Sitting right on the border of Kanagawa Prefecture, just before you enter Tokyo, is Kawasaki City. Some may see the city as simply a spillover from Japan’s mega-metropolis, but it has a history and rhythm all of its own.
Kawasaki has thrived in large part thanks to the massive industrial zone that exists along the harborfront. It isn’t just Kawasaki that has benefitted from the zone, but Japan as a whole as it’s helped drive the expansion of the country’s industrialization for the last century and a half. Today, the area is trying to move beyond the pollution of its past as the country, and many places around the world shift toward cleaner, more sustainable sources of energy.
The industrial zone was built right on the harbor as a port-plant-integrated waterfront. It consists of seven man-made islands separated by 16 canals. One rather unexpected outcome of this setup is that, by night, the many industrial lights, as well as the flames billowing from the chimneys, create quite the vista as they reflect on the water’s surface. The city is now capitalizing on this by offering the Kawasaki Night View of Factories Cruise, which gives anyone interested, an insight into Japan’s industrial machine.
I was offered such an opportunity recently, and decided to check it out for myself. Having lived in Kanagawa for a few years, and visited Kawasaki sporadically during that time, I had never heard of such a tour. I was intrigued. The tour begins at the East Exit of Kawasaki Station, right outside the Nikko Hotel entrance. Here, I was surprised to find that there was quite a large group ready to join. Having personally felt that this kind of tour must be quite niche, it was nice to see so many people were also interested in exploring a more unseen side of the city. We all boarded a bus which took around 10 to 15 minutes to transport us to the harbor, where a yakatabune (traditional Japanese leisure boat) was waiting, its lanterns glowing bright red against the black night sky.
The boat is wide, much like a barge (flat-bottomed vessel), with tables on either side and a walkway down the center. Everyone took off their shoes to enter (even on a boat, Japan is fastidious about this) and sat down around the tables. Out popped bento boxes and beverages (non-alcoholic) from bags, making me regret not stopping for some food of my own beforehand. The boat then set off as the guide introduced himself and the contents of the tour. Unfortunately for me, with my somewhat poor Japanese skills, the tour is conducted in Japanese, so much of what was said was lost on me.
What was not lost on me though was the sheer scale of the zone, which as we approached, loomed large and bright. You’ll glide past refineries as well as plenty of logistic and shipping centers, which makes sense given its proximity to Haneda Airport. The industrial zone is home to a whopping 2,400 companies and employs roughly 60,000.
Upon entering the zone, myself and many others headed up to the boat’s roof, where you could stand (having put your shoes back on), look out and snap some pictures. The views were rather stunning–the thousands of twinkling and flickering lights were mirrored in the dark waters below us as we glided past buildings and structures of all shapes and sizes. Though not an industrial photographer myself, I can see how this would appeal to many urban and nighttime photographers, and a fair few passengers appeared to have decent cameras with them to capture the view.
Wondering just who would attend such a tour, I spoke to some of the other passengers to understand the appeal from their point of view. One passenger aboard was a Chinese student named Zerun who was traveling through Japan. Zerun told me how he came across such a unique tour, explaining, “In China we have social media and many people share good destinations in Japan. So we searched using keywords and it led us to the Kawasaki website.” He added, “You don’t have many chances to see this kind of tour–being so close to these industrial buildings is rare. It’s a fantastic opportunity.”
Another passenger was Emi Watanabe, who came on the tour to experience a unique kind of night view. “There’s a different kind of appeal,” Emi told me, “it’s different from the lights you find in the city. I’ve enjoyed seeing the steam and fire coming from the chimneys and all the different kinds of lights that are on the structures. I’ve always loved nightscapes and factories since I was a child, so this is a really cool experience.”
The tour is roughly two hours in total, taking you around half of the canals. Throughout this time, the guide knowledgeably explains the many industries the boat passes. Despite the fact the tour is given in Japanese, I discovered that the guide, Hiroki Tatsuno, did speak a little English. He told me that even though he does this on a voluntary basis (he works full time as a firefighter as well), it took him one year to pass the test to have the required skill to take on this role. When I asked why he wanted to teach people about the Kawasaki Industrial Zone he said, “I love Kawasaki. I love this city. I wanted to find a way to give back to it and so I decided to become a tour guide and show people around this amazing area.”
After the tour came to an end, I thanked Hiroki and we unboarded and headed back to Kawasaki Station. It really was a new experience for me to see this side of Japan. I have visited temples, shrines, climbed mountains, and hiked through forests, but to see this side of Japan which keeps its industry–and economy–ticking, was unique and beautiful in its own way.