Yokohama: Lost My Drumsticks, Found My Zen (Maybe)
okay, so. yokohama. where do i even begin? i’m elara, by the way, touring session drummer - usually wrangling a kit and a bunch of sweaty dudes, not wandering around a port city, but hey, a girl’s gotta recharge, right? and my agent insisted i needed “cultural immersion” before the next stadium tour. immersion, my foot. i mostly just felt lost.
first off, the weather. i just checked and it’s…a damp, persistent chill. like a wet sock clinging to your soul. 7.38 degrees celsius, feels like 5.17. pressure’s 1019, humidity’s a solid 57%. pack layers, seriously. don’t be a fool like me, wandering around in a vintage band tee thinking you’re cool. you’re not. you’re shivering.
and the neighbors! if you’re craving a bit more chaos, Kamakura and Tokyo are just a short hop on the train. i spent a surprisingly lovely afternoon in Kamakura, dodging tourists and trying to find a decent matcha latte. (failed, by the way. seriously, yokohama needs to up its matcha game.)
my main mission, besides not freezing to death, was to find a replacement pair of drumsticks. lost mine on the plane, naturally. a tragedy of epic proportions. i scoured every music store i could find. yelp says “Yamaha Music Yokohama” is decent, but honestly, it was a bit sterile. i ended up in this tiny, cluttered shop near *Chinatown, run by a guy who looked like he hadn’t slept in decades. he didn’t have my preferred brand, but he sold me some weird, hand-carved ones made from some kind of local wood. they feel…different. i’m not sure if they’ll work, but they’re definitely a story. check out some local music shops here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298185-Activities-Yokohama_Kanagawa_Prefecture_Kanto.html
“Don’t go near the Sankei-en Garden after dark. Something about…lights. And whispers.”
that’s what some drunk salaryman told me at a ramen shop. i’m not usually one for ghost stories, but it did make me a little jumpy wandering around Yamashita Park later that evening. the park itself is beautiful, overlooking the harbor, but yeah, a little creepy in the fading light. i did find a really cool vintage record store nearby though - “Vinyl Paradise” - seriously worth a visit. https://www.yelp.com/biz/vinyl-paradise-yokohama
“The ramen at ‘Ramen Musashi’ is the only ramen you should eat. Everything else is a waste of time and money.”
that was a local woman, very emphatic, while i was waiting in line. i tried it. she was right. seriously. get the spicy miso. you won’t regret it. i’m already planning a return trip just for that ramen.
“Don’t trust the vending machines near Minato Mirai 21*. They’re notorious for dispensing lukewarm coffee and expired snacks.”
okay, that was a teenager, rolling his eyes, but he had a point. i bought a can of something that tasted vaguely of sadness and regret. stick to the convenience stores, folks. they’re a lifesaver.
overall? yokohama is…unexpected. it’s not flashy like Tokyo, but it has this quiet charm, this sense of history. i spent a lot of time just wandering, getting lost in the backstreets, soaking it all in. i even stumbled upon a tiny, hidden yoga studio - “Zen Flow” - and took a class. surprisingly relaxing, considering i’m usually pounding drums for hours on end. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g298185-Activities-Yokohama_Kanagawa_Prefecture_Kanto.html
would i go back? absolutely. just…maybe with a warmer coat and a better understanding of matcha. and definitely with a backup pair of drumsticks.