appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Lisa Cam

Chinatowns are often portrayed as gritty underworlds riddled with prostitution, gambling and drug trafficking. Some of this is rooted in truth, but that unfair depiction is largely the result of rampant xenophobia and cultural ignorance, especially in the West.
In a series of articles, the Post explores the historical and social significance of major Chinatowns around the world and the communities that shape them.
At first glance, Yokohama Chinatown has all the hallmarks of Chinese influence: lanterns swinging overhead, nikuman – the Japanese version of baozi or steamed pork buns – sold from big bamboo steamers, and shops selling Chinese trinket souvenirs.
But unlike Chinatowns in other parts of the world, Japan’s largest Chinatown is today less of a Chinese enclave and more of a tourist attraction for locals.
Still, beneath its tourist-friendly bustle, there lies a 166-year history of upheaval and survival.

In July 1853, when US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry and his four ships reached Uraga – the entrance to what is now Tokyo Bay – it marked the beginning of trade and discourse between the island nation and the Western world, ending more than two centuries of Japanese isolationist foreign policy. As a result of a treaty between the US and Japan, Yokohama was officially opened as a foreign trade port in 1859.
Chinese migrants soon arrived in Japan via this port as merchants and cultural middlemen. Many worked for British and American companies, exporting Japanese silk and tea to the West.
Restricted to a foreign settlement zone in Yokohama, the migrants built a self-contained community that had schools, guildhalls and Fujianese temples.
The early layout of what became Chinatown followed feng shui principles, with Kanteibyo – a temple dedicated to Guan Yu, the god of war – anchoring the neighbourhood’s “dragon vein”, or path of energy.
In 1923, a great earthquake flattened much of Yokohama and killed many of Chinatown’s residents. The survivors rebuilt the community, but shifted their focus from trade to food services. By 1927, half the population were chefs, barbers or tailors.

Although the growth of Chinatown was frozen during the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), the neighbourhood re-emerged as a symbol of post-war peace, and the first of its goodwill gates, marking entry into Chinatown, was erected in 1955. The Zenrinmon Gate faces out towards Yokohama Station, signalling the enclave’s openness to Japanese visitors.
There is little information about citizenship rights for the Chinese, or any of Japan’s other policies towards the Chinese, after World War II. In Eric C. Han’s 2014 book Rise of a Japanese Chinatown: Yokohama, 1894-1972, the author paints a picture of a transition that ultimately resulted in triumph for the city’s Chinese community.
“These were decades when their homelands and host lands emerged from a devastating war into the unstable power dynamics of a global Cold War,” he explains in a chapter titled “A Town Divided: The Cold War in Yokohama Chinatown, 1945-72”.
“These geopolitical circumstances shaped Yokohama Chinatown’s relationship to China, the legal status of Chinese in Japan and their role in the local economy. Most visibly, this era saw the rising economic fortunes of the Yokohama Chinese.”
Han goes on to describe the transformation of the Chinatown: from a smouldering ruin after World War II firebombing campaigns, to a shanty town of barracks and black markets during the military occupation in the decade that followed, to a district of seedy bars and cabarets in the 1950s and ’60s, to a 1970s gourmet destination for Japanese tourists.

Many of the Chinese migrants who settled in Japan have thrived – most notably the family-owners of the Shisen Hanten restaurant group.
The first in the Sichuan restaurant group was opened by Chen Kenmin, or Kenmin Azuma after his naturalisation, who is credited with introducing Sichuan cuisine to Japan. He was the father of Kenichi Azuma, who was known professionally as Chen Kenichi and was the famed Chinese chef of the popular Japanese television series Iron Chef.
The family also famously created a Japanese version of mapo tofu that can be bought in many of the country’s supermarkets and convenience stores.
Chen Kentaro, the third-generation chef of Shisen Hanten and grandson of Kenmin, opened Shisen Hanten’s first overseas outpost in 2014, as well as the casual offshoot Chen’s Mapo Tofu in 2017, both in Singapore. The former currently holds one Michelin star, while the latter was a Michelin Bib Gourmand awardee for multiple years.
“Through constant research and development of our dishes, we hit the nail on the head with [a version of mapo tofu] which went on to win the Bib Gourmand,” Kentaro says.
“We’ve kept the recipe consistent and innovated other iterations of the mapo tofu for the masses. The seven types of typical spices remain in the dishes recreated over the years.”

