Motomachi
Encyclopedia
Naka-ku, Yokohama
is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563and a density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km².-Geography:...
in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, located immediately west of Yamate
Yamate
is the name of two neighborhoods in Naka-ku, Yokohama. One is the historic Yamate Bluff area, with the Foreigner's Cemetery, many well-preserved residences, two International Schools—Yokohama International School and Saint Maur International School—and the Sacred Heart Cathedral...
and east of Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown is located in Yokohama, Japan, which is located just south of Tokyo. Its history is about 150 years long...
. It consists mainly of the Motomachi Shopping Street, a five-block long stretch of boutiques and shops, well known in Japan for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, original fashion, and Western influence.
History
Motomachi was originally a quiet farming and fishing village until 1859, when the Port of Yokohama was opened. Since then, the close-by KannaiKannai
is a region in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan, bounded by the Ōoka River, JR Negishi Line, Nakamura River, and the Ocean. "Kannai" is not an official name of the area, but it has been in use for over a century....
district became the foreigners' business district, and the adjacent Yamate
Yamate
is the name of two neighborhoods in Naka-ku, Yokohama. One is the historic Yamate Bluff area, with the Foreigner's Cemetery, many well-preserved residences, two International Schools—Yokohama International School and Saint Maur International School—and the Sacred Heart Cathedral...
and Yamashitacho districts became the foreigners' residential districts. Situated in-between, with Yamate to the east, and Kannai and Yamashitacho to the west, Motomachi became frequented by many foreigners. Shops and businesses were opened, catering to the needs of foreigners.
Soon after the start of the Meiji era, the number of foreign residents increased. And western influence became more evident in Motomachi, with the opening of many café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s, bakeries
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
, and boutiques. Such shops were uncommon in Japan at the time, and Motomachi helped introduce Western culture into Japan, as part of what is called . This was the beginning of the Motomachi Shopping Street as it is known as of 2008.
In the 1970s, the "Motomachi Shopping Street" produced a new style of fashion called the (short for "Yokohama traditional"). The most famous producers of the hama tora style were Kitamura http://www.motomachi.or.jp/html/SSG_pop.php?item_no=1166, Mihama http://www.motomachi.or.jp/html/SSG_pop.php?item_no=1072, and Fukuzō http://www.motomachi.or.jp/html/SSG_pop.php?item_no=1130, three of the most fashionable boutiques in Motomachi.
In the 1960s, on one end of Motomachi stood the German Bakery and next door was the fantastic Madame Pompadour Bakery with the best puff pastry imaginable. When the aromas filled the street on Saturday mornings it was beyond description. On the end stood (and stands today) Nakayas grocery store, which sold wonderful liquor spiked communist jellies and jams from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
; nearby the vinyl record store which made available many popular 45 rpm records of the day on RCA Victor such as the Monkees and the Beatles. In between as today stands the Union Supermarket where one could purchase US or Japanese versions of the same cereals such as Sugar Pops. And across the street stood the French Restaurant with the best chocolate ice cream.