Yokohama

Beautiful and sacred Mt. Fuji during cherry blossom time

Gary and Dr. Eliason from Yokohama Harbor View Park

Bridge in Yokohama Harbor--this is the port area for Tokyo where cargo and cruise ships come and also where Commodore Perry landed

View towards downtown Yokohama

A model view of Commodore Perry's landing in 1853

Large rhododendrum plant in an area that was settled by the British so the area has British looking buildings

Old Catholic cemetery for foreigners.  There is an LDS church owned cemetery here in Tokyo called Cumorah.  

Nice palm tree in the middle of the cemetery.

We made a quick trip to Holland to see the tulips--Japan is covered with beautiful flowers everywhere this time of year.

In front of the Yamate chapel in Yokohama.  We just happened to run into a couple of sister missionaries that were coming out the door.  

The country of Japan was dedicated for the preaching of the gospel near this site in 1901.

Alma O. Taylor came here when he was 19 years old and stayed for many years.  He provided the first translation of the Book of Mormon.  It was extremely difficult because the Japanese language didn't have words for God, Jesus, atonement, and many other religious type words.  Many of the words used in the Bible today are not understood by non-Christian Japanese people.

Entrance to Yokohama Chinatown--claimed to be the largest Chinatown in the world and I believe it.  This one of a half dozen gates in various locations.

Buddhist Temple in Chinatown.  It is very ornate as you can see from the pictures below.

Very cool street with hundreds of shops and restaurants in Chinatown.

Where we ate lunch was a very small Chinese restaurant with a very small kitchen--hence, a very small picture.

The waiters spoke Chinese and probably Japanese but since we spoke neither we did our usual pointing to items on the menu.  It's always an adventure since you can't always tell what you are getting and you're still not sure when you eat it but it was very good (whatever it was).  

There were a few people hanging around Chinatown

Typical shop in Chinatown.  Red is a very popular color here as you can see.

Lot's of palm readers in Chinatown.  For only a few dollars you can know all of your future...I wonder if they also read feet?

You can also ride the rickshaw for about $60--I think I would rather have my feet read for that price.

This must be a motorized rickshaw or maybe a Popsicle rickshaw.

There is a very nice park all along Yokohama harbor.

Just looks like a couple of old guys to me--must be foreigners!

Just a few small boats in the harbor.  The red brick building used to be a big warehouse, now it is a big shopping center.

Downtown Yokohama and the tallest building in Japan.  Downtown Yokohama is only about 15 miles from central Tokyo.

There were lots of seagulls flying around and some resting on the cables from the ship.  I assume it's not safe to canoe under the cables.

Must be a bed and breakfast place in the park or maybe an igloo.

A very cute kid playing in the park.

There's lots of towers around Tokyo and Yokohama.  

Back to our place, and there is the local temple just about a block from our house.  They put lanterns on it and had a celebration for one night and took them down that same night. (No, we don't know what they were celebrating.)

This is a motorcycle planter we see on the way to a little store where we shop.  I think it needs a little TLC.