Yokohama City's Park-PFI — The Frontline of Large-City Park Activation
Yokohama City has deployed Park-PFI across three parks — Yamashita Park Resthouse, Odori Park, and Yokohama Zoological Forest Park — building a large-city park activation model. This article provides a structural analysis of Yokohama's Park-PFI strategy, featuring major operators including Mitsui Fudosan, Zetton, and Forest Adventure.
TL;DR
- Yokohama has deployed Park-PFI at three parks (Yamashita Park, Odori Park, Yokohama Zoological Forest Park), forming a pioneering model as a designated city managing approximately 2,700 urban parks
- At the Yamashita Park Resthouse, an 8-company consortium led by Zetton operates 'THE WHARF HOUSE,' with design requirements centered on coexistence with historical landscape
- For Odori Park Zones 1-3, a 4-company consortium of Mitsui Fudosan, Tokyu, Keikyu, and DeNA has been selected — a model linking Park-PFI with large-scale urban redevelopment
Yokohama's Parks and Park-PFI Strategy
Background and overall policy for Park-PFI introduction in a city managing approximately 2,700 urban parks
~2,700
Urban parks and green spaces managed by Yokohama
3
Parks with Park-PFI deployed
As of 2026
3.74M
Yokohama City population
Yokohama City is one of Japan's largest designated cities, managing approximately 2,700 urban parks and green spaces. With aging park facilities and rising maintenance costs becoming fiscal challenges, the city is actively introducing private-sector energy through Park-PFI (Public Recruitment Installation and Management System).
As of 2026, Yokohama has implemented Park-PFI at the following three parks:
| Park | Operator | Business Type | Opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yamashita Park Resthouse | 8-company consortium led by Zetton | Dining and tourism complex | April 2023 |
| Odori Park Zones 1-3 | 4-company consortium led by Mitsui Fudosan | Urban renewal | Planning stage |
| Yokohama Zoological Forest Park | Forest Adventure | Outdoor leisure | September 2019 |
Yokohama has established the Park Public-Private Partnership Promotion Committee, which conducts organized reviews of Park-PFI operators. This institutional foundation ensures transparency in operator selection and quality assurance in park activation.
Yamashita Park Resthouse: "THE WHARF HOUSE"
Project Overview
Yokohama selected the "Yamashita Park Revitalization Project Group," with Zetton as the representative entity, to develop and manage the Yamashita Park Resthouse and surrounding garden areas. It opened as "THE WHARF HOUSE Yamashita Park" on April 14, 2023.
Operator Composition
The consortium comprises eight companies including representative Zetton Inc.| Company | Role |
|---|---|
| Zetton Inc. (Representative) | Dining facility operation |
| FANCL Corporation | Wellness services |
| Yokohama FM Broadcasting | Media partnerships |
| Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd. | Real estate and facility management |
| KMC Corporation | Facility operations |
| Sakata no Tane Green Service | Green space management |
| tvk Communications | Media partnerships |
| Ariake Co., Ltd. | Retail (confectionery) |
An eight-company composition is a characteristically Yokohama feature. By assembling companies from different domains — dining (Zetton), real estate (Mitsubishi Estate), green space management (Sakata no Tane GS), media (FM Yokohama, tvk), retail (Ariake), and wellness (FANCL) — the consortium achieves multifaceted value enhancement for the park.
Design for Coexistence with Historical Landscape
Yamashita Park, opened in 1930, is a historical park whose harbor-facing landscape is an iconic Yokohama vista. The resthouse renewal required strict alignment with the Yokohama Landscape Plan.
THE WHARF HOUSE Yamashita Park includes amenities such as foot baths and BBQ spaces, adding experiential functions absent from the original resthouse. The design that extends visitor dwell time while leveraging the Yokohama Harbor landscape is instructive for park activation at tourism sites.
Odori Park Zones 1-3 Renewal
Large-scale urban park renewal by the Mitsui Fudosan, Tokyu, Keikyu, and DeNA consortium
Park-PFI Linked with Large-Scale Urban Redevelopment
Odori Park is a linear downtown park located in Yokohama's Naka Ward. A consortium led by Mitsui Fudosan was selected as the designated developer for Park-PFI in Zones 1-3.
Operator Composition
The designated developer is a four-company consortium of Mitsui Fudosan, Tokyu Corporation, Keikyu Corporation, and DeNA.| Company | Industry | Expected Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mitsui Fudosan (Representative) | Comprehensive real estate developer | Project oversight, facility development |
| Tokyu Corporation | Railway, real estate, lifestyle services | Urban development coordination |
| Keikyu Corporation | Railway, corridor development | Transportation access coordination |
| DeNA | IT, entertainment | Digital technology integration |
This composition differs markedly from Yamashita Park's "dining-led" model. With three major real estate and railway companies — Mitsui Fudosan, Tokyu, and Keikyu — at the core, supplemented by DeNA's digital capabilities, the structure is designed for park activation integrated with surrounding urban redevelopment, not merely standalone park renewal.
Yokohama Zoological Forest Park (Forest Adventure)
Outdoor Leisure Park-PFI
Park-PFI was used from November 2018 to recruit operators for athletic facilities and camping experience facilities in the undeveloped area of Yokohama Zoological Forest Park (adjacent to Zoorasia).The Forest Adventure area opened on September 14, 2019, followed by the Trail Adventure area on February 29, 2020.
The distinctive feature of this case is a design that "leverages the natural environment as-is." Installing athletic courses within forests requires no large-scale construction and does not compromise the park's natural environment. It is evaluated as a model that achieves high compatibility between revenue facilities and environmental conservation.
Challenges and Lessons of Large-City Park-PFI
Three unique challenges — landscape regulations, private business competition, and resident consensus
Yokohama's three cases reveal Park-PFI challenges unique to large cities.
Challenge 1: Compatibility with Landscape Regulations
In historical parks like Yamashita Park, building design, height, and material standards are stricter than typical Park-PFI projects. Pre-coordination with landscape plans is a prerequisite for project viability.
Challenge 2: Competition with Surrounding Private Businesses
Major parks in Yokohama are surrounded by established restaurants and commercial facilities. Installing revenue facilities in parks risks "crowding out private businesses" criticism. Solicitation conditions must be designed to differentiate business types (e.g., limiting to types that do not compete with existing shops).
Challenge 3: Building Resident Consensus
Yokohama's parks are heavily used by residents in daily life, and calls to "preserve quiet parks" are persistent. Thorough pre-Park-PFI market sounding surveys and resident briefings are essential to securing public understanding.
→ For guidance on conducting market sounding surveys, see Park-PFI Market Sounding.
Park-PFI in Kanagawa Prefecture
Comparative cases from Yokohama, Yokosuka, and Manazuru with prefectural trends
Park-PFI Latest Cases and Statistics [2026 Edition]
Nationwide statistics across 165 parks and policy trends
Complete Guide to Park-PFI
Comprehensive explanation of the system, procedures, and cases
References
Yamashita Park Resthouse Utilization Project (Park-PFI) (2022)
Odori Park Zones 1-3 Renewal Project (Park-PFI) (2024)
Designated Developer Decision for Yamashita Park Resthouse Park-PFI Solicitation (2022)