Overview

When Yokohama was chosen by the Shogunate as the site for the foreign settlement, the original Japanese settlers were forced to inhabit the area at the foot of the Bluff. The area was originally called Honmura, but it was later changed to Motomachi, or "the town of the original ones." Many of the original ninety Japanese families who were re-settled here started businesses to serve the foreign community. Some of the first businesses were blacksmithing, carriage making, and hardware and dry goods shops. A critical service, whose providers did a brisk business, was the selling of pure waterGolden Mile, and boasts over 250 shops offering everything from fresh baked breads, to antiques, to the latest in international fashions. A great many of the shops accept most major credit cards.