Jou Shochi, the third-generation operator of Canton Hanten, a Chinese restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown, says that Chinese cuisine needs to be tweaked for the Japanese palate, and that the sauces used, like soy sauce, in Japan are different from the ones in China.
“The one in Japan is more bland, more dashi style. Japanese people don’t like a lot of herbs. So, we make things simpler and take away a lot of the herbs and spices.”
Shochi says that the subtle differences between people of China’s various regions is reflected in Yokohama Chinatown’s restaurants.
“The soup dumplings in some restaurants have a much thicker skin than in other restaurants, maybe because it’s a Shanghai style,” he says.
He explains why the shumai, a Japanese version of the Chinese pork dumpling, is so different from the original.
“It was popularised by a Japanese bento company. They wanted to find an item to put into their bentos, and they came to Yokohama and worked with a chef to make one suitable for long train rides. The current version with pork and onions has been popularised to other parts of Japan ever since.”

The cuisine of Yokohama Chinatown has developed a style quite unlike other Chinatowns, influenced as it is by Japanese tourists and the many regions of China.
We ask Kentaro how he thinks his grandfather would react if he saw what Chinatown has evolved into today.
“I think the impact of tourism would surprise him the most. Japanese people are highly traditional, and how Yokohama Chinatown has evolved over time tells us [that] Japan has evolved into embracing people from all over,” Kentaro says.
“The town has changed from a modest ethnic and traditional enclave into one of Japan’s most vibrant cultural and culinary destinations today, and he would have been proud of that change.”


The tragic Qing dynasty politician whose legacy lives on in descendant’s new novel

Why women in China are still at risk of abduction and forced marriage

How Jet Li’s trainer Wu Bin, 89, ages well and still nurtures martial arts talent

Politics aside, young Vietnamese are warming to China

Chinese culture

Why Japan’s largest Chinatown is unlike any other around the world

Yokohama Chinatown’s transformation from its migrant enclave roots to today’s tourist attraction is one steeped in history and culture. Photo: Getty Images

Children view lanterns in Yokohama Chinatown in 2024. Photo: Xinhua

A lion dance is performed outside a restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown in 2020. Photo: Getty Images

Crowds of people fill Yokohama Chinatown in 2023. Photo: Xinhua

Chen Kentaro is the third-generation chef of Shisen Hanten. Photo: Shinsen Hanten

Pedestrians walk through Yokohama Chinatown in 2020. Photo: AFP

How Singapore Chinatown went from slum to diverse tourist hub that puts heritage first

People take photos in front of a giant golden rooster lantern in Singapore’s Chinatown in preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year on January 4, 2017. In recent decades the area has become a tourist hub where boutiques stand beside old tea houses and Buddhist temples Photo: Xinhua

In October 2023, the Tai Thong Cake Shop, a family-owned bakery in Singapore’s Chinatown, closed its doors after 73 years in business. Photo: Koh Kim Tat Dean

Singapore Chinatown’s Food Street in January 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic forced its closure. Photo: Shutterstock

A woman offers a joss stick at the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, one of Singapore Chinatown’s most notable places of worship. Photo: AFP

Singapore Chinatown is awash with murals by local artist Yip Yew Chong. Photo: Tamara Hinson

How tourists are crushing hotspots in Europe, world’s most visited region

People demonstrate during a protest against overtourism in Barcelona in June 2024. The Spanish city remains at the forefront of a problem in Europe that shows little sign of ending. Photo: AP

An activist holds a banner that reads “stop cruises” as part of a march to demand measures against mass tourism in Mallorca, Spain, on June 15, 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE

Tourists ride a gondola in Venice, Italy. Photo: AP

Tourists surround the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Photo: AP

Tourists in Paris pose for a selfie with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Photo: AP

A woman takes a selfie in front of the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Photo: AP

How Vancouver’s Chinatown, rich in history but plagued by poverty, fights for survival

