Negishi Forest Park — The Birthplace of What Japanese First?

Negishi Forest Park is, remarkably, the birthplace of modern horse racing in Japan. Stretching south of Marine Tower, its gently rolling green hills conceal a remarkable past — for beneath that tranquil turf, the thunder of hooves once rang out across the land. In 1866, at a time when almost no one in Japan knew of a culture in which riders competed on horseback for speed, the foreign residents of Yokohama opened a racecourse on this very hill. The Negishi Racecourse. The true starting gate of modern horse racing in Japan. A mere seven years after the opening of the port, the people of the West had brought to this harbour town not only the tools of trade, but the pleasures of their own world. Horse racing was perhaps the most vivid symbol of all. In time, the culture of racing spread among the Japanese people as well, and the Negishi Racecourse grew into an indispensable part of Yokohama life — a stage for society, spectacle, and excitement. Most remarkable of all was the First-Class Grandstand, built in 1930. Designed by the American architect J. H. Morgan, it was a commanding structure that embodied the most forward-looking modernism of its age. But the Second World War drew the curtain on this glittering stage. The racecourse was seized by the military, and after the war passed into the administration of American forces. When the land was finally returned, after long years of waiting, the people did not choose to revive the racecourse. Instead, they chose a new life — a forest and an open space, given freely to the citizens of the city. Today, children run across those green hills, and families spread their picnics in the sun. And yet, in one quiet corner, the remnants of that First-Class Grandstand still stand — like a guardian watching over the memories of another age. Ivy winds across the weathered concrete walls, and the wind passes freely through openings where windows no longer exist. It is not a building in decay. It is a testament to the transformation this city has lived through. From racecourse to civic forest. From a place of excitement to a place of rest. The purpose has changed — and yet the essence has not: for more than one hundred and fifty years, people have continued to gather on this hill. Opened: 1866 (Keiō 2) Location: Negishidai, Naka Ward, Yokohama First-Class Grandstand architect: J. H. Morgan (completed 1930) Closed: 1942 (wartime requisition) Park opened: 1977 (developed following return from U.S. military administration) Note: Birthplace of modern horse racing in Japan; ruins of the First-Class Grandstand remain on site