Yokohama

After a good nights rest we wake up fairly early on account of jet lag. Because the Sister and I are up first we decide to head out and take a short walk and check out our surroundings. We find a cool bakery nearby and let the Parental Minions know to meet us there for breakfast.

City Bakery

City Bakery is a bakery chain and this is the Yokohama Living Town Minatomirai branch. It’s nestled in a quiet commercial area and has a great selection of very tasty looking baked goods. We spend a fair bit of time humming and hawing over what treats we want, eventually order and sit down for a leisurely breakfast. We don’t have anything significant planned for the day so taking a beat at breakfast is a great way to start our day.

Yokohama

After breakfast, we decide to simply stroll around the Minatomirai neighbourhood. Having beautiful weather like we do makes for a very pleasant morning stroll and there are some great walking areas nearby. We stop into and out of a few different malls and explore a good number of interesting Japanese shops as we walk around. 

The sister and I get excited when we see a large area devoted to Japanese Gachapon machines. There’s a love for the sometimes very random toys that you can get from these machines and we are excited to share it with the parentals. After a little convincing that its not a complete waste of money, we eventually get the entire Minion family to partake in this fun little activity!

Uogashiya Ramen and Sushi

After some strolling and shopping we eventually start to think about lunch. There’s no shortage of food options in Yokohama but a good number of the family is feeling Ramen. So we start looking for shops and stumble upon an interesting one. Uogashiya is a ramen shop that not only serves ramen but also sushi! Its like two unique Japanese favourites in one store! We line up for a few short minutes before the four us are shown to our seats. And just as advertised, we are able to have some delicious bowls of ramen along with some very tasty sushi! Looking more into this, it’s apparently a relatively new concept and one I’m very happy we are able to stumble upon it!

Yokohama Continued

After lunch we proceed to explore along the water. We even stop off to grab a few sweet treats like pudding and ice cream. Eventually we decide to head back to the hotel to allow everyone a rest in the afternoon. It’s already been a fair bit of walking so having a chance to recuperate is very welcome!

Yokohama Evening

In the evening, Mama Minion still feels pretty tired from our day’s walking. So instead, the Sister, Papa Minion and myself set out to check out another part of Yokohama and also find some dinner. We pass by the Nissan Gallery which is on the ground floor of Nissan Headquarters. Fortunately, unlike my last visit to Yokohama, the gallery is open! However, the interest isn’t high from any of us to visit, so we just admire from outside!

We then make our way to the Nishi ward area of Yokohama and spend some time doing a little shopping and taking in a very different vibe than our morning explorations.

Ikinari Steak

After a little bit more exploring we make our way to our chosen dinner spot, Ikinari Steak. For those who have read my past adventures to Japan, you’ll know that Ikinari Steak is a favourite of mine. It’s a very no nonsense basic steak house for reasonable prices. And I’m happy to be able to share it with Papa Minion and The Sister. We are quickly seated, and order our steaks and accompaniments. Soon, our tasty dinners arrive on sizzilling hot plates! I’m thankful that both Papa Minion and The Sister enjoy it as much as I do and we have a great time chowing down!

After dinner we decide to take another route back and enjoy a comfortable stroll back to our hotel to turn in for the evening!

R Baker

On our initial explorations the day before we had clocked another cool looking bakery. So this morning we decide to give R Baker a try. It’s a lot smaller than City Bakery, but it feels a bit more unique and fun! The selection of tasty treats is still delicious and so is the coffee!

Holland America Line Westerdam

After breakfast we walk around a little more before heading back to our hotel to check out. We will be heading to the Cruise Terminal in order to board our home for the next 14 days! That home is the Holland America Line Westerdam. It’s not too dissimilar to the ship we were on for our Minion Family vacation to the East Coast. However, this time we opt for balcony rooms because of the length of the cruise. After checking in and getting access to our rooms, we do our cursory exploration of the ship to familiarize ourselves with it.

Yokohama Bay

Since the cruise isn’t scheduled to depart until late in the evening, we decide to disembark the ship and spend the afternoon exploring the waterfront. We start by exploring the very cool Yokohama Cruise Terminal. It’s a uniquely designed building which not only operates as a cruise port but also is a great place for locals to walk around and “over” to enjoy great views.

Because Mama Minion’s leg is feeling a bit off, she decides to stay in the area and head back to the ship at her leisure. The rest of us though decide to head down the waterfront a bit more and eventually find ourselves in the Red Brick Warehouse area. When we arrive we recognize that its abnormally busy and realize that its the Yokohama Strawberry Festival!

It’s pretty crowded with different booths, stands and even a temporary ice rink! Because there’s and admission fee for everything we decide to just look and eventually make our way into the Red Brick buildings themselves.

Komeraku

In search of lunch we all decide on Komeraku which offers Ochazuke. Ochazuke is translated as “Rice with Tea” and that’s pretty much what it is! You order from a selection of rice bowls and are given a kettle full of broth. As you eat, you’re supposed to pour more broth to mix with the rice which makes for a very delicious and unique dining experience. We spend some time enjoying our lunches and people watching. 

Heading back to the Ship

We eventually start to make our way back to the ship. Though not before I get myself some Milk Marche Strawberry twist ice cream. (We can’t be by the strawberry festival and not get anything strawberry!) The walk back is just as pleasant as the walk out! However, on the way back we also have some interesting animal encounters. We had become accustomed to people with their dogs in strollers. However, at first glance I notice a stroller that (initially) I thought to myself had a very “ugly” dog. To my surprise, upon closer inspection, it’s actually a full size pet pig in the stroller! We snap a few picks and after a bit more walking we see a random meerkat sitting on a Japanese Lady’s shoulder. All of this further reinforces that fact that you can never not be surprised while travelling!

After returning to the boat we spend a bit of time relaxing in our rooms. One of the very cool things about a few of these Japanese ports is the send offs they give to ships. Yokohama is one of these ports and seeing a band setup and “play us out” is very cool to witness. 

As its Prime Rib Night in the Lido deck of our ship, our family decides to head there for dinner. We all get different sides but its a safe bet to say that we all indulge in some prime rib. If this is how the food service is going to start on the boat, the next two weeks are going to be full of eating! 

We spend the rest of the evening enjoying the food, recounting the different fun and weird things we see ashore. We slowly prepare to turn in since we have an early morning port tomorrow in Shimizu.