Explore the attractions in Kawasaki beyond time and space: classic sites associated with the Tokaido route built in the Edo Period, retro-fashioned locales constructed in the Showa Period, and modern and up-to-date spots.

To Yokohama, to Tokyo, to Shinagawa, and even to Haneda Airport! Everything is close and convenient!

Kawasaki Station is a connection point between Tokyo Station, Shinagawa Station, Yokohama Station, and Haneda Airport. You can explore Kawasaki as a walking day-trip to shop and visit places of interest, or you can stay overnight to tour even more attractive spots.

Kawasaki is very convenient both for business and for pleasure.

Founded in 1623, Kawasaki Post Town flourished by providing resting and lodging for travelers along the Tōkaidō road. In addition to Kawasaki Daishi Temple, which attracted many worshippers as one of the Kantō region’s most sacred places, it also gained prominence for the delicious dishes that fed travelers at the time.

A great master offering protection against misfortune since ancient times

Kawasaki Daishi Heikenji Temple is known for its miraculous Yakuyoke Daishi, which can prevent all kinds of disasters. In 1813, the 11th shōgun Ienari Tokugawa made an official visit to the temple at age 41 to protect himself from misfortunate the next year, at the inauspicious age of 42. This visit resulted in the temple being worshipped more devoutly throughout Japan.

At the entrance of the grounds stands the Main Gate, the general gate that serves as a purifying border surrounding the temple buildings and monastery. The hanging red lantern was donated by the Kawasaki Fish Market Association, so it’s marked with the characters for "Uogashi" (fish market).

Across from the spacious temple approach is the Main Hall. Here, in front of the temple's principal object of worship, Yakuyoke Kobo Daishi, every day they offer the Gomakitou, a rite of burning prayer sticks for purification from worldly desires and protection against misfortune. You can apply for prayer sticks if you want be cleansed from the confusion of worldly desires, or to pray for business success or for your wishes to be fulfille

Don’t miss the painted ceiling in the Sutra Repository or the very exotic Yakushi Hall

After watching the prayer ceremony, make a stop at the Sutra Repository. It houses 7240 volumes of the Kenryuban Daizokyo, China's last woodblock edition of the Tripitaka. On the ceiling are paintings of two dragons (Sōryū), which are guardian deities in Buddhism, and of a celestial nymph spreading flowers while playing beguiling music (Hiten).

There is a five-pronged golden vajra pestle in front of the preaching Shaka Nyorai, the principal image of the Sutra Repository. Visitors can make an offering of gold leaf to connect with the Buddha.

Next, cross Yasuragi Bridge to Yakushi Hall. The bridge is painted vermilion, which is said to bring good fortune and ward off disasters. Its handrail is engraved with Sanskrit characters that indicate the stages toward enlightenment. It is said that if two people cross together, they will get along well.

Let’s have our book stamped—maybe we’ll profit from it ♪

Yakushi Hall, the meditation hall of healing, is an exotic chalk building. It enshrines statues of Yakushi Ruriko Nyorai and the Twelve Heavenly Generals, as well as another incarnation of its deity that visitors can rub to have their ailments healed. After praying, we received a stamp reading “Yakushi Nyorai.”

There are five places on the grounds where you can get your book of seals stamped: the Main Hall, Fudo-Do, Yakushi Hall, Gojishino Uketsukejyo, and the Prayer Hall for Safe Driving. You can also buy a book of seals with a picture of Hirama-kun, the official Kawasaki Daishi character.

Specialty kuzu mochi made with traditional techniques and methods

This shop is a beloved institution that has been carrying on traditional flavors since its establishment in 1917. To make their famous kuzu mochi, they first ferment wheat flour by soaking it in groundwater for about 400 days, precipitating and stirring repeatedly to remove impurities, and then steaming it in a bamboo steamer. It is known for its chewy texture and its distinctive triangle shape, which is said to repel evil.

Kuzu mochi is said to have originated in the Edo period (1603–1868), when a Daishi Kawara village man named Kyubei forgot about some wet wheat flour that he’d left in a water barrel in his barn. Later, he found that starch had settled, so he processed it to see what would happen and steamed it. He named it “kuzu mochi,” combining his own name with the character for good health and longevity.

A modern way of serving the traditional kuzu mochi

We visited the sister store Coffee Sabō Mochi Jin Sumiyoshi based on the reputation of their kuzu mochi desserts.

