YOKOHAMA -- A Lego version of the Yokohama Chinatown streetscape has gone on display in front of a Chinese restaurant near Zenrinmon, the gate to the town's main street in Yokohama's Naka Ward.

       The Yokohama Daihanten restaurant hopes that the Lego model will become a new attraction on the block.

       The Lego streetscape was created by the late Kazuyoshi Naoe, who made many Lego models, in 2005. It apparently took him about 100 hours to build using some 150,000 blocks. The owner of Yokohama Daihanten had been interested in his Chinatown model for many years since after seeing it in a magazine. In 2020, the owner learned that those involved in Naoe's works were looking for a place to put it on display, and decided to exhibit it in front of the restaurant. The restaurant ordered a custom-made case to display the model to passersby.

       The streetscape is elaborately recreated to show items on display at each establishment and customers at tables. Because the model was built 16 years ago, there are some businesses that do not exist anymore.

       A representative of the restaurant commented, "We hope people enjoy it. We will be happy if they see the work and unwind."

       (Japanese original by Mami Miyajima, Yokohama Bureau)

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