Chefs and volunteers at Light Up Chinatown, an outdoor event held in the neighbourhood and organised by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Light Up Chinatown

Chefs and volunteers attend Light Up Chinatown, a free two-day festival that celebrates the living heritage and diverse history of Vancouver’s Chinatown, organised by the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Light Up Chinatown

The cover of Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. Photo: Donna Seto/House of Anansi Press

Donna Seto is an author and self-taught artist. Photo: Donna Seto

Andy Yan is an associate professor at Simon Fraser University. Photo: Andy Yan

Chinatown in Vancouver in 1975. Photo: Getty Images

A painting from Chinatown Vancouver: An Illustrated History. Photo: Donna Seto/House of Anansi Press

Carol Lee is the chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation. Photo: Carol Lee

A view of Chinatown, featuring the Chinatown Storytelling Centre, an exhibition space showcasing items and stories from residents in the area, past and present. Photo: Chinatown Storytelling Centre

Tracy To and Ross Lam of Forum Home Appliances. Photo: Forum Home Appliances

6 of Singapore’s best hidden speakeasy bars that will take you back in time – and how to find them

Bartenders at Chandu create drinks with a narrative that are loosely based on history. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

A bartender mixes a drink at Chandu, one of our picks of six of the best hidden speakeasy bars in Singapore. Photo: The Robertson House by the Crest Collection

The Mizuwari whisky highball at Live Twice uses Hokkaido soft water rather than soda to accentuate the malt notes of the Japanese Nikka whiskies. Photo: Instagram/@livetwicesg

Chandu is inspired by Singapore’s colonial era, when opium dens flourished in the city state. Photo: The Robertson House by The Crest Collection

Chandu’s Mata Hari cocktail is named after a Dutch dancer and courtesan. Photo: Facebook/Chandu

Oriental Elixir, located in a Peranakan rowhouse, is a dimly lit watering hole for nonconformist cocktails. Photo: Philipp Meier

Oriental Elixir’s Malabar Tamarind cocktail combines the sour ingredient with roasted cherry tomato gin, dry vermouth. Photo: Instagram/@oriental.elixir

Junior the Pocket Bar is a small, 25-seater speakeasy that tasks itself with changing the menu completely every few months. Photo: Philipp Meier

A cocktail titled Sesame from the Korea-inspired menu at Junior the Pocket Bar. Photo: Junior the Pocket Bar

Jade Harbour is part of The Bund menu currently offered at Junior the Pocket Bar, inspired by the Shanghai district. Credit: Junior the Pocket Bar

For its Korean Joseon dynasty-inspired menu, the interiors of Junior the Pocket Bar featured dragons. Photo: Philipp Meier

Roxy is a hip-hop-inspired speakeasy hidden inside the Miss Fitz restaurant in Singapore’s Marina Bay. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

The drinks at Roxy are based on classics, but are given their own spin. Photo: Facebook/Roxy

Last Word has finessed tipples that were invented in the 1920s. Photo: Philipp Meier

Last Word’s eponymous cocktail is a classic, blending gin, maraschino liqueur, green chartreuse and lime. Photo: Instagram/@lastwordsg

Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Chinatowns around the world

London Chinatown’s evolution from Hong Kong Chinese outpost to multicultural melting pot

Wardour Street, Chinatown, London. The area, which dates back to the 1970s, has evolved over time to become the multicultural enclave it is now. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese pedestrians on a street in Liverpool, 1940. A partially inflated barrage balloon can be seen in the background. Photo: Getty Images

David Tang Hon-sing (left), former vice-chairman of the London Chinatown Chinese Association, with a friend on Lisle Street in 1980. Photo: David Tang

A street in Limehouse, East London circa 1930. In the first half of the 20th century, Limehouse was home to London’s largest Chinese community. Photo: Getty Images

A large crowd watches traditional celebrations for Lunar New Year in Liverpool in 1983. Photo: Getty Images

People gather to watch the Year of the Snake celebrations in Chinatown, London, on February 1, 2025. Photo: Getty Images

