Towering over Yamashita Park, the Yokohama Marine Tower stands at 106 metres high making it the tallest lighthouse in the world.
Built in 1961 for the 100th anniversary monument of opening Yokohama seaport, the tower still functions as a real lighthouse. The towers alternating red and green lights sweep the bay every 20 seconds to warn ships of the location of the port from far out at sea.
Below the towers light is a two floor observation deck on the 29th and 30th floor, from here you can get 360 degree views of Yokohama and on a clear day you can even see the snow caped peak of Mount Fuji.
At the base of the tower there is a four story complex that houses a cafe, a restaurant, a bar and a gift shop. The 3rd floor houses two halls that are used for various events like art exhibitions and weddings.
Since Marine Tower was built over 25 million people have visited the complex. Recently the tower underwent extensive renovations and reopened in early 2009.
Yokohama Marine Tower is open 10:00am to 10:30pm, 7 days a week with the last entry taking place at 10pm. To access the tower take the Minatomirai subway line and get off at Motomachi-Chinatown station and walk 1 minute from exit 4 towards Yamashita Park. Alternatively you can take the ferry known as the “Sea Bus” from JR Yokohama station East exit towards Yamashita Park. A red sightseeing bus (known as the Akai Kutsu) that regularly departs JR Sakuragi-cho Station also stops at the tower.
Official Website
http://marinetower.jp/eng.html
