Yokohama's Parks and Park-PFI Strategy
Background and overall policy for Park-PFI introduction in a city with roughly 2,700 parks
Parks in Yokohama, large and small
~2,700
Yokohama City, as of June 2021
Parks with Park-PFI deployed
3
As of 2026
Yokohama City population
3,754,840
2025 census preliminary count
Yokohama City is one of Japan's largest designated cities, with roughly 2,700 parks large and small as of June 2021. Its population was 3,754,840 in the preliminary count of the 2025 census, taken as of 1 October 2025. 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"
Business structure of 'THE WHARF HOUSE' by an 8-company consortium led by Zetton, and design for coexistence with historical landscape
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-type Park-PFI by 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 203 parks and policy trends
Complete Guide to Park-PFI
Comprehensive explanation of the system, procedures, and cases
What to do next
When considering Park-PFI, examine the park's conditions, use and operator interest.
| # | What to check or consider | Responsible team or contact |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check the park's site area and the footprint of existing buildings, including rest and sports facilities, to establish current building coverage | Parks team |
| 2 | Check the building coverage limits and exceptions in the local ordinance. Compare them with existing building footprints to assess whether new facilities can be added | Parks team |
| 3 | Study visitor numbers and patterns of use, including weekday, weekend and seasonal differences, to assess likely demand | Site surveys and existing survey records |
| 4 | Check actual fees at comparable parks, taking account of differences in area, location and facility use | Other municipalities and published records |
| 5 | Present the survey results and proposed use to private operators. Ask about their interest and the conditions needed for a viable project | Market sounding |
Assess the scope for new buildings against existing building footprints and the local ordinance. If there is no room to add buildings, consider reuse of existing facilities and other project methods.
This coverage-ratio uplift is not 10 percentage points for rest facilities and another 10 for solicited park facilities: the two share a single 10%. In a park that has already reached 12% with rest or sports facilities, no new amenity facility can be added as a solicited park facility. Both that 10% and the ordinary 2% are figures the law asks local governments to take into account, and the ratio that applies is the one each local government sets in its own ordinance.
References
Yamashita Park Resthouse Utilization Project (Park-PFI) — Yokohama City (2022)
Odori Park Zones 1-3 Renewal Project (Park-PFI) — Yokohama City (2024)
Yokohama Zoological Forest Park Undeveloped Area — Recreational Facility Public Recruitment (Park-PFI) — Yokohama City (2018)
Designated Developer Decision for Yamashita Park Resthouse Park-PFI Solicitation — Sakata no Tane Green Service Co., Ltd. (2022)