A Lunar New Year parade in London. Photo: Allan Hong

How Seoul and Incheon’s Chinatowns tell stories of Chinese immigration to Korea

The main entrance gate to Incheon Chinatown, South Korea’s oldest Chinese enclave. Photo: AP

The Chinatown in Seoul’s Daerim neighbourhood is full of shops selling goods from China that are difficult to find elsewhere in South Korea. Photo: Erika Na

The Jjajangmyeon Museum in Incheon Chinatown documents the invention and evolution of jjajangmyeon, a Korean-Chinese cold noodle dish. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Daerim Chinatown has faced several challenges in recent years, including rising rents. Photo: Erika Na

A shop selling street food in Daerim Chinatown in Seoul. Photo: Erika Na

Although Daerim Chinatown is the South Korea’s most vibrant, it does not have a paifang gate.

The turbulent history of San Francisco’s Chinatown, oldest in North America

Large crowds fill Grant Avenue in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the US state of California for the annual Mid-Autumn Festival. Photo: Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

The Dragon Gate at the intersection of Bush Street and Grant Avenue marks the main southern entrance to San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

A Chinese butcher and grocery store in San Francisco’s Chinatown circa 1885. Photo: Getty Images

A Chinese apothecary in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the mid-1880s. Photo: Getty Images

Much of San Francisco was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and ensuing fires. Photo: Getty Images

Chinese lanterns line a street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

Pedestrians walk along a crowded Stockton Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Photo: Getty Images

History of Bangkok’s Chinatown from Teochew enclave to red light district and business hub

Food hawker stalls serve customers during Chinese New Year in Bangkok’s Chinatown in Thailand. Photo: Getty Images

A vendor prepares food in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

Street food vendors serve customers in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

Yaowarat Road in Bangkok’s Chinatown in 2017. Photo: Shutterstock

Sun (second left) is the second-eldest son in the Assakul family. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

Baan Trok Tua Ngork is a space in Bangkok’s Chinatown created by Sun’s family that restores and revitalises their family’s shophouse, as well as several other neighbouring shophouses. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

The interior of Baan Trok Tua Ngork. Photo: Baan Trok Tua Ngork

History of the world’s oldest Chinatown, Binondo in Manila, now a foodie paradise

While Binondo today is known as a foodie’s paradise, it was once better known as a financial hub. Photo: Shutterstock

Binondo in Manila is the world’s oldest Chinatown. We look at its past and how it has shifted from a financial hub to a culinary hot spot. Photo: Shutterstock 

The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of San Lorenzo Ruiz, popularly known as the Binondo Church, is an architectural highlight of Binondo. Photo: Instagram/lanie.puno28

The Filipino-Chinese Friendship Arch. Photo: Shutterstock

The El Hogar Filipino Building. Photo: Instagram/mrdaleasuncion

Pei Pa Koa Latte with Ube Cheese Ensaymada at Apologue Coffee & Pastry in Manila. Photo: Instagram/apologueph

People pose in front of a restaurant on Ongpin Street. Photo: Instagram/flowry_maze

Of New York’s many Chinatowns, 3 stand out. How immigration shaped them over the decades

The Chinatown in Lower Manhattan is New York’s oldest, shaped by immigrants from Hong Kong, and from Guangdong and Fujian provinces in mainland China. Photo: Getty Images

Pell Street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in 1979. Photo: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in the early 20th century. The Chinatown is said to date back to the 1850s. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Nom Wah Tea Parlor, on Doyers Street, is one of Lower Manhattan Chinatown’s historic restaurants. Photo: Shutterstock

Mei Lai Wah is another restaurant in Lower Manhattan Chinatown with a long history. Photo: Google Maps

A street in Lower Manhattan Chinatown in 1955. Many Taiwanese immigrants arriving in New York in the 1970s were put off by the neighbourhood’s lack of quality housing options, and instead opted to settle in Flushing. Photo: Circa Images/GHI/Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

How Toronto’s Chinatown is fighting back against development that threatens its existence

People attend a Toronto Chinatown Land Trust mahjong fundraising event at the Wong Association of Ontario. Photo: Maylynn Quan

A drag performer sings at a Queens of Dim Sum brunch at Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant. Photo: Yi@postyism

