The rooftop plaza can be used
by anyone at any time
The rooftop of Osanbashi is a 24-hour open park in which anyone can freely stroll. It is a place for locals to relax and enjoy the arrival and departure of cruise ships up close.
The flooring is finished with a wood deck made of Brazilian Ipe wood.
Among other wood deck materials, it has excellent qualities in terms of durability, insect and rot resistance, and strength.
It is also a very heavy material and has a relative density of about 1.1, making it sink in water.
*Please note that the flooring is not finished, and you may get splinters if you run and fall.
Rooftop Plaza Information
The rooftop of Osanbashi was named Kujira no Senaka ("Whale's Back") on December 4, 2006.
With the goal of creating familiarity and liveliness among the locals, we received 3,995 applications for the nickname from the general public.
The nickname "Kujira no Senaka" was chosen from among the top 26 applications received.
After 15 years since it was named, it has become well known by locals and tourists visiting Osanbashi for expressing the features of the rooftop plaza well, evoking the image of a "majestic whale on the sea," and being easy for children to get to know it.
From the rooftop of Osanbashi, there is a viewpoint from which you can see the Yokohama Three Towers, the Kanagawa Prefectural Office ("The King"), the Yokohama Customs Building ("The Queen"), and the Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall ("The Jack"), which have long beloved by locals as symbols of the Port of Yokohama. It is said that the towers were named after the foreign sailors of the ships that entered the port, comparing them to cards on a deck of cards.
Known as the "Yokohama Three Towers Story," an urban legend tells that your wish will come true if you visit all the spots where you can see these three towers at the same time (the front of Kanagawa Prefectural Office, the Red Brick Warehouse, and Osanbashi).
Osanbashi is kept at 15 meters above the ground even at its highest point on the rooftop so that the ships calling at the port can be seen from the surrounding area.
In addition, its location juts out into the sea, providing a 360-degree panoramic view of the city.
This spot offers a view over Yokohama's tourist attractions, including the ridgelines of the Minatomirai buildings that make Yokohama so impressive, the giant Ferris wheel, the Yokohama Bay Bridge, and the Marine Tower.
Mt. Fuji can be seen during the time of the year when the air is clear. The Tokyo Sky Tree is also visible from here.
The rooftop plaza is the best spot for photography.
In 2006, Osanbashi was selected as one of the "100 Mt. Fuji Views in Kanto" (sponsored by the Kanto Regional Development Bureau). While skyscrapers have been built since then, Mt. Fuji can still be seen from Osanbashi, with many photographers visiting during the season when the air is clear, especially when "diamond Fuji" appears for that best shot.
From fall to winter, Osanbashi is hosting an illumination event under the supervision of Motoo Marumaru, a night view critic and president of the Yakei Convention & Visitors Bureau, where light objects are set up on the roof of Osanbashi Terminal to create a moving experience that will leave visitors with a tangible impression on their mind. With overall high ratings and love from locals, the night view of Minatomirai seen from Osanbashi was selected as No. 1 in the "10 Great Panoramic Night Views to Enjoy Free of Charge" (Nihon Keizai Shimbun "NIKKEI Plus 1," March 31, 2018).
In January 2022, Osanbashi was selected as part of JAPAN 100 Moon (Yakei Convention & Visitors Bureau).
The full moon rising from Yokohama Bay Bridge, the symbol of Yokohama, attracts many photographers.
