Japan · Kanagawa · Yokohama
Totsuka-ku, Yokohama — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Totsuka-ku is a ward of Yokohama built around the old Tōkaidō post town of Totsuka-juku and its rail junction.
About Totsuka-ku
Where to stay in Totsuka-ku
The right area depends on your trip — here's what each neighbourhood is best for.
Most beds cluster near Totsuka Station, where the Tōkaidō Main Line, the Yokosuka Line and the Blue Line subway meet. Base yourself here. Rooms east of the station suit travellers who want a quiet ward within a short train ride of central Yokohama, while the streets that trace the old Tōkaidō toward Totsuka-juku reward walkers who prefer the historic side of the ward over the busy platforms.
About Totsuka-ku
What are the main landmarks in Totsuka-ku?
The ward keeps three markers of very different eras. Near the station, the Totsuka Relay Station is an exchange point of the Hakone Ekiden, the long-distance relay race whose runners pass through Totsuka-ku each January on the road between Tokyo and Hakone. West of the built-up centre, the Maioka Kumano-no-dō ruins record a much older layer of settlement, while the Old Witrich Residence survives as a piece of early foreign-built architecture from Yokohama's opening to overseas trade.
What is the history of Totsuka-ku?
Totsuka grew up as Totsuka-juku, a post station on the Tōkaidō where travellers between Edo and Kyoto broke their journey. Rail arrived early. When Totsuka Station opened on the Tōkaidō Main Line, the surrounding town followed and was formally established in 1889, carrying forward the trade that the highway had brought.
In 1939 Totsuka and its neighbouring villages were annexed by Yokohama, and the district became one of the city's wards rather than a town in its own right.
Where is Totsuka-ku?
Totsuka-ku is largely flat. The Kashio River threads through scattered low hills in the center-western part of Yokohama, giving the ward more open ground than the packed districts nearer the port.
More areas in Yokohama
Updated July 2026