Historic Uraga Transformed

Here are a few images of what the Uraga train station and old shipyard/dock areas will look like after a large-scale revitalization construction project is completed in the early-2030s,,,

 Tripartite agreement signed for Uraga mixed-use project

Long Ago Uraga Castle

Uraga Castle (Kanagawa Prefecture) – Japan Castles Map

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URAGA CASTLE

Uraga Castle was a mountain castle from the late Sengoku period located in Higashi-Uraga, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture. Built on Myojin-yama (approximately 55 meters above sea level) within the grounds of the current Higashi-Kanou Shrine, the castle boasted a strategic location overlooking the entrance to Uraga Port, offering a panoramic view from the Uraga Channel to the Boso Peninsula.

Uraga Castle, used by the Later Hojo clan as a base for controlling the Miura Peninsula, was not merely a military facility, but a complex coastal defense base integrating the monitoring of maritime traffic and the operation of the navy. The castle ruins still retain remnants such as earthworks and dry moats, making it a valuable historical site that conveys the coastal defense strategy of the Sengoku period.

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There are various theories regarding the origin of Uraga Castle, but it is believed that a fort built by the Miura clan originally stood on this site. The Miura clan, who ruled the Miura Peninsula, likely established some kind of military facility in Uraga, a strategic point for maritime traffic, during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. It is believed that Uraga Castle later developed on this foundation.

The Miura clan was known as a leading naval force in Sagami Province, and Uraga was ideally located for monitoring the Uraga Strait, which connects Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean. This geographical advantage led to the later development of castles by the Hojo clan.

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Uraga Castle is a mountain castle that skillfully utilizes the natural topography of Myojin-yama. Although it is a relatively low mountain with an elevation of approximately 55 meters, the surrounding area is surrounded by the sea and plains, resulting in a significant relative difference in elevation and making it a terrain well-suited for defense.

The mountaintop is a long, narrow ridge running north-south, and the main enclosures were located on this ridge. The eastern side is a steep slope facing Uraga Port, and the western side is also a relatively steep slope, functioning as a natural defensive wall. The routes that attackers could climb were limited, making it a terrain advantageous to the defenders.

A New Tower Building Being Built Right Next to Yokosuka Chuo Station

横須賀中央駅前が再開発、複合商業施設の超高層ビル着工へ - 横須賀経済新聞

== Yokosuka Chuo Station area to be redeveloped; construction to begin on a super high-rise building for a mixed-use commercial complex.

(January 23, 2026)

The redevelopment of the area in front of Keikyu Yokosuka-Chuo Station has begun in earnest, with a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a new commercial facility held on January 21st. Aiming to create a new landmark, the project is being undertaken by the Wakamatsu-cho 1-chome District Urban Redevelopment Association, Keikyu Corporation, and others.

The project will completely renovate aging buildings such as "Yokosuka Prime," which was located in front of the station. The new building will be a 128-meter-tall, 33-story skyscraper, a mixed-use complex combining commercial, hotel, and residential spaces.

The upper floors (11th to 33rd floors) will be a residential zone with 273 apartments. The middle floors (6th to 10th floors) will be a hotel zone, with the "Keikyu EX Inn Yokosuka Chuo Station (tentative name)" (129 rooms) planned. The lower floors (1st to 4th floors) will be a commercial zone, housing the long-established department store "Midoriya" and tenants from the former Yokosuka Prime, aiming to "preserve the town's memory while evolving its commercial functions."

A rooftop plaza will be created for public use, providing a green and relaxing space. The second floor will be directly connected to the Yokosuka Chuo Station ticket gates via the "Y-Deck."

"It is expected that the flow of people in front of the station will become smoother, creating a vibrant gateway (the main gate of the town) that will attract visitors," the association said. Completion is scheduled for December 2029.

Future Expansion of Yokosuka Port

Yokosuka City is planning to develop a new pier in the easily accessible Shin-ko port district, involving the reclamation of approximately 17.2 hectares. 

To strengthen logistics functions and address the strain on ferry routes, the city will construct new wharves with depths of 12m and 9m, aiming to revitalize the local economy and secure a base for transporting emergency supplies in the event of a disaster.

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https://www.city.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp/5810/documents/newpier.pdf

Yokosuka Port, an important port located on the eastern side of the Miura Peninsula at the mouth of Tokyo Bay, has a ferry base connecting the Shin-ko Port area and Kitakyushu Port. 

However, in recent years, with the increase in cargo volume, the existing mooring facilities and land have become insufficient to cope with the demand. 

Therefore, in order to support the vitality of the region and to reorganize and strengthen the port's logistics functions as a port that plays a part in the port functions of the Tokyo metropolitan area, a new pier will be constructed by reclaiming public waters.

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横須賀港新ふ頭整備 計画検討へ環境調査 | 横須賀・三浦 | タウンニュース

(February 14, 2025)

In connection with the development project for the new port area being pursued by Yokosuka City to reorganize and strengthen the logistics functions of Yokosuka Port.  The plan involves reclaiming 17.2 hectares of sea area east of the new port pier in Yokosuka Port, with a 290-meter-long, 12-meter-deep quay, and developing new mooring facilities and logistics functions.

