Yokohama Chinatown, proud of its 140-year history as a symbol of the city since the early days of the port's opening, is gearing up for a makeover that it hopes will draw tourists back to its streets.
A group of restaurant and shop owners in Chinatown has been working to make the narrow streets barrier-free and more visitor-friendly, hoping to keep pedestrian traffic up amid the economic slump and as the elderly population swells.
Work will begin this year on refurbishing the main street, which is about 9 meters wide and runs about 300 meters between the ornamental gates of Choyomon in the east and Zenrinmon to the west, according to Tadayasu Abe, managing trustee of the Yokohama Chinatown Development Association.