National Holiday Spent in Yokohama

This update took a while to get to, but on Monday it was a national holiday in Japan, so I had the day off from work!  I went in to Yokohama, determined to get to the top of the Landmark Tower!  It cost 1000 yen to go to the top, and the elevator rose almost 70 stories in 40 seconds!

From the top there were fabulous views!  Yokohama is very densely packed!

A lot of the buildings had helipads on top of them.  I guess that is one way to beat the traffic congestion!

 In the distance you can see the summit of Mt. Fuji peaking out from the clouds!  I was so happy to finally get to see it.  There hadn't been many clear days since I arrived, so I was happy to get this view!

 After visiting the tower, I grabbed some lunch and sat on some steps outside the tower/mall area, called Queen's square.  There was a street performer about to begin, so I settled in and watched.  Luckily, street performance is a pretty universal language, so even though I couldn't understand him, it was still pretty enjoyable!  He made a microphone stand and a guitar out of balloons!  I thought that was pretty clever.

 He also played with some fire batons.  I was nervous because there were a lot of little kids running around, but luckily he knew what he was doing!

And, for your "only in Japan" moment of the day: he put a latex glove on his head and blew it up.  Very strange!

 After the street show, I walked around the Minato Mirai area.  This ship is part of a museum that shows the history of Yokohama as a sea port.  In the background you can see a giant Ferris wheel - it is called the Cosmo Clock.  And yes - I went on it! 

Walking around some more, I stumbled on to an Octoberfest!  It was super packed, so I didn't go in, but there was a lot of beer and sausages and some interesting music going on!

 The Japanese Coast Guard.  I don't know why, but I though that this was cool.

 A nice shot of the skyline in the Minato Mirai district. 

 This is the Yokohama bay bridge - I think it is really pretty!  I had some great views of this from the Ferris wheel.

 Another picture from the Ferris wheel.  I don't know what's going on in this picture, but the top of this building really looks peaceful!

So about the Ferris wheel ride: I don't actually like Ferris wheels - but I ignored that and got on it anyway.  It took 15 minutes for one revolution, and about 5-6 minutes in, I remembered why I don't like them!  It was super windy and the gondola was rocking.  But, there were some good views, so it was worth it!

I had a great day exploring this area of Yokohama.  It was along the waterfront, and it was more open than other areas I've been, so it was much easier just to walk around and explore without getting lost.  I think that there is also an art museum in this area, so maybe I will go back to check it out!