Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse
Encyclopedia
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
buildings, and has two sections: Warehouse No.1 and No.2. It is operated by Yokohama Akarenga Co. Ltd., and located at the Port of Yokohama
Port of Yokohama
The is operated by the Port and Harbor Bureau of the City of Yokohama in Japan. It opens onto Tokyo Bay. The port is located at a latitude of 35.27.–00°N and a longitude of 139.38–46°E. To the south lies the Port of Yokosuka; to the north, the ports of Kawasaki and Tokyo.-Facilities:Yokohama Port...
in Naka-ku
Naka-ku, Yokohama
is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563and a density of 7,080 persons per km². The total area was 20.86 km².-Geography:...
, Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, Kanagawa
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
History
In the late 19th century, the Yokohama city government worked on constructing new harbour facilities, and the first reclamation work was begun in 1899. The work, completed in 1905, was followed by expansion work which ended a year later. Planned by a Japanese architect and a government official, Yorinaka Tsumaki, the current Building No. 2 was constructed in 1911, and the current Building No. 1 was erected in 1913. Both were to be used as customs houses.When the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
struck Yokohama, the red brick buildings were damaged, but suffered less than other buildings due to their reinforced structure with iron implanted between the bricks. Repair work continued until 1930, and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the buildings were requisitioned by the American occupation troops between 1945 and 1956. After the buildings were returned to Japan, their use decreased with the advent of containerization
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
, and the buildings ended their role as customs houses in 1989.
In 1992, Yokohama city acquired jurisdiction over the buildings, and restoration work was carried out from 1994 to 1999. This work, in which the roof and structure of the buildings were strengthened, was conducted by Takenaka Corporation
Takenaka Corporation
is the biggest architecture, engineering, and construction firm in Japan. Its headquarters is in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture.The company's website also claims it to be the oldest firm of that type anywhere in the world, since the demise of Kongō Gumi which was substantially older...
, a Japanese architectural company. After the inside of the buildings was renovated, they were opened as the Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse on April 12, 2002.
Overview
The complex is divided into buildings No. 1 and No. 2. Both buildings are three stories high, and are 22.6 metres wide and 17.8 metres tall. The area of Building No. 1 is 5,575 m², with a length of 76 metres, while Building No. 2 has a total area of 10,755 m², and a length of 149 metres.Building No. 1 is currently regarded as a cultural facility, and is utilized as an event venue for art exhibitions, film festivals, musical competitions and plays. Building No. 2 houses a shopping mall and restaurant arcade, and a balcony from which visitors can view the harbour opened on the 3rd floor in 2007. Other sightseeing spots including Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown
Yokohama Chinatown is located in Yokohama, Japan, which is located just south of Tokyo. Its history is about 150 years long...
, Minato Mirai 21
Minato Mirai 21
, often shortened to Minato Mirai or MM is a large urban development in Yokohama, Japan. Minato Mirai 21 area is designated for new urban center planned to connect city's traditional center of Kannai and Yokohama Station area....
, and Yamashita Park are located nearby.