Yokohama
Yokohama explained: place assistants, move your president through the city, collect goods, fulfill orders, learn technologies and establish shops and trading houses.
Compete as merchants in Meiji-era Yokohama by spreading assistants across a modular city, then moving your president through that network to take increasingly powerful actions.
Why We Love It
Your assistant network determines both movement and action strength. Building a strong route can create efficient turns, but opponents can crowd the same locations and change the cost of navigation.
About Yokohama
Yokohama is a medium heavy strategy game published by Synapses Games and designed by Hisashi Hayashi. Its core systems include Network Movement, Contracts and Worker Placement, creating a mix of tactical timing and longer-term planning.
This guide focuses on the edition and rules scope identified in the source notes below, with the main decisions separated from the factual rules overview.
Game at a Glance
Network Movement
Use this system efficiently and connect it to your broader scoring plan.
Contracts
Use this system efficiently and connect it to your broader scoring plan.
Worker Placement
Commit workers to contested action spaces and time placements around opponents.
Set Collection
Build valuable sets while tracking which pieces opponents are likely to pursue.
Who Yokohama suits
Yokohama suits players who enjoy Network Movement and Contracts, with enough room to build a plan while still reacting to changing shared incentives. Its medium heavy weight makes it a better fit for groups comfortable tracking several connected systems.
Rules overview
Place assistants in city areas, then move your president through connected areas containing your assistants. The number of your pieces at the destination determines action power. Actions collect goods, money and imported items, gain technologies, complete orders and build shops or trading houses. Achievements provide additional rewards and fame.
Key decisions
Editorial analysis: Assistant placement is both preparation and infrastructure. Concentrating too heavily can produce one powerful action while leaving your president without an efficient route to the next objective.
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Sources and edition notes
Facts checked September 17, 2026. This guide follows the Synapses Games 2024 edition, which includes two mini-expansions.