Kanagawa · Naka-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Yokohama Motomachi & Yamate Course

Facilities at This Course

Course Highlights

• ✓Run through Motomachi — Yokohama's historic European-style shopping street
• ✓Climb to the Yamate bluff for panoramic views over Yokohama harbour and bay
• ✓Pass Western-style early Meiji-era villas and churches along the Yamate hilltop
• ✓Yamashita Park and Osanbashi Pier visible from the bluff on clear days
• ✓Rated Moderate due to the steep bluff climb — otherwise a scenic urban run

About This Course

Yokohama's Motomachi and Yamate district is one of the most historically and architecturally rich running environments in Japan. The 5 km course begins at Motomachi-Chukagai Station, runs through Motomachi Street — a European-influenced shopping street that developed to serve the foreign community living in Yokohama after the port opened in 1859 — then ascends the steep hillside to the Yamate bluff. The 80 m climb earns this course a Moderate rating; the bluff path is a short but genuinely steep staircase section. Once on top, the Yamate Itchome Promenade offers sweeping views over Yokohama harbour, with Yamashita Park, the red-brick warehouses, and on clear days the full Minatomirai skyline visible below. The bluff road passes Western Meiji-era villas, including the Ehrismann and Bluff No. 18 historic residences, and the distinctive Yamate Catholic Church. The Foreigners Cemetery (Yokohama Gaikokujin Bochi) adds a sombre historical note. The circuit descends back to Motomachi via a different hillside path and finishes at Yamashita Park — a flat seaside park ideal for a cool-down. The total route is entirely on public roads and free to run.

Nearby Running Stations

Facilities for changing, storing luggage, and showering before and after your run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about running Yokohama Motomachi & Yamate Course.