Yamate area 山手地区
La colline aux colons
Souvenirs immortels d'une ville métamorphosée par le commerce international, les quartiers Yamate et Motomachi donnent à Yokohama des airs d'Occident.
It is on top of the hill in the Yamate area that Westerntraders who arrived en masse after the reopeningof Japanese ports in 1853, settled.
Like the namesake western district of Nagasaki, the settlerschose the high ground of the city, enjoying a direct view of the harbor and itsactivities.
Rapid expansion
After several years of prosperous business, foreignnewcomers flocked to the town and quickly develop the Yamate district. Fromthen, there was flourishing commerce in MotomachiStreet, Yokohama Christ Church, a Western cemetery in 1854....
The main street Yamate-Hon-dori, became lined with splendid colonial-style residences. Among them, the residence of the wealthy businessmanEhrismann, Diplomats’ House (with Victorianarchitecture), and the immense Berrick Hall Spanish villa.
Today, from the Harbor View Park, close to the foreigncemetery, you can make out the huge towers of the Minato Mirai 21 district onthe waterfront with the Yokohama Bay Bridge in the background.