Men in Toronto’s original Chinatown read a newspaper in a window in 1945. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Victory celebrations to mark the end of World War II take place in Toronto’s original Chinatown on August 26, 1945. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Toronto’s Chinatown in the late 1970s. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Shoppers and vendors in Toronto’s Chinatown in 1988. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Toronto’s Chinatown at Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue in 2008. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

Author Christina Wong was born and raised in Toronto. Photo: Daniel Innes

People queue outside a supermarket on Dundas Street West in Toronto Chinatown in 1988. Photo: City of Toronto Archives

What to see and eat in Melbourne’s Chinatown, cultural hub that grew from gold rush roots

A dragon dance troupe perform in Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia during Lunar New Year festivities in 2024. The Chinatown is one of the world’s oldest. Photo: Getty Images

Chinatown in Melbourne, Australia. One of the oldest in the world, it was founded by Chinese prospectors who stayed on after the 1850s gold rush and opened businesses. Photo: Shutterstock 

People in Chinatown, Melbourne, celebrate the 2025 Chinese Lunar New Year. Photo: Instagram/chinatownmelbourne

Yum cha is best enjoyed at Secret Kitchen, known for dim sum favourites, Peking duck pancakes, fried rice in an omelette pouch and piggy-shaped steamed buns. Photo: Secret Kitchen

A A$450 million lifestyle, dining and residential complex being built in Box Hill, Melbourne, has been referred to as “New Chinatown”. Photo: Golden Age Group

How the oldest and largest Chinatown in Mexico rose despite terrible xenophobia

A traditional gate marks an entrance to Mexicali’s Chinatown, known as La Chinesca, in the city in Mexico’s Baja California state.

Lanterns line the street outside restaurants in La Chinesca. Photo: Instagram/sl_mr05

A view of La Chinesca in 2023. Photo: AFP

Tourist guide Elvia Chen, granddaughter of a Chinese migrant, shows historical pictures in a museum in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

A showcase displaying souvenirs is seen next to a curtain made of Chinese food containers at the entrance to a museum in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

A mural depicting scenes of the history of the Chinese community in Mexico adorns an abandoned building in La Chinesca. Photo: AFP

Buildings display Chinese-style architecture on a street in La Chinesca. Photo: Shutterstock

Lunar New Year celebrations take place in La Chinesca. Photo: Instagram/nic.maynardp

How Sydney’s Chinatown has survived poverty, racism, pandemic and gentrification

The gateway to Chinatown, in Sydney. Chinatown is a reflection of the struggles of the Asian community in Australia since the early 1800s. Photo: Shutterstock

Sydney’s Chinatown is in Haymarket in the southern part of the city’s central business district. Photo: Shutterstock

Paddy’s Markets in Haymarket, Sydney dates back to the 1850s. Photo: Chinatown

Marigold had two locations. The original restaurant (pictured) on Sussex St, Sydney, opened in 1982 and was a popular location for events and weddings. Photo: Lena Lai

George Street in the historic Rocks district of Sydney, Australia. This was the site of Sydney’s earliest Chinatown. Photo: Shutterstock

How Boston’s Chinatown overcame constant threats to win its place in history

A paifang gate marks an entrance to Boston Chinatown. Although at one time or another, Chinatowns existed in other cities in the United States’ New England region, today, Boston’s is the only one remaining. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Roast meats hang in the window of a restaurant in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Empire Garden is a long-standing Chinese restaurant located in a historic building in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

A street vendor sells Asian produce in Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

The Auntie Kay and Uncle Frank Chin Park in Boston’s Chinatown is named after the volunteers who for years served as the park’s unofficial custodians. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

Established in 1960, China Pearl is Boston Chinatown’s oldest restaurant. It serves dim sum the old-school way – from trolleys. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

The face of Michelle Wu, Boston’s first Asian-American mayor, can be seen all over Boston Chinatown. Photo: Hei-kiu Au

More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival


More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival.


Why Japan’s largest Chinatown is unlike any other around the world

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival

More tourist attraction for locals than Chinese enclave, Yokohama Chinatown still boasts a fascinating history full of upheaval and survival