is a district in Naka Ward, Yokohama, Japan, bounded by the Ōoka River, JR Negishi Line, Nakamura River, and Yokohama waterfront. "Kannai" is not an official name of the area, but the common term of reference has been in use for over a century. Kannai is the heart of administrative and commercial Yokohama, with the Kanagawa Prefectural Government offices, the Yokohama Municipal Government offices, Kanagawa Prefectural Police Headquarters, other governmental offices as well as major business offices within its borders. Kannai encompasses the old districts of Bashamichi, Chinatown, and Yamashita Park, making Kannai a major tourist destination in Yokohama, rivaling the adjacent Minato Mirai 21. History The Kannai region was part of the ocean until the Edo period when Yoshida Shinden was reclaimed in 1667. Upon reclamation, the streets were lined up according to a grid plan. And in the region were auspiciously named after individuals involved with the reclamation, Noh songs, and Hyakunin Isshu, rather than any ancient names. During the Edo period, was a remote village adjacent to the , one of the 53 stations of Tōkaidō. Upon being demanded by the United States, the Tokugawa shogunate declared Yokohama-mura to be a part of Kanagawa and then opened its port. The Tokugawa government chose the remotely located Yokohama-mura, to prevent foreigners from entering the bustling Kanagawa-juku. Upon the opening of the Port of Yokohama in 1859, Kannai became the commercial center of the foreign settlement and home of international trading companies and diplomatic missions, similar to Dejima in Nagasaki. As the foreign settlement rapidly expanded, further residential areas, churches, a cemetery and schools were added on the nearby elevated Yamate Bluff overlooking the harbour. The historic Osanbashi Pier was built adjacent to Kannai in 1894, and has been the international pier of the Port of Yokohama ever since. Since the opening of the Port of Yokohama, Kannai saw a sudden influx of Western culture. According to the Yokohama Municipal Government, the Kannai region boasts many "firsts in Japan", such as ice cream, beer, and gas lamps. A road was built from Kanagawa-juku to Yokohama-mura. And on this road, the Yoshida Bridge was built across Yoshida River, a branch of the Ōoka River. There was a , a "checkpoint", on this Yoshida Bridge. The area inside the Kanmon (the Yokohama side) was called Kannai (Kannai meant "inside the Kanmon"). Within Kannai, the current location of the Kanagawa prefectural office