There are loads of child-friendly attractions in Yokohama, as well as a number of recreational parks for walkers and cyclists. There are two major amusement parks within the city centre alone – Sea Paradise and Yokohama Cosmo World – as well as a zoo and aquarium and a substantial dolls house. Yokohama International Stadium hosts big football matches.

Ice Skating
Ice skating in Yokohama is understandably popular in the winter although you can also skate year-round at the Kanagawa Skating Rink. It can be found just outside town and has the best facilities of any rink in the city. It is also very large, to boot, and is kept super-clean, yet gets very busy during school holidays. 
Phone: +81 45 321 0847 (Kanagawa Skating Rink)

Nogeyama Zoo
Located on Nishi-ku, Nogeyama Zoo is a free attraction that takes on more of a city park persona than an actual zoo. There are over 1,500 animals at the zoo that come from many regions of the world, including exotic varieties. While kids will enjoy the animals, mums and dads will find the classic Japanese garden beautiful. 
Phone: +81 45 231 1696

Sea Paradise
Sea Paradise is an aquarium-cum-theme park on Yokohama Bay. There are all types of creatures from the deep here, including stingrays, seals, dolphins, penguins, and even polar bears, and a huge glass tunnel lets you see the aquatic animals up close. The amusement park part of Sea Paradise features many thrilling rides, including a fast rollercoaster and a lofty freefall tower. 
Phone: +81 45 788 8888; http://www.seaparadise.co.jp/english/

Yamashita Park and Isezaki Mall
Yamashita Park and Isezaki Mall are two family-friendly Yokohama attractions down at the seaside. The park is particularly fun in the spring and summer and is great for a picnic and for walking and cycling. The nearby Isezaki Mall is a bustling shopping street which features many trendy shops, restaurants and cinemas.

Yokohama Cosmo World
Located in the main Minato Mirai part of town, Yokohama Cosmo World is a big hit with kids, with its thrilling rides. A canal runs right through the centre of the park and sets the scene, with the main rollercoaster rocketing through water right next to it. There is also a state-of-the-art simulator here and the Ferris wheel is one of the world’s biggest. 
Phone: +81 45 641 6591

Yokohama Doll Museum
The Yokohama Doll Museum actually has one of the most all-encompassing doll collections in the world, where more than 9,000 of them hail from 139 countries from all around the globe. There are antique dolls, Japanese folk dolls, and dolls dressed up in all manner of elaborate garb of their countries of origin. 
Phone: +81 45 671 9361; http://www.welcome.city.yokohama.jp/eng/tourism/

Yokohama International Stadium
Football fans simply must check out the International Stadium in Yokohama. It is one of the major sporting venues of the country, is home to the Yokohama F Marinos of the J League, and seats over 77,000. If you can catch a match at the stadium you will be blown away, but simply touring on a non-match day is also an eye-opener.

Options for culture-vultures visiting Yokohama are diverse and intriguing as with most any large Japanese city. There are museums galore, many of which are presented in English, while delightful parks and gardens are all around. The area of most interest to have a wander and gain an insight into old Yokohama is Sakuragi Cho.

China Museum
Yokohama has a large Chinese community and the large China Museum in Chinatown is a representation of this. It is a huge, eight-storey building that takes a look at 1920s Shanghai, complete with authentic street scenes and artisans doing their thing. There is also a large food court here with tastes from all over China. 
Phone: +81 45 681 5588

Hikawa-Maru Ship
One of Yokohama’s more unusual museums, the 10,000-tonne Hikawa-Maru Japanese ocean liner originally saw life moving people between America and Japan, followed by its conversion into a warship at the advent of WWII. You can tour the ship and learn its intriguing history. Highlights include the bridge, engine room, and sleeping quarters. 
Phone: +81 45 641 4361

Odori Park
Odori Park stretches for almost two kilometres and offers the perfect respite. The park is sectioned off into different themes, including the Water Plaza and the Stone Plaza, for example. The landscaping and flora boasts soft grass is ideal for sitting on, on a hot day. 
Phone: +81 45 252 9153

Sakuragi Cho
The Sakuragi Cho in Yokohama is one of the city’s oldest areas and has bags of ambience. It is loaded with intriguing buildings far removed from those of contemporary Minato Mirai, which is right next door. After checking out Sakuragi Cho, the nearby neighbourhood of Noge offers you fantastic dining options, as well as many coffee shops and jazz halls.

Silk Museum
Yokohama’s Silk Museum depicts silk production and the rise of Yokohama through this beautiful, natural product. Many fine fabrics are on display at the museum, for clothing and silk fabrics. The process is followed in detail where silkworms can be seen churning it out between April and October. Displays and tours are in English. 
Phone: +81 45 641 0841; www.silkmuseum.or.jp/eng

Yokohama Museum of Art
Yokohama Museum of Art is well located in Minato Mirai and displays contemporary art from Japan and Europe. Works by Picasso, Cezanne, Matisse, and Dali are the highlights and there are also many standout pieces by Japanese masters. The building itself is well done and is easy on the eye. 
Phone: +81 45 221 0300; http://www.yaf.or.jp/yma/index.php  

Yokohama has hundreds of restaurants accessible to tourists. There is a burgeoning supply of fast-food joints and of course Japanese eats on every street corner. You can also find foods from Thailand and Vietnam, as well as from Europe and America. Prices are steep in Yokohama but cheap eats can be had.

Queen's Square and the Landmark Tower have some of the best restaurants in town, with a mix of cuisines and styles. The Minato Mirai area is loaded with eateries in between its numerous sights, especially around Motomachi-Chukagai Station, while British-style pubs can be found on Minami Saiwai-cho. Local dishes to try include: katsudon pork cutlets; sushi,the famous cold rice dish with raw fish; and tempura, seafood with deep-fried vegetables.

Yokohama shopping options are mainly confined to mega shopping malls where you can also find good eating and side entertainment. The Landmark Plaza Shopping Mall in the Landmark Tower, Minato Mirai, is five floors of shopping mayhem that also includes a theme park. Mycal Honmoku Shopping Mall at Yokohama Bay is touted as Japan’s largest mall, with over 300 shops, restaurants and cafés.

Lumine Yokohama is also popular; it has scores of shops and is especially good for those into fashions. Slightly smaller, yet still having in excess of 100 shops, Porta is another good Yokohama shopping option, while nearby Queen's Square also features the Pan Pacific Hotel Yokohama, and loads of restaurants and entertainment venues to go with its shopping.