicker access to Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture.

Completed in September 1989, the bridge was high enough to accommodate one of the world’s largest ships at that time—the Queen Elizabeth 2. Twenty years later, mega cruise ships became  too tall to pass under the bridge and had to dock farther away from the central piers of Yokohama.

Honmoku Pier | 本牧ふ頭
Pentax K-1 II + D FA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
105 mm ISO 100 for 25 sec. at ƒ/13

Shot of the Harbor View Park nightscape view looking west from the park’s observatory (Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan). You can see the numerous mega-gantry cranes standing idle on the berths of Honomoku Pier, which make for great nightscape subjects.

Harbor View Park is located about 37 km (23 mi) south of Tokyo,  or a 58-minute train ride from Shibuya Station (Tokyo) on the Tokyu-Toyoko line.

There are  several coin-parking lots near Harbor View Park, making it an easy park to visit if you drive. If visiting by train, you can easily access Harbor View Park via French Hill Park, which is only a 1-minute walk from Motomachi-Chukagai Station on the Minatomirai Line.

References:

Harbor View Park (Minato-no-Mieru Oka Koen) by the Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau:
Address:
  • 114, Yamate-cho, Naka-ku, Yokohama, 231-0862
  • 〒231-0862 神奈川県横浜市中区山手町114
Map:
“French Consulate, Yokohama, c. 1910” by Steve Sundberg:
Namamugi Incident by Wikipedia:
Section 2: French military advisers and military modernization by the National Diet Library, Japan:
港の見える丘公園（中区）by Yokohama City Hall:
Yamate by Wikipedia:
横浜山手外国人居留地データベース｜BLUFF Archives by 法人横浜山手アーカイブス:

Google Maps Links:

French Hill Park | フランス山公園:
Motomachi-Chukagai Station | 元町・中華街駅: Take exit No. 5 and turn right. Only a 30-second walk!
Showa Park France Yama Parking Lot:
Kyoritsuyamate Parking Lot:
  • https://goo.gl/maps/RL5RXmCP9SQAWz3g7
Minatonomieruoka Park Parking Lot:
Observatory of Harbor viewing hill park:
Harbor View Park Sunken Flower Bed | 港の見える丘公園 沈床花壇:
English Rose Garden | イングリッシュローズの庭:
British House (Former British Consulate) | 横浜市イギリス館:
Water Fountain | 噴水広場:
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    Below is a list of the equipment I took with me on this photo shoot.

    Camera Gear:

    Pentax K-1 Mark II  (K1-II)
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    Standard zoom lens: Pentax D FA 28-105mm f3.5-5.6ed DC WR HD Lens
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    Tripod: Manfrotto MT190CXPRO4 (carbon fiber legs with quick locking clamps)
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    Ball head: Manfrotto Cloud XPRO Series Ballhead BHQ2 with 200PL locking plate
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    Filters & Filter Systems:

    PolarPro QuartzLine ND 64 Filter - 67mm (ND64 6-stop reduction in light)
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    PolarPro QuartzLine ND1000 Filter - 67mm (ND1000 10-stop reduction in light)
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    PolarPro QuartzLine ND100k Filter - 67mm (ND100K 15-stop reduction in light)
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    PolarPro QuartzLine Circular Polarizer - 67mm
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    PolarPro Summit | Landscape Filter System Custom Kit (Core, Thread Plate, ND4-GR filter, ND8-GR filter, Circular Polarizer)
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    Pack:

    F-stop Tilopa 50L Adventure and Travel Camera Backpack (Essentials Bundle: backpack, rain cover, internal camera unit)
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    F-stop Tripod Bag (large)
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    Location: 114 Yamatechō, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0862, Japan
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