A Foreign Residence in Yokohama

Those living in the West were curious about East Asia, just as peoples of East Asia were about those in the West. After the Treaty of Kanagawa, several new port cities in Japan opened to Western trade, including Yokohama. An especially large influx of foreigners to Yokohama made it one of the most important foreigner settlements in East Asia at that time. Their unique dress and cultural etiquette caused widespread curiosity in Japan, which had been closed to outsiders for many years. This print, crafted in the traditional printmaking style of “images of the floating world” 浮世絵 (ukiyo-e), depicts the daily habits of a group of wellto-do foreigners in Yokohama. Setting aside the conflict that underlay this foreign presence in Japan, the image focuses on the elaborate dress and the variety of activities acted out by these Westerners now living in their cities. -Written by Yiwen Bai