Jan 31, 2020 - 2 min read

Hammerhead Shopping Marina

Yokohama’s newest Port Terminal

By Steve Morton

Community writer

This terminal can be accessed from one of several nearby train stations

Located on the first floor is a food hall where you can find many 'Ramen' (noodle), restaurants

No shopping center would be complete without a Starbucks

When entering the second floor you can find many nice cafes and novelty shops

Despite its relatively small size, this complex is surprisingly spacious

A 'Peter Rabbit' themed cafe. Despite originating from the UK, Japan’s love of this character easily transcends its popularity back home

As well as featuring many shops and cafes, this complex also has its own radio station

Towards the back of the second floor is this crane, from which this complex is named after

Many years ago when first visiting Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district, most of the impressive buildings which we now take for granted such as, Aka-renga and Osan-Bashi Pier were still under construction. Yet, even during this early period, it was obvious that this former industrial site was undergoing a huge transformation as part of a futuristic port city project. The latest addition to this ongoing project opened recently in October 2019, by way of a new cruise terminal and shopping complex known collectively as ‘Hammerhead’.

This complex takes its name from a distinctive crane found towards the back of this complex which has been nicknamed ‘Hammerhead’ because of its distinctive shape. This historic structure dates back to 1914 and was officially registered in 2018 as being a ‘precious historic structure’.

When first approaching this complex you will notice its long pier, known official as Shinko Pier Cruise Terminal that has been especially renovated to hold large ships. One of these ships includes the luxury cruise liner “Pacific Venus”, which periodically embarks at this port.

On the opposite side of this complex is the “Intercontinental Yokohama Pier 8” hotel. This newly built hotel features 173 spacious rooms and is said to boast some spectacular views of the harbor. Since I have never stayed here, I can only take their word for this. However, if I ever get the chance, this is definitely something I would like to experience first -hand!

For the less affluent visitor, this complex features an impressive shopping mall, including a food hall on the first floor where you can enjoy trying several varieties of 'Ramen', (noodles). For a more relaxed experience, the second floor is home to several cafes including a special ‘Peter Rabbit’ themed tea room.

After visiting Hammerhead, I can honestly say that this new complex is definitely worth visiting during the weekdays, as its more ‘low-key’ atmosphere provides a welcome break from the more bustling areas of Minato Mirai

This terminal can be accessed from either Bashamichi or Minato-Mirai Stations. Both of these are on the Minato-Mirai line and represent a 10 to 12 minutes walk. Alternatively, this port terminal can also be reached via a 15 minute walk from Sakuragicho Station on the JR Negishi /Keihin -Tohoku Line.