How to Play

Yokohama

2-4 players 90-90 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

In Meiji-era Japan, players become merchants competing for fame in the rapidly modernizing port city of Yokohama. Through strategic actions, you construct stores, expand trade networks, master new techniques, and fulfill international orders. Success requires balancing these interconnected business activities to establish the most prosperous trading empire and achieve victory.

Published 2016

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

Remove components by player count

In 2-player games, remove Laboratory B, Port B, Chinatown, Canal, and one each of Copper Mine, Silk Mill, Tea, and Fishing Area boards, plus Laboratory B and Port B Management boards. In 3-player games, remove Laboratory B and one each of Copper Mine, Silk Mill, and Tea Area boards, plus Laboratory B Management board.

Arrange Area boards

Shuffle Area boards face down, then reveal and place them in the configuration matching your player count (pyramid shape), placing one shuffled Building tile face up below each Area board except the Canal.

Place Management boards

Position each Management board near its corresponding Area board (Ports A/B, Laboratories A/B, Church, Customs).

Distribute 5-Power tokens

Shuffle 5-Power tokens face down and place one face up on the marked space of each Area board, returning extras to the box.

Create supply

Place Money, Trade Goods tokens, Imported Goods tokens, Foreign Agent tokens (face up), and the Station token within reach of all players.

Distribute player components

Each player takes their color's Warehouse board, President (in hand), 23 Assistants (8 in hand, 15 on Warehouse), 8 Shops (2 in hand, 6 in Warehouse), 4 Trading Houses (in Warehouse), and Player summary.

Set scoring markers

Place 1 Assistant on each "0" space on the scoring track on your Warehouse board.

Give starting resources

Each player receives 1 Copper, 1 Silk, 1 Tea, 1 Fish, and Money (¥3 for starting player, ¥4 for others).

Determine starting player

The player who most recently visited a port receives the Starting Player token.

Prepare Achievement tiles

Divide tiles into A, B, and C stacks, shuffle each separately, draw 1 from each stack to place face up, and return the rest to the box.

Fill Laboratory boards

Shuffle Technology cards into a face-down deck and fill each open space on Laboratory Management boards with face-up cards.

Prepare Order cards

Shuffle Order cards, remove cards based on player count (16 for 2 players, 5 for 3 players, 0 for 4 players), fill Port Management boards with face-up cards, then have each player draw 2 Order cards, keep 1, and return the other to the box.

Set up dummy player for 2 players

Block marked spaces on Church and Customs Management boards with an unused color Assistant.

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

Use a Foreign Agent

Turn a Foreign Agent token face down, choose an Area containing at least 1 of your Assistants but not your President, then perform Area Action, 5-Power bonus, Shop/Trading House construction, and Recovery steps (once per turn total).

Complete Achievement tiles

If you meet requirements on an Achievement tile, place an Assistant from your hand onto it and gain indicated points (first player scores top row, later players score bottom row).

Complete Order cards

Place an Order card from your hand face up, pay indicated Trade Goods, gain the reward, then check for matching country icons to earn Foreign Agent tokens.

Placement step option A

Place up to 3 Assistants from your hand into different Areas, paying ¥1 to each opponent whose President occupies an Area where you place.

Placement step option B

Place 2 Assistants from your hand into a single Area, paying applicable President costs.

Movement step option A

Move your President from hand to any Area with your Assistant and no other President, or move step-by-step through adjacent Areas containing your Assistants, paying ¥1 to opponents whose Presidents you pass through, ending in an Area with your Assistant and no other President.

Movement step option B

Return your President and any number of your Assistants from Areas to your hand, then skip directly to Phase C.

Area Action step

Calculate Power in your President's Area (1 per Assistant, 1 for President, 1 for Shop, 1 for Trading House, 1 for Station token, maximum 5), then perform the Area's action at that Power level.

5-Power bonus step

If you performed a 5-Power action, take the 5-Power token from that Area and gain its reward.

Shop and Trading House construction step

If you performed a 4+ Power action, optionally build 1 Shop (place from hand onto empty Shop space on Building tile, gain reward) or 1 Trading House (place from hand onto empty Trading House space, gain reward).

Recovery step

Return all your Assistants from the Area Action Area to your hand.

Trading House income

Any other player with a Trading House in the action Area receives ¥1 from supply.

Perform additional actions

Same options as First Half (Foreign Agent once per turn total, Achievements, Orders).

Earn Foreign Agents

When you form a matching pair of country icons on Technology and/or completed Order cards, take a Foreign Agent token of that country if available.

Refill Technology cards

After gaining a Technology card, slide remaining cards left and draw new card to rightmost space.

Refill Order cards

After gaining Order cards, slide remaining cards left and draw new cards to fill empty spaces.

Winning

How to claim victory.

Trading House trigger

Any player builds all 4 of their Trading Houses.

Shop trigger

Any player builds all 8 of their Shops.

Order card depletion

When replenishing, there are not enough Order cards to fill Port Management board spaces.

Church Assistant limit

In 2/3/4 player games, there are 5/5/6 Assistants on Church Management board.

Customs Assistant limit

In 2/3/4 player games, there are 5/5/6 Assistants on Customs Management board.

Final round procedure

Complete the current round, then play one final full round.

Church bonus

Player with most Assistants on Church Management board receives 6 points; second most receives 3 points (ties broken by rightmost Assistant).

Customs bonus

Player with most Assistants on Customs Management board receives 8 points; second most receives 4 points (ties broken by rightmost Assistant).

Technology bonus

Player with highest total Production value on Technology cards receives 10 points; second highest receives 5 points (ties broken by proximity to starting player's left).

Country bonus

Create sets of different country icons from Technology and completed Order cards (5 types = 12 points, 4 types = 8 points, 3 types = 4 points, 2 types = 2 points).

Remainder scoring

Convert unused Foreign Agent tokens (1 point each), Imported Goods tokens (1 point each), every ¥2 (1 point), and every 3 Trade Goods (1 point).

Determine winner

Player with most points wins; ties broken by proximity to starting player (including starting player).