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https://www.city.yokosuka.kanagawa.jp/5830/documents/aramashi_1.pdf

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The Yokosuka Port Shin-Ko District's "New Pier Development Plan" is a large-scale port function enhancement project that involves reclaiming land east of the current Shin-Ko Pier to create a vast development site of approximately 17 to 20 hectares.  With the launch of ferry service to Shin-Ko Pier in 2021 (Tokyo-Kyushu Ferry), the cargo handling space for existing car carriers and frozen tuna carriers has become strained.  The plan is being advanced to alleviate this congestion and accommodate new logistics and ferry routes. The latest plan outline and progress are as follows.

-- Plan and Facility Overview Reclamation and Development Area: Approximately 17.2 to 20 hectares 

-- Main Facilities: 

  = Foreign Cargo Terminal: 12m deep, 290m long quay (accommodating car carriers and large refrigerated cargo ships) 

  = Mooring facilities for domestic ships, ferries, and RORO vessels 

  = Vast logistics functions and port cargo handling business land

-- Current Progress and Development Policy (as of 2026) 

  = Transition to Phased Development: At the Yokosuka City Council meeting in March 2026, it was revealed that the construction area would be divided into three sections, and the policy would be to develop and open up facilities in stages, starting with the highest priority facilities.

  = Impact on Surrounding Area: In addition to reclamation work and dredging to secure shipping lanes, the project also includes partial alteration of the adjacent "Umikaze Park," so environmental impact assessments and utilization surveys are underway.

A Foreign Vessel Visit to Uraga -- Way Before the Blackships

A Writer’s Travel Guide: Encounters with Japan and the Kingdom of Ryukyu | Regency Explorer

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Captain Peter Gordon

Background information

Little is known of the personal background of the adventurous Scottish Captain Peter Gordon (fl. 1809 -1841). It is most likely that his father went to the sea as well. Peter became a sailor, and being second mate in the barque Joseph in 1809, was taken prisoner by the French on a voyage from Oporto to England. He escaped in 1810 and went to sea again. He began to trade from Calcutta, and travelled in South East Asia, India, Siberia and the Persian Gulf. He was described as a lively character, and as “inclined to be critical of the system” (other said he was a militant reformer).

Adventure in Japan

In July 1818, Peter entered the Uraga bay in front of the Japanese capital Edo in his brig “Brothers”, with 6 men on board and goods from the British market. His plan was to start trading, and to go ashore to see the shogun’s palace. He also hoped to be allowed to stay in Japan long enough to learn the language. To enter the harbour, he joined the “Brothers” with some junks that were returning home, and thus managed to remain undetected as a foreign vessel until the sun set. At night, the ship drifted near a rock and had to anchor. In the morning, officials had spotted the foreign ship and rowed out to inspect it.

Peter made a formal request to enter the harbour, and also asked to be allowed to return with a cargo, for the purpose of trading. While waiting for the official reply, he was visited by inspectors asking many questions. They were interested in scientific instruments, and so Peter showed them the ones he had on board. The Japanese knew the instruments’ names and uses well; and they observed that instruments were made much better in London than elsewhere. References were made to politics, such as to the return of Napoleon, and to the battle of Waterloo. “Our visitors were much interested in the account of that engagement, and an enumeration of the different states who were there combined against France”, Peter noted.

On the fourth day of his stay in the bay, Peter received a visit from two interpreters. Each of them could speak a little English, and they were able to understand English books by the aid of a Dutch and English dictionary. Nevertheless, all communication was in Dutch.

Influencing scientific progress

Science was a topic of interest. Peter had with him samples of a vaccine against the small pox (vaccinations against small pox had become widespread in South East Asia due to an initiative of Sir Stamford Raffles from Java). Peter offered the interpreters to make the method of vaccination a gift to them. With a heavy heart they had to decline, as receiving gifts was strictly forbidden However, it was the turning point that later let one of the interpreters, 31-year-old Baba Sajuro, to translate a Russian book on small pox vaccination and thus take a first step towards smallpox vaccination in Japan. The concept of immunization was started in Japan in 1849.

While staying in the bay of Uraga, Peter was treated with the greatest kindness and good will. Provisions and anything he might be in need of were offered to him. However, he was given to understand that only two nations, the Dutch and the Chinese, are permitted to trade with Japan, and only at Nagasaki. Thousands of people watch him leave, some made sketches of his ship. Once at sea, many Japanese boats followed the Brothers.

Peter observed: “In the course of that and the following day, there were not less than two thousand persons on board, all of whom were eager to barter for trifles. I had the pleasure of obtaining, amongst other things, some little books and other specimens of the language; and distributed two copies of the Chinese New Testament, together with some Chinese tracts. If inclined to set any value on ideas which can be formed concerning the hearts of men, especially of men accustomed to disguise their feelings as we are informed the Japanese are, I would definitively say that our dismissal was regretted by all.”