Yokohama was a small fishing village until the shogunate opened it as a treaty port in 1859, and it grew almost overnight into Japan's main gateway for foreign trade — the country's first newspaper, gas streetlamps and railway all appeared here within the next fifteen years. With 3.76 million people it is Japan's second-largest city, hugging Tokyo Bay just south of the capital, to which roughly 1.5 million residents commute. Its 19th-century immigrant quarter grew into Yokohama Chinatown, the largest in Japan, now wrapped around the glass towers of the Minato Mirai waterfront and its landmark ferris wheel.
Nights sit around 22°C and afternoons around 28°C, though some days reach 33°C.
Yokohama has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 30°C, winter ones around 12°C.
Some summer days reach 35°C, and some winter nights drop to 1°C.
Most of the rain falls in autumn, least in winter. In October it rains about 12 days in 30; in February, 5.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: December averages an AQI of 99, while August clears to 72.
Days stretch to about 14.4 hours of light in June and shrink to 9.6 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
No month in Yokohama matches what you're after, so come for the place rather than the weather. Expect fast internet (317 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1250 a month).
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