[Imagine the two of them sitting down for tea. That would be quite hilarious, given things that would come to light later.]
Japan had closed borders for centuries, until an American by the name of Perry came to re-establish trade in the 1850s. Originally he had landed just slightly north of here in Kanagawa, but that city had important national resources in it, so they moved the port of entry for all non-Japanese persons to a small fishing town nearby. Since that date, Yokohama grew exponentially, as for many decades it was the only way for people to enter the country.
So really, it not being an old harbor is exactly why it served as the port of entry for so long. It didn't have national secrets to hide.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-12-15 12:49 pm (UTC)Japan had closed borders for centuries, until an American by the name of Perry came to re-establish trade in the 1850s. Originally he had landed just slightly north of here in Kanagawa, but that city had important national resources in it, so they moved the port of entry for all non-Japanese persons to a small fishing town nearby. Since that date, Yokohama grew exponentially, as for many decades it was the only way for people to enter the country.
So really, it not being an old harbor is exactly why it served as the port of entry for so long. It didn't have national secrets to hide.