Photo: Ymblanter / CC BY-SA 4.0Rebuilt in 2002 by an architectural practice that won an open international competition, Osanbashi has no columns and no straight lines. The whole structure is a folded plate — you walk up a continuous ramp from the arrival hall onto a rolling deck of Brazilian hardwood and lawn, and there are no steps anywhere on it.
Yokohama calls it the whale's back. It is a working cruise terminal whose roof is a free 24-hour public park, and from it you get the Minato Mirai skyline on one side and the open bay on the other. It is also, for a visitor with a mobility concern, the single most accessible viewpoint in this city.
Five things the plaques won't tell you
- The deck is step-free from end to end — unusual, and genuinely useful.
- Best light is the hour before sunset, looking north at Minato Mirai.
- From here to Chinatown is about fifteen minutes on foot, all flat.
- If your ship berths at Daikoku Pier, there is nothing within walking distance: use the cruise-line shuttle or a taxi (city buses 109 and 17 stop 8–9 minutes' walk away but crowd on ship days). If you are at Shinko Pier (Hammerhead), Bashamichi station is 10 minutes on foot.
- The Red Brick Warehouse is about fifteen minutes north along the water and is open late.
It is also, for a visitor with a mobility concern, the single most accessible viewpoint in this city.
Guided days from Yokohama
Booked before you sail — there is no tour desk at the pier. Booking through these links supports the site.
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Questions people ask here
Can you walk on the roof of Osanbashi Pier?
Yes — the roof is a free public deck of hardwood and lawn, open twenty-four hours, reached by a continuous step-free ramp from the terminal. It gives the Minato Mirai skyline on one side and the open bay on the other, and it is the most accessible viewpoint in Yokohama.
What is walkable from the Yokohama cruise terminal?
From Osanbashi: Chinatown and the Red Brick Warehouse in about fifteen minutes each, the Hotel New Grand in under ten, all flat. From Daikoku Pier nothing is within walking distance — use the cruise-line shuttle or a taxi (city buses 109 and 17 stop 8–9 minutes' walk away but crowd on ship days). From Shinko Pier (Hammerhead), Bashamichi station is 10 minutes on foot.