The Yokohama Gundam Factory (Just before closing!)

One of the things we wanted to do while we were visiting Yokohama was a trip to The Gundam Factory. The hugely popular attraction at Yamashita Pier in Yokohama was initially set to be open from December 2020 until early 2022 but thanks to the immense support from fans all over the world, it has been expanded for two more years.

The site boasted a museum and souvenir shop. There was supposed to be a themed café too but it wasn't open during our visit.

Of course, the main attraction was the 18-metre-tall moving Gundam robot from the Japanese animated franchise Gundam, the first moving mech of its type.

We just missed one of the two spectacular night shows that featured the Gundam moving around its deck. 

Little nugget met up with his friends and needless to say, they had to take a few photos in front of the Gundam together.

While I wasn't a huge fan of Gundam myself, it was a trip down memory lane for me as I grew up watching the famous cartoon too.

Following a long long wait, it was time for the second and final show tonight.

     

This was more than impressive~!

After spending an hour and a half at the site, we finally left for a shopping mall nearby for dinner. 

Yeah, sushi for dinner starting with some fresh scallops. Mom doesn't eat raw seafood but she wasn't eating anyways. She just lost her voice yesterday and it wasn't getting much better today. 

Little guy's favorite.

After dinner, we spent some time at the arcade centre where the kids played with the claw machines and more.

It was great to check this off my list of things to do in Yokohama. Rumors had The Gundam Factory shutting down for good in late March 2024 so we just made it in the nick of time.

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 279-25 Yamashitacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama, Kanagawa 231-0023, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Minatomirai / Bashamichi

Tel: +81 120-158-686

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm (Mon - Fri), 11:00am - 8:00pm (Sat - Sun)

Milk Marché Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse (Yokohama, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

Our adventure continues in Yokohama with our next stop all set at the touristy Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse. I heard it's been re-opened since last December following a long renovation. The venue is now packed with exciting new cafés, souvenir shops and more. We, of course, had to make a stop here for some much-needed selfies.

One of the must-do at the Red Brick Warehouse is a trip to Milk Marché, a popular ice-cream parlour that also offers an array of Japanese sweets such as a special homemade butter gaufrette, shortcake and tiramisu.

Milk Marché's signature "4.0 milk soft cream" is easily their best seller. 

There are also milk beverages and dessert drinks available on their drink menu.

Their butter gaufrettes made with high-quality Hokkaido butter, come with different fillings including strawberry, hazelnut chocolate, sweet potato, and cream cheese and salmon.

But I had my eyes on their prized 4.0 milk soft serve right from the start.

This was very rich and creamy, with the perfect silk smooth texture. I love it~

One thing I learned from this trip was that little nugget could make a very nice photographer some day. He seems to have a pretty good sense of what to do with a camera and this photo he took for me while we were leaving the Red Brick Warehouse was a great proof of how far he's come as a photographer.

Food Rating: 6.1/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1-1-2 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Minatomirai / Bashamichi

Tel: +81 45-650-8707

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm daily

Leonard's Doughnut Yokohama World Porters (Yokohama, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

After a train ride that lasted approximately 30 minutes, we finally arrived in the heart of Yokohama city (橫濱市). It's my first time to set foot in the second largest city of Japan and needless to say, I was excited to see how our day trip would unfold in the next few hours.



The weather was a lot warmer here in Yokohama compared to Tokyo which was kind of a surprise considering that this is a port city we're talking about here.

Following a few brief stoppages at different attractions including Nippon Maru Memorial Park, we took a lazy walk along Kishamichi Promenade before finally arriving at Yokohama World Porters Mall which was currently under a bit of scaffolding.

We all managed to find something we like at World Porters mall upon our arrival. Little nugget found a Pacman arcade game which was free to play.

For me, I went downstairs to check out Leonard's Doughnut Shop next to the food court.

Originated from Hawaii, Leonard's offers a small selection of doughnuts including doughnuts with cinnamon sugar or apple cinnamon as well as sugared one with custard cream filling. 

My second doughnut of the day.

Custard cream doughnut – This looks like the baked "egg ball" (蛋球) from Honolulu Coffee Shop (檀島咖啡餅店). The only difference is the custard cream in the middle. I thought its presentation isn't the best for a doughnut but it does its job as an afternoon snack. Very very filling.

Next up for us, we are walking over to Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse, a restored warehouse that is now used as an entertainment complex that includes a shopping mall, banquet hall and event venues.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1/F World Porters, 2-2-1 Shinko, Naka-ku, Yokohama 231-0001, Japan

Closest Metro Station: Minatomirai / Bashamichi

Tel: +81 45-222-2172

Opening Hours: 10:30am - 9:00pm daily