PACIFICO Yokohama

Yokohama's principal international convention and exhibition complex in the Minato Mirai 21 waterfront district. The Conference Center and Exhibition Hall opened in August 1991; the National Convention Hall — featuring a distinctive bivalve-shaped roof with a capacity of up to 5,002 seats — was added in April 1994.

Use

Office tower

Area

Nishi Ward, Yokohama

Completed

1991

Yokohama’s International Convention Hub on the Waterfront

PACIFICO Yokohama occupies the western edge of the Minato Mirai 21 development zone — the ambitious waterfront regeneration project that transformed former Mitsubishi Heavy Industries shipyard land and Japan National Railways marshaling yards in Nishi Ward, Yokohama, beginning in the 1980s. The Conference Center and Exhibition Hall opened on August 22, 1991, and the National Convention Hall followed on April 25, 1994, bringing the facility to its full scale. The name “PACIFICO” derives from the Latin pacificus, meaning peaceful, reflecting Yokohama’s role as a Pacific-facing port city.

The complex integrates a conference center, exhibition halls, the National Convention Hall, and the Yokohama Grand InterContinental Hotel into a single waterfront precinct. Each building carries a distinct design concept: the conference center represents “light,” the InterContinental Hotel a “sail,” the exhibition hall a “wave,” and the National Convention Hall a “bivalve shell” — the last expressed in the hall’s sweeping curved roof that has become the most recognizable silhouette of the entire development.

The Shell Roof and Three Decades of Events

The National Convention Hall seats up to 5,002 people and has served as the venue for international academic conferences, large-scale concerts, and major public events. During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, PACIFICO Yokohama served as an international press center. The bivalve-shaped roof of the National Convention Hall, evocative of the marine life of Yokohama Bay, is visible from the waterfront promenade and has become one of Minato Mirai’s defining images.

After more than thirty years of continuous operation since the 1994 opening of the National Convention Hall, a renovation closure is scheduled to begin in May 2027, signaling the facility’s transition into its next phase.

Summary

PACIFICO Yokohama opened in 1991 (with the National Convention Hall added in 1994) as a waterfront convention and exhibition complex. Its 5,002-seat National Convention Hall and the surrounding facilities have established Yokohama as a leading city for international meetings and large events.

The 2020 addition of PACIFICO Yokohama North has expanded the convention offer further. Yokohama Landmark Tower and PACIFICO together define the Minato Mirai skyline. For nearby accommodation, Rakuten Travel covers hotels across the Minato Mirai waterfront.