June 2nd is the anniversary of the first opening of Yokohama Port in 1859. Located just south of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama was originally just a small village of about 100 houses until it was designated by the Tokugawa Shogunate as one of the two ports open for foreign trade (the other being in Kobe). After that, it rapidly grew into a major international hub for goods and people and is still among the world’s busiest ports today. On the anniversary, people gather at the harbor for the memorial festival, celebrating with music, sailing events, and fireworks.