Minato Mirai 21
Minato Mirai 21 (みなとみらい21 Minato Mirai Nijūichi), often shortened to Minato Mirai or MM is a large urban development in Yokohama, Japan. The Minato Mirai 21 area was designated to be a new urban center planned to connect Yokohama's traditional important areas of Kannai and the Yokohama Station area.
Minato Mirai 21 was originally proposed as one of Yokohama's six major development plans by the mayor of Yokohama, Ichio Asukata, in 1965. After several assessments and review sessions, actual construction started in 1983. The area where it is located was once known as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd's Yokohama shipyard and the Japanese National Railways classification yard, Takashima wharf and Shinko wharf of Port of Yokohama. Conducted as an Urban Renewal and reclaimed land project, the port and the industrial area once divided the two city centers of Kannai and Yokohama Station, but now the area has become a new business district in Yokohama. The name Minato Mirai 21 means "Port of the Future [in] the 21[st century]", which was selected by a public opinion poll.
The area is now flourishing as one of the newest urban business districts in the Greater Tokyo Metropolitan area, symbolized by Landmark Tower, Japan's tallest skyscraper, the three Queens Square Towers, which contain a large shopping mall, the Pacifico Yokohama convention center, the Intercontinental Hotel, the Cosmo Clock 21 Ferris wheel, and more. Next to Landmark Tower is the Yokohama Museum of Art.
The area is an important business center, with Nissan Motors, JGC Corporation, and other major corporations locating their headquarters and branches in the Minato Mirai area. Today, about 79,000 people are working in Minato Mirai 21.
In Yokohama, Minato Mirai 21 also attracts numerous tourists along with the nearby Yokohama Chinatown. In 2010, approximately 58 million people visited Minato Mirai 21. Due to the beautiful view, bay proximity, cruise ships docked at Ōsanbashi Pier, and the graceful Yokohama Bay Bridge, pictures of Minato Mirai 21 tend to be used as a symbol of today's Yokohama.
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[edit] Attractions
Major attractions in the area include the following:
- Yokohama Landmark Tower - The third tallest structure and tallest building in Japan, with views of Tokyo and Mt. Fuji
- Cosmo World - amusement park, which includes the 100 meter (330 ft) Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel
- Kishamichi Promenade - a pedestrian walkway that follows the original harbor railroad tracks, linking Sakuragichō Station with Yokohama World Porters and the Cosmo Clock. The walkway offers expansive views of the Minato Mirai skyline.
- Minato Mirai Hall - home to the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra
- Pacifico Yokohama
- Nippon Maru - a four masted sailing ship, permanently docked in Minato Mirai as a museum
- Yokohama Museum of Art
[edit] Major hotels
Major hotels in the area with over 300 guestrooms include the following:
- Yokohama Bay Grand InterContinental Hotel
- Pan Pacific Yokohama Bay Hotel Tokyu
- Yokohama Royal Park Hotel
- Yokohama Sakuragicho Washington Hotel
- Yokohama Bay Sheraton Hotel and towers
[edit] Railway stations
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minato Mirai 21 |
- Official website (English)
Coordinates: 35°27′29″N 139°37′55″E / 35.458°N 139.632°E
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