Yamashita Park is a one-kilometer-long seaside park that is thought by most long-term residents to be the spiritual heart of Yokohama City. Yamashita Park is in a way a legacy of the disastrous 1923 earthquake. The park was built on top of the dumping ground for the thousands of tons of rubble and debris caused by the quake. In 1930 Yamashita Park rose, phoenix-like, from the ashes of the old Yokohama. The park's Ginko trees have become a symbol of Yokohama. At the left end of the park near the Osanbashi Pier is a water tower monument to the Indians who perished in the 1923 earthquake. Yamashita Park is a very romantic place for a stroll along the waterfront. The park is especially appealing during the summer fireworks festivals.

Harbor View Park is a hilltop park opened in 1962. It has an elevated viewing platform that offers a panoramic view of Yokohama Bay and the developments skirting the harbor. Harbor View Park overlooks sites that include the industrial piers, Daikoku Pier, Honmoku Pier, and Osanbashi Pier, the luxury passenger liner Hikawa-maru, the skyline of the futuristic Minato Mirai 21 site, and Yokohama's Bay Bridge. Harbor View Park is near to the Foreign Cemetery, many excellent restaurants and summer beer gardens. Admission is free.

Negishi Shinrin or literally Negishi Forest, is also known by several names that celebrate its past and present status as a place for play, enjoyment and relaxation. In 1866, the Yokohama Race Club chose Negishi as the first permanent Western-style horse racing track. Hence, another of the park's names is Negishi Keiba Kinen Koen or the Negishi Memorial Race Track Park. Racing continued here until 1943. You can still see the distinctive oval shape with the old blackened concrete stands on the side. After the war the Americans turned the area into a golf course. And, today it is one of the largest expanses of green space in Yokohama, and a prime spot for picnics and touch football games.

Amid the urban din of southern Yokohama lies a serene, picturesque sanctum. Based on an ingenious design conceptualized by Tomito Hara, this traditional, Japanese-style garden is riddled with trickling rivers and winding trails. Tomitaro Hara began by acquiring several buildings including tea houses, a farmer's house, a pagoda and various villas, and then placed them on his property amidst ponds, wooded slopes and landscaped gardens; these were later opened to the public in 1906. The picturesque, undulating landscape of the park is dotted with a troupe of iconic buildings which are as striking to look at as they are historically significant. Sankei-en also features lovely tea houses which further augment its allure. Although there are sixteen separate buildings, the Rinshukaku villa, with paintings by Kano-school masters, is particularly noteworthy. In addition, the famed pagoda, Tenzui-ji Juto, Gekka-den, Tenju-in, Choshu-kaku, Shunso-ro, Tokei-ji, the Yanohara House and the main hall of Tomyo-ji have been designated significant cultural properties, too.

Umi-no-Koen, literally "Seaside Park", is a one-kilometer stretch of beach located right next to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. This man made beach is one of Yokohama's prime spots for sun bathing. Also a great spot for families with young children. The beach is clean and the bay water is very shallow, so toddlers and infants can "swim" safely. Umi-no-Koen's facilities include clean toilets, showers and changing facilities in several locations. Although there are no baby change tables, the handicapped toilets have plenty of space for changing. There are also drink vending machines, a souvenir shop and a beachfront restaurant. The park has nice barbecue facilities that can be rented for a half-day.