New Year, New Journey | Celebrating the New Year in Chinatown, Yokohama, where the dragon rides the clouds for a lucky year
❤The New Year atmosphere for overseas Chinese is in Chinatowns around the world. Unlike the usual crowds, there are unique Chinese charm of Chinatown.
🌟Yokohama, less than thirty kilometers away from Tokyo, is one of the earliest open port cities in Japan. It has one of the three major Chinatowns in Japan, "Yokohama Chinatown". The history of Chinese living here can be traced back to 1859. Most of the Chinese living here are mainly from Guangdong, China.
👍2024 welcomed the 38th "Chinese New Year" celebration in Yokohama Chinatown. Every Chinese Lunar New Year, a "Spring Festival" is held, with lanterns and decorations on the streets of Chinatown, and Chinese elements dominate the market. This Chinatown celebration is themed "Dragon Riding the Clouds", implying that everyone will break through in various aspects like a dragon in the new year.
✅In Yokohama Chinatown, the most popular temple during the Lunar New Year is the "Guan Di Temple". In Japan, the Three Kingdoms general Guan Yu (Guan Sheng Emperor) is a deified figure, and tourists from all countries will come here for the "first visit" to pray for a successful career and prosperous business in the new year.
❤This Chinese New Year celebration in Yokohama Chinatown has arranged 400 red and yellow lanterns to decorate every corner of the market. Among them, a group of 100 lanterns called "Hundred-section Dragon" is very popular and attracts many tourists to stop and take photos. Yamashita Town Park has also set up lanterns symbolizing the Chinese emperor and empress, "Dragon" and "Phoenix". This will last from February 10th to February 24th. During this period (February 11th, February 12th, February 17th, February 18th), in addition to the traditional lion dance "Cai Qing" to celebrate the harvest and prosperous business, there will also be "Dragon Dance", "Chinese Acrobatics", parade celebrations and other activities.
🧳If you are traveling in Japan, or are about to set off for Tokyo, don't miss the Chinese New Year atmosphere in Yokohama Chinatown, go and experience it!