International Removals to and from Yokohama
Container piers, quarantine offices and the port beside Tokyo
A few short questions. Nothing is sent until you check and confirm.
Which Yokohama piers handle containers?
Three container areas are described. “Honmoku Pier is the port's core facility with 24 berths including 14 container berths”. Daikoku Pier, on an artificial island, is “equipped with container logistics facilities including seven container berths”.
The newest is Minami Honmoku, where Wikipedia reports “there are two 350 meter operational berths with a depth of 16 meters”, built for large container ships; the paragraph carries a "needs update" tag, so treat the detail with care. Which pier takes a particular container depends on the shipping line, and the mover must confirm it.
Not every pier is for freight. “Seven berths of Mizuho Pier are used by the United States Forces Japan”, and Osanbashi Pier is the cruise and passenger quay.
How much does the port handle?
The only year on the page is 2013. Wikipedia writes that “In 2013, the Port of Yokohama served 37,706 ships” and handled 2,888,220 TEU containers.
That is more than a decade old, so it describes size, not the present. The port is run by the city: it “is operated by the Port and Harbor Bureau of the City of Yokohama”, which is a different arrangement from the joint city and prefecture body at Nagoya, explained on the Nagoya page.
Which agencies in Yokohama touch a household shipment?
Yokohama is one of the nine regional customs areas on the Japan Customs site, and the agency's own FAQ sends you to the office where the cargo arrives. As with Tokyo, we found no address for a household-goods counter, so that point is not yet confirmed.
Two quarantine bodies carry the city's name. The Yokohama Plant Protection Station is the first entry in the plant-quarantine list, followed by branches that include Narita Airport, Tokyo and Haneda. The health ministry's food-sanitation list adds Yokohama Quarantine Station. The Japan customs page says when those stations come into play.
For animals, one trade guide names Yokohama and Osaka as the two sea ports where dogs that need quarantine may enter; the airports it names are Narita, Haneda, Chubu, Kansai, Fukuoka and Kagoshima. It is not confirmed by an official page we read.
How big is Yokohama, and why is it a port city?
It is the second-largest city in Japan, by Wikipedia's account: it “is the second-largest city in Japan by population”, with “a population of 3.7 million in 2023”, and its list of cities gives 3,732,616.
The port's roots are in treaty trade. “The Port of Yokohama formally opened to foreign trade on the 2nd of June 1859”. The city page describes how a foreign settlement formed at Kannai, and says that by 1899 “Yokohama was the most international city in Japan”.
Where does Yokohama stop and Tokyo, Kawasaki or Yokosuka begin?
The port page places them: “To the south lies the Port of Yokosuka”, while to the north are the ports of Kawasaki and Tokyo. The Tokyo page has the terminals of the capital's own port.
On land the city grew toward Kawasaki. Wikipedia says entrepreneurs built factories on reclaimed land to the north, and “toward Kawasaki , which eventually grew to be the Keihin Industrial Area”. A Yokohama address and a Tokyo address can therefore share a bay without sharing a port: Japan Customs lists the two as separate regional areas. Tell the mover exactly which ward the lorry must reach.
Related pages: Japan overview, visa and passport guide.
Questions about moving to Yokohama
Which pier will my container use at Yokohama?
Wikipedia describes container berths at Honmoku, Daikoku and Minami Honmoku.
The pier depends on the shipping line, so ask your mover.
Is Yokohama a separate port from Tokyo?
Yes.
Wikipedia places the Port of Tokyo to the north of the Port of Yokohama, with Kawasaki between, and each has its own operator.
Where do I find the customs counter for household goods in Yokohama?
Not confirmed.
Japan Customs lists Yokohama as a regional area but the pages we read give no counter address.
Tell us about your Yokohama move
Share your departure postcode, arrival month, destination ward in or near Yokohama and rough load size.
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