Yokohama was Tokyo's main port in the 1920's when the earthquake hit. It was the city's main connection to the West. The first shock occurred only 30 miles south of Tokyo. At the time, hundreds of onlookers were seeing off a 615 foot steamship. Little did they know that they would be hit with a devastating earthquake, followed by a giant tsunami wave nearly 40 feet high. Yokohama was founded in 1859 as Japan's first "Foreign Settlement", and was known as the "City of Silk". It attracted entrepreneurs, fugitives, traders, and drifters from all over the world. Ideas from the West such as democracy and women's rights were introduced to Yokohama. The city was full of ideas and culture. When the earthquake struck, everything was wiped out.