In 1859 the policy of seclusion pursued for over 200 years by the Tokugawa shogunate was reversed, and Yokohama became one of three ports opened to foreign trade. As Yokohama was the closest to the shogunal capital of Edo (now Tokyo), it was the most important nexus linking Japan with the West. Most of the products of Western civilization passed through the port of Yokohama before going to the rest of the nation. The port thus played a crucial role in the process of rapid modernization undertaken by Japan in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries known as the Meiji Restoration. Yokohama residents take pride in the international nature and frontier spirit of their city, and these characteristics are still evident today.

Chinatown epitomizes Yokohama's international quality. This section of the city began to take shape as soon as the port was opened, and the Chinatown in Yokohama today is larger than the one in New York City and is still expanding. Old restaurants in the area serve up the traditional taste of the four main cuisines of Chinese food: Beijing, Cantonese, Shanghai, and Sichuan. Five large gates mark the entrances to this separate world, which even has a school for ethnic Chinese.

Another attraction in Yokohama is the fashionable streetscape that bespeaks the city's history as the residing place of many Westerners. The Motomachi shopping district near Chinatown catered to the city's foreign residents. Today it is lined with shops of luxury brand goods, and in the 1970s it gave birth to a fashion style known as "Yokohama traditional." The Yamate district, where many foreign residents used to live, is a short hike up a steep hill from Motomachi. The elegant homes and buildings built by these people still lend an air of charm to the area.

The newest face of Yokohama is the Minato Mirai 21 area located on the waterfront. This area contains shopping malls, luxury hotels, concert halls, and museums centered around the 70-story Landmark Tower, which at a height of 296 meters is the tallest building in Japan.