YOKOHAMA TOUR | GO ABOARD THE HIKAWA MARU
On our Yokohama tour, visit the Hikawa Maru Luxury Ocean Liner. In 1930, the NYK Line welcomed the Hikawa Maru to their fleet as a state of the art liner that carried passengers and cargo from Japan to Seattle. The boats frame was modeled after naval boats at the time which meant sturdy shell plating and water tight compartments protected the ship.
The Hikawa Maru served the Pacific into the 1960s by crossing it 254 times, carried over 25,000 passengers and was even used as a floating hospital ship during World War II to carry the wounded back to Japan. Now, it serves as a floating museum where you can stroll on the decks where people once enjoyed the ocean breeze and see what kind of dining and bedrooms various classes possessed.
Yokohama Guide: Go on aboard the Hikawa Maru on your Yokohama tour
Over the 30 years it served, a couple celebrities have been on board and fell in love with this ocean liner. One man in particular loved the Hikawa Maru and also fell in love with Japan. Charlie Chaplin visited Japan after filming one of his most prominent films City Lights in 1932. The staff of Hikawa Maru found out that you really like Tempura, especially from a place called Hanacho in Tokyo; so the staff of Hikawa Maru sent one of their cooks to Hanacho to learn the secrets of frying tempura. Many shipping companies wanted Charlie Chaplin to come aboard their ship, but he ultimately chose Hikawa Maru because of having the tempura that he really liked. It is said that he are tempura everyday on his way back to the United States!
In fact, Charlie Chaplin’s story in relation to Japan doesn’t end here. Charlie Chaplin escaped assassination in Tokyo. In 1931 the UK, Japan, France, Italy and US signed The Treaty for the Limitation and Reduction of Naval Armament to reduce the naval arms race between the countries. Some ultra-nationalist naval officers disagreed with this and decided to assassinate Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi in hopes to stage a coup d’etat and replace the government with a militaristic government. They planned to assassinate him in his home along with his son. The Prime Minister was also set to host Charlie Chaplin in his home for a welcome party, so the naval officers saw this as a n opportunity to assassinate Chaplin as well in hopes to start a war with the US.
However, when 11 naval officers stormed into the Prime Ministers home on May 15, 1932 they only found and shot the Prime Minister. The Prime Minsters son had taken Chaplin to a sumo match that day and the party was delayed to a different day. The officers were tried and received a light sentence and Chaplin would safely go home aboard the Hikawa Maru and continue making his mark in film history.
The Hikawa Maru, along with Charlie Chaplin have quite a history! Our Yokohama tour gives you a chance to board this ship and learn about this rich history in depth.
Location :
〒231-0023 Kanagawa, Yokohama, Naka Ward, Yamashitacho, 山下公園地先
Opened Tuesday-Sundays 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Closed Mondays.
Yokohama tour: Charlie Chaplin aboard Hikawa Maru.
Image credit: https://chaplinfortheages.tumblr.com/
Yokohama Tour: Inside the Hikawa Maru - a first class cabin room.