The Boulevards of Golden Dreams - Yokohama

 It's the same thing every year and I never get tired of it. The leaves on the Gingko nut trees along Nihon-Odori and Yamashita-dori  turn golden yellow; it's a beautiful sight to see.

Let's start with a stroll along Nihon-Odori.

Nihon-Odori has to be the most famous boulevards in Yokohama.

It is frequently used as a filming location for TV shows, commercials and movies.

This time of year it's a daily task to sweep the sidewalks.

There are fences that double as benches on both sides of the street. On a nice day many people sit on these benches and eat their lunch.

Nihon-Odori is also a popular place for artist to paint pictures.

Now we'll take a walk along Yamashita-Dori

Yamashita-dori runs parallel to Yamashita Park. Yamashita Park faces Yokohama bay and is an excellent place to visit. 

There is a group of Dog lovers blocking the sidewalk. They're taking turns posing their dogs for photographing with the beautiful Gingko nut trees as the background. They're a happy bunch and the quickly move to one side as we walked by them.

A couple of shots from the pedestrians overpass that connects Yamashita Park with the Yokohama Doll Museum.

When one hears the name "Doll Museum" one might think it's a place for children. I've been there 3 times and I can tell you that it's a fun place for adults too!

We'll make a quick pass through China Town for a special treat at Yokohama Park.

As the population gets vaccinated and the COVID numbers keep dropping, more people are hitting the streets.

Having fun but still taking precautions. He needs to pull his mask up!

Fried something on a stick. She doesn't look overly excited about eating it. 

Like I said, a lot of people are out-and-about.

Welcome to Yokohama Park! What a treat!

Yokohama Park is the site of the Yokohama Baseball Stadium. 

It's also a park with a small pond surrounded by beautiful trees.

This time of year it's one of the most colorful places in Yokohama City.

I hope people have enjoyed this post and as usual... 

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Bonus shots!

Uraga - Exploring the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery Site

I returned to Uraga to see what the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery Site was all about.

Like last time I arrived at Uraga via the Keikyu train line. The Uraga station is built on a hill side. It's also a Bus terminal. For people that don't want to walk to the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery Site they can take a bus that will get them to the access road; they'll still have to walk up a steep hill.

I opted for walking. Walking is good for so many things. Good for your health and good for sightseeing. Speaking of sightseeing, guess what's on the other side of this brick wall?

There is a massive drydock! I climbed up on the wall and poked my camera through the barbed wire to get this shot. I don't recommend this method to anyone. Best to walk back to the entrance and take the tour like a normal person. 

Most of the brick wall is new but some is original. There are stainless steel bands bolted to the wall to reinforce it.

The walk along Uraga harbor is very pleasant.

It's such a beautiful day for this outing.

Keep walking and one will see these dredging ships moored at the pier.

Uraga has really done a nice job of developing the waterfront. There's even a jetty for fisherman.

The access road for the Gun Battery Site is the same for the Tomyodo Lighthouse. On the left side of the palm tree is the bus stop.

After walking up a big steep hill I arrive at the Gun Site. There's a nice bilingual sign at the entrance.

It's facinating.

Per the internet:

A western-style gun battery established by the Imperial Japanese Army that was built upon an already existing battery from the late Edo period. This huge fortress still retains its original form from when it was built.

The Chiyogasaki Gun Battery was a western-style gun battery established by the Imperial Japanese Army. It was built upon a battery located on Mt. Hiraneyama that was constructed by the Aizu Domain during the late Edo Period. Due to the excellent preservation of its original structure and significance in understanding the modernization of the Japanese military and fortification techniques, the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery, along with the Sarushima Gun Battery, were designated as National Historic Sites and Japan Heritage Cultural Properties.

This is the entrance to the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery Site.

I decided to tour the underground part first. 

There were several other people touring the site, they took advantage of the free tour guide service. 

What can I say? Lots of bricks used in the construction of this place.

These are the magazines under the guns.  

Now it's time to tour the above ground part of the Gun Site. 

The first thing one notices is that the Guns are gone!

No guns! Hence this place is called a gun site.

It's still pretty impressive to walk around here and feel the history of the place. 

So, why was this place chosen to build such a massive gun battery?  

Because Mt. Hiraneyama overlooks the entrance to Tokyo Bay. Any ship entering or leaving Tokyo bay would have to pass Infront of the Chiyogasaki Gun Battery. Give them the order and "bang, you're dead!". 

I'm starting to notice a lot of warning signs for the poisonous Mamushi snake. I've seen enough, it's time to go.  

Since the gun site is so close to the Tomyodo lighthouse beach I decided to visit and have a nice walk around.

Such a beautiful place to visit. So peaceful.

Find a nice spot to sit and watch the ships come and go.

Last shot of the day: A family having fun at the beach. Now it's time for me to go back to town and find a place to eat.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mike

Bonus shots!