Chukagai Gate, the main gateway in to Yokohama?s Chinatown.
It?s always exciting when two different cuisines come together. We?ve seen this in our own country when Chinese and Filipino cuisine came together, resulting in food items like hopia, lumpia and pancit. But what about in other cultures" In Yokahama, which boasts of having Japan?s largest Chinatown, I wanted to see the interaction of Japanese and Chinese cultures. What would be their culinary offspring"

Even when it is rainy, Yokohama?s Chinatown glows with colorful lights.
An hour by rail from Tokyo, Yokohama?s Chinatown was founded just as Japan was emerging from 220 years of isolation policy. This port city was among the first in Japan to be opened to world trade. But as more Western traders came to Yokohama, so did the need for translators. The Chinese then found that they were suited for that job, as they communicated with the Japanese through writing. As more and more Chinese settled, this led to the establishment of a Chinatown in Yokohama in 1859.
The lavish interior of a Chinese bakery in Yokohama?s Chinatown.
Cooks and chefs were among the Chinese that came to Yokohama, and it was around this time that more and more Japanese people were able to taste Chinese dishes such as noodles, steamed buns and dim sum. Similar to the Binondo phenomenon, Japanese cooks and restaurant owners adapted the recipes to suit local tastes and cooking styles–leading to the creation of dishes such as ramen ...