Ōsanbashi Pier

Ōsanbashi Pier
Ōsanbashi, Main Pier, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
"Yokohama Pier" redirects here. For other piers in Yokohama, see Piers of Yokohama.

Ōsanbashi Pier (大さん橋 ōsanbashi?, pronounced [oːsambaɕi]) is the main international pier at the Port of Yokohama, located in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan. Ōsanbashi is the oldest pier in Yokohama, originally constructed between 1889 and 1896.

To meet modern demands, Ōsanbashi was reconstructed between 1987 and 2002. The newly reconstructed passenger terminal is named the Yokohama International Passenger Terminal, designed by Foreign Office Architects. It can accommodate up to four 30,000-ton class ships or two 70,000-ton class ships at the same time. The departure/arrival lobby, ticketing booth, customs, immigration, shops and cafe are all on the 2nd floor of this terminal. There is limited parking on the 1st floor, and an observation deck open to the public, on the rooftop.

Major cruise ships such as the Queen Elizabeth 2 are embarked here.

Contents

History

The Port of Yokohama was opened in 1859 as a direct result of the Treaty of Kanagawa, signed by Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States and the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. At the time, 2 wharfs were built in place of the present day Ōsanbashi. The wharfs were too shallow for the ships to dock, and so barges were used to carry passengers and freight to and from the ships.

In 1889, during the Meiji Era, the City of Yokohama was incorporated. And a succession of construction projects was initiated in 1889 by the Japanese government, to transform the Port of Yokohama into the main doorway to Japan. Ōsanbashi Pier was completed in 1894, and was called Yokohama Harbor Pier at the time.[1]

In 1923, the port was badly damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake, and had to be rebuilt.

During World War II, the port was again badly damaged, this time by air raids. After World War II, the U.S. Military occupied the Port of Yokohama, and the Ōsanbashi Pier was under their jurisdiction until 1949.

In 1964, a reconstruction of Ōsanbashi Passenger Terminal was completed in time before the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Between 1987 and 2002, Ōsanbashi Pier was again reconstructed. This was done by the Port and City of Yokohama and the architecture firm Foreign Office Architects. The Port and City of Yokohama developed other renovation and construction projects in the waterfront area, such as the Minato Mirai 21 project, in this time frame.

Notes

  1. ^ Arita, Eriko, "City's new gateway to worlds apart", Japan Times, 24 May 2011, p. 7.

References

Sakamoto, Tomoko. The Yokohama Project. Actar (March 2003). ISBN 84-95951-18-5

External links

Media related to Osanbashi Pier at Wikimedia Commons

35°27′06″N 139°38′52″E / 35.451698°N 139.647833°E / 35.451698; 139.647833Coordinates: 35°27′06″N 139°38′52″E / 35.451698°N 139.647833°E / 35.451698; 139.647833


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