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Naka-ku (中区, Naka-ku^?) is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Its name means "Central Ward." It is host to the city hall and the headquarters of the prefectural government.

Contents 1 Geography 2 History 3 Attractions 4 Events 5 External links

The northern part of the ward is flat, and since the opening of the port at Yokohama to foreign trade, it has been the home to the business and entertainment areas. The central part includes highlands in the interior, and it deserves the name Yamate (the Hills). It has long been residential. The land along the shore is reclaimed, the new port lying in the north, along with Yamashita Park, popular with sight-seers. To the south are the piers, oil refineries and the central port of Yokohama. The Nakamura River, a branch of the Ōoka River, cuts across the northern part of the ward. The JR Negishi Line, Minatomirai Line and Keikyu Line runs through Naka Ward, and along with the national highway and local roads, serves the transportation needs. With a long history of foreign contact, the ward has a population that includes about ten percent foreigners. Yokohama Chinatown lies in Naka Ward.

• 1859 Yokohama opened to foreigners
• 1868 Yokohama Cricket Club (now Yokohama Country & Athletic Club) established
• 1927 Naka Ward established as Yokohama adopts the ward organization
• 1930 Yamashita Park established
• 1945 May 29: Yokohama Air Raid left 14,157 people dead, injured, or missing
• 1945 74% of the land, 90% of port in Naka Ward occupied by the U.S. military
• 1982 March 31 Honmoku and Shin Yamashita reverted from U.S. military to Japan

• Yokohama Chinatown
• Motomachi
• Kannai
• Isezakicho
• Yamashita Park
• Yamate
• Yokohama Stadium
• Yokohama Marine Tower
• Yokohama Curry Museum
• Yokohama Archives of History
• Sankeien
• Osanbashi Pier
• Honmoku[1]

• Yokohama Honmoku Jazz Festival, annually in late summer

• Naka Ward Office