Nov 5, 2016 - 1 min read

A Night Out at Red Brick Warehouse

Romantic dinner at a mysteriously illuminated warehouse

By Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse under the twilight blue sky

People were enjoying dinner in the open air restaurant

The restaurant 'Beer Next' is located on the 3rd floor

Wine glasses hanging from the ceiling at the counter bar

Fried garlic rice with beef steak on top

Lights on the ceiling twinkling like stars in the night sky

Live performance was being held in front of the Red Brick Warehouse

Illuminated Red Brick Warehouse at night

Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse is one of the buildings on Yokohama Bay that adds retro feel to the otherwise modern water front scenery.

Brick buildings are rare in this humid and constantly shaking (by earthquake) country of Japan. However, from the late Edo Period through Meiji Period (around 19th century) they were built one after another throughout Japan by progressive ex-samurai politicians who believed that anything imported from western countries had to be advanced and better for modernizing Japan. Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse was built during this period (in 1911) as a Customs Inspection House. It was half collapsed by the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. Since then, people started to build buildings using concrete rather than bricks.

However, thanks to the above-mentioned modernization period of Japan we can now enjoy the retro and romantic looking renovated warehouse on Yokohama Bay. With stylish and funky shops and restaurants, it has become one of the main attractions of this area and a popular dating spot.