Ooka-Gawa River, Port of Yokohama
Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
ISO 2500 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/8.0
Astia/Soft film simulation
Yokohama's Urban Tapestry: Sky Duck and Air Cabin Adventures
Location: Minatomirai District, Yokohama, Japan
Timestamp: 16:30 on January 2, 2024
As I strolled through Yokohama’s waterfront district seeking scenes for my street photography, the ripples on the water’s surface and reflections of nearby skyscrapers caught my attention.
The soft, rolling waves were a result of an amphibious bus from the Yokohama Sky Duck tours, making its way upriver on the Ooka River beside the Shinko Promenade, situated on one of the man-made islands in the Port of Yokohama.
The Sky Duck, a unique sightseeing vehicle, seamlessly transitions between being a bus on land and a boat on the sea. The vehicle takes passengers on a 60-minute tour of the Minatomirai waterfront district where it provides an opportunity to relish views of historical landmarks and the modern skyscrapers from both land and sea.
Though the Sky Duck tours are exclusively conducted in Japanese, this should not deter you from enjoying the sights and panoramic views of Yokohama’s skyline.
While it might be somewhat challenging to discern on a mobile device, my shot also captures the Yokohama Air Cabin pods. This ropeway gracefully shuttles passengers across the Ooka River, connecting Sakuragicho Station to Unga Park on Shinko Island, offering picturesque views of the waterfront district throughout the day, with the nighttime views being even more popular.
Despite the Yokohama Air Cabin website asserting that its ropeway is Japan’s first urban-type circular ropeway, my memory harkens back to a ropeway transporting passengers from the Sogo Department store near Yokohama station to the central part of Minatomirai during the 1989 Yokohama Expo. My best guess is that the Yokohama Air Cabin ropeway is Japan’s first ropeway in an urban setting that is permanent as opposed to temporary.
In any case, both the Yokohama Air Cabin and Yokohama Sky Duck stand as remarkable attractions for tourists seeking unique experiences accompanied by unforgettable views.
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