Kanagawa · Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa
Yamashita Park Harbor Course
Facilities at This Course
Course Highlights
- ✓Yokohama's classic waterfront: the historic Hikawa Maru ocean liner moored alongside the path
- ✓Rose gardens in bloom each May and October, right beside the running route
- ✓Continuous harbor promenade linking to Osanbashi Pier and the Red Brick Warehouses
- ✓Minatomirai skyline views across the water, spectacular at sunrise and after dark
- ✓Chinatown and Motomachi shopping street minutes from the finish
About This Course
Yamashita Park is the postcard of Yokohama — a long, narrow strip of waterfront park facing the harbor, with the retired ocean liner Hikawa Maru permanently moored alongside and the Minatomirai skyline rising across the water. It has been a public park since the 1930s, built on rubble from the Great Kanto Earthquake, and it still functions as the city's front porch. For runners it is the natural starting point of Yokohama's best waterfront route: begin at the park, run northwest past the Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal (whose rooftop deck is one of the great free views in Japan), continue to the Red Brick Warehouses and on toward Minatomirai, then turn and come back. Out and back comes to roughly 5 km, and the whole thing is essentially flat, entirely paved, and free of traffic lights once you are on the promenade. Two seasons make it especially worth planning around: the rose gardens beside the path bloom in May and again in October, and the harbor at sunrise — when the sky goes orange behind the container cranes and the Hikawa Maru is still lit — is genuinely beautiful. The honest caveat is that this is a tourist promenade, not a training track. From mid-morning it fills with visitors, cruise passengers and couples, and running through the crowd is neither pleasant nor polite. Run it early, or push further along toward Minatomirai and the Rinko Park side where the paths are wider and quieter. At the finish you are three minutes from Chinatown and Motomachi, which is about the best post-run eating position in Kanagawa.
How to Get There
Take Minatomirai Line to Motomachi-Chukagai Station. The course start is a 3-minute walk from the station.
Nearby Running Stations
Facilities for changing, storing luggage, and showering before and after your run.
Motomachi-Chukagai Station Coin Lockers
元町・中華街駅コインロッカー
Coin lockers at Motomachi-Chukagai Station (Minatomirai Line), directly at the start of the Motomachi & Yamate running course. No dedicated running station in the immediate area. Public toilets available in Yamashita Park and along the Yamate bluff path.
Official websiteFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions about running Yamashita Park Harbor Course.
