Perched atop a gentle hill overlooking Yokohama’s sun reflecting waters of the city’s harbor combined with the gorgeous view of the glimmering skyline, the long rainbow bridge and the colorful Minato Mirai (the famous giant wheel), Harbor View Park, also known as Minato no Mieru Oka Koen, is true to its name.

Soon after the port of Yokohama opened its waters for foreign trade, the site of the park became the location for British and French troops. When the sites were returned to the city of Yokohama in 1962, it became a public park that still holds the historic buildings and ruins of the consulates that were once stationed there.

Today, this 72-hectare park is filled to the brim with bright green trees, beautiful flowers and huge blooming roses. It also became more known after being featured in the popular Japanese anime “Bungou Stray Dogs“.

What’s more, this place is close to Tokyo (being only a 30 minute ride away) and is in underrated place where crowds are free and gorgeous views still stand. So if you’re looking for underrated things to do in Tokyo or the best things to do in Yokohama, this is a quick stop for a leisure stroll and some history learning.

Flowers, Forests and Gardens

Amidst the ever-stretching silver skyline of Yokohama and its ultra-modern streets, you would never think that such an area filled with thick dense trees and colorful flowers exists. But they do! If you want to take a break amidst nature, then Harbor View Park offers just that.

The park is known for its famous rose garden. With heavenly scents and full-bloom roses, this area is a picturesque setting that gives historic manor vibes. From early May to around November, the rose garden is in full bloom with a variety of multicolored roses making it one of the best places in Japan to see the petals in full bloom.

Other than the pretty florals, the park is also abundant with greens making it look like a mini forest in the heart of the city. The France Yama, also known as the French Hill, on the northern side of the park has dense trees and plants covering most of its area. While its mostly a leisure walking spot today, this place had its history when the French troops were stationed here during their days in Japan.

Gorgeous Yokohama City View

While most folks flock to places like Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo tower and Shibuya sky to get the famous view of Japan’s flickering neon lights, a lesser-known spot awaits just a half hour train ride away in Yokohama. While the above-mentioned spots can get really crowded in most seasons, this particular place in Yokohama remains empty with few tourists.

So, if you want a less crowded place where you can take your time to gaze at the beautiful city views while also capturing insta-worthy images, then the Habor View Park Observatory is the place to go to! And what’s more, unlike the other places in Tokyo, this observatory is completely free.

The observatory gives beautiful views of the city’s skyline and the Port of Yokohama. Stay here during the sunset and you will see the million lights of Yokohama flicker and illuminate the skyline, the Minato Mirai and the rainbow bridge with bright colors giving you one of the best night view in Tokyo.

If you want to experience a more mind-boggling Yokohama night view, head to the Sky Garden in Landmark Tower (which is just a 5–10-minute ride) and you will be able to see the city lights in its neon brightness stretching across the waters as far as the eye can see. At daytime, you can also see Mt Fuji and the major parts of Tokyo from the Sky Garden.

Historic Buildings

The Harbor View Park isn’t just a park that randomly sprung up as a leisure spot. Just like most other places in Yokohama, this park has its certain bit of history. It was the place where British and French troops were stationed during the 1800s. Some of the buildings and structures still remain which tells of stories from the Taisho Era. Here are a few of the historic structures you can visit at the Harbor View Park.

British Consul’s Residence from the 1860s

This is the time when the Port of Yokohama opened its waters for trade in 1859 (and being one of the first Japanese cities to do so). Soon after foreign trade was welcomed, the site of Harbor View Park became the location of the British Consul’s Residence. It also became the main camp for the British military garrison between 1862 and 1875.

The consul’s residence remained in use until 1969 when the building and the surrounding gardens were returned to the city of Yokohama. This is one of the reasons why the rose garden has a very English touch and the British atmosphere is very evident in the area.

111 Yamate House

111 Yamate House also known as Bluff No.111 was originally built as a residence for an American, Mr. Raffin/Laffin. While it s a cultural property in Yokohama today, this Spanish style house originally belonged to Thomas Melvin Laffin/Raffin, an American Naval officer who landed at the Yokohama port for repairing his battleship during his voyage.

Like most travelers to Japan today, Mr. Raffin/Laffin fell in love with the city and a lady, Miyo Ishii. A Japanese local, Ishii eventually married Raffin and the Americal settled in Yokohama where they raised 8 children together. The 111 Yamate House was built for his married son, John.

Osaragi Jiro Memorial Hall

Not all of Harbor View Park’s historical marks are foreign. One of the sites belongs to Osarai Jiro, a literary figure born and celebrated in Yokohama. Osaragi was known for his famous novel “Kuramatengu” and its manuscripts are displayed in the hall. The study room that he used later in his life is also open for exhibition.

France Yama (French Mountain)

Connecting to the British side of the Harbor View Park is the France Yama/French Mountain and its entrance with some stairs is what first passes by you as you make your way to Harbor View Park.

Full of thick trees and dense plants, this particular hill was once named the French Mountain because it was where the French troops were stations and the French Consulate building stood in the same vicinity. However, the consulate and its structures faced massive damages after the Great Kanto Earthquake hit Japan in 1923.

Yokohama purchased the site back from the French and rebuilt it to the present park while still keeping the remains of the French Consulate. Today, the ruins of the consulate and a replica of the windmill that used to pump water from the nearby park can be seen on the hill.

Least crowded parks near Tokyo

Tokyo is famous for its parks like Shinjuku, Ueno and Inoshikara with its beautiful landscapes that comes to bright colors during the cherry blossom and autumn viewing time. And that’s exactly why it gets incredibly crowded too.

Leisure strolls and relaxations make it next to impossible when there are hordes of people, both local and tourists, crowding around you in every corner. And that’s why visiting Harbor View Park is one of the underrated things to do in Tokyo where it’s just less than half an hour train ride away from the capital. The park is the perfect place for those who likes to avoid crowds, soak up nature and some sunlight while being surrounded by the towering skyscrapers of Yokohama.

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