Their Kuzu mochi Sundae (¥530) is made with soft-serve ice cream delivered directly from Mother Farm, topped with chunky adzuki bean paste, roasted soybean powder, and black sugar syrup. The kuzu mochi and soft-serve make an addictive combination.

The milk bottle full of Smiley Sugar balls (¥760) is also great as a souvenir. These sugar balls with individually painted smiles are sure to make your coffee break more fun.

Travel back in time to Kawasaki Post Town

This is a facility that teaches about the history and culture of Tōkaidō post towns. It also serves as a base for local activities and socialization. The first floor is a relaxation and socialization area that is open for anyone to stop by. There’s a large screen playing videos about Kawasaki Post Town and the 53 stations of the Tōkaidō Road. (Visitors are not permitted to eat anywhere in the building due to the COVID-19 pandemic.)

The second floor has a picture map of Kawasaki Post Town as well as Kawasaki Post Town Story Boxes set up on both sides of the road. It uses touch panels and explanatory graphics to introduce a variety of stories that happened in Kawasaki Post Town. Some were surprising, including stories about shrines and the ruins of a stronghold.

We took a commemorative photo at “Rokugo no Watashi." Emotions overflow(?) in a photo with an ukiyo-e woodblock print background.

The third floor is an exhibition room. At the “Discover Kawasaki: Now and Then” exhibit, you can interact with an 80-inch touch display screen to go back in time and see the city throughout the ages on maps from 1965, 1947, 1939, and even the Meiji period (1868–1912).

Carefully crafted Japanese sweets with ties to Kawasaki

Karyo Tohteru is a Japanese sweets shop located at the corner of the Kawasaki Post Town crossing on the old Tōkaidō road. Established in 1913, they continue to make sweets with roots in the local community, including Japanese sweets with ties to Kawasaki Post Town. At the back of the store is a café called Saryō Konomi that serves tea with Japanese sweets, shaved ice, anmitsu (agar agar jelly with sweet toppings), and more.

Their Strawberry Anmitsu (¥756) is available only during strawberry season. Enjoy red-cheek strawberries harvested from Shimbori Farm in Kawasaki together with adzuki beans from Hokkaidō. The superb texture of the agar agar pairs well with the springy white mochi and black sugar syrup.

We also tried their oshiruko with crushed azuki beans (¥550). Two mochi rice cakes are toasted until fragrant and served in a sweet soup of dainagon adzuki beans from Hokkaidō. The mochi is made from glutinous rice produced in Uonuma, Niigata prefecture. It comes with tea and salted kelp, which we appreciated.

Take a moment to relax over something sweet. Actually, in addition to sweets, they also serve Nara tea-rice okowa, a reproduction of a famous Tōkaidō dish that appeared in the comic novel Shank’s Mare. This simple glutinous rice steamed with various ingredients is also available for takeout.

The walls of the tea house are effortlessly decorated with wooden confectionery molds. The beautiful wooden sea bream, crane, and flower molds were once used to make sweets for celebrations.

Once you’re done enjoying your sweets, head to the store to choose some souvenirs.

We recommend the Jumbo Chestnut Monaka (¥275 each) as a souvenir. The wafer shells are made to look like chestnuts, and they’re quite hefty, filled with quality bean paste and a whole jumbo chestnut. They come in two types: white bean and chunky adzuki bean.

• You can also get some sweets to power you through your day of walking, like Honey Lemon Dorayaki cakes made with honey collected by a local high school beekeeping club, and the auspicious Fukuwake Gourd Sables! Now it’s time to move along.

• 

Enjoy the world of ukiyo-e in a gallery near the station

This gallery exhibits works that are on loan to Kawasaki City for free by the Kawasaki Isago-no-sato Museum, a Public Interest Incorporated Foundation. The Saito Fumio Collection, works collected by former member of the House of Councillors Saito Fumio, is so highly regarded that it has been exhibited in art museums both in Japan and abroad. It consists of about 4000 works. Each month, the gallery exhibits about 50 ukiyo-e woodblock prints under various themes, like railway paintings and the beautiful women of Edo.

Visit the gallery to see many valuable hand paintings and woodcuts up close. Read the explanation panels to learn about the lives and stories of the characters in the ukiyo-e and appreciate the art from a new perspective.

• 

• We visited during the exhibition of works depicting the world of Ogura Hyakunin Isshu . It was stunning to see the world of Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems by One Hundred Poets) drawn by major ukiyo-e artists including Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Toyokuni.

We found Kawasaki Post Town in a giant ukiyo-e print!

At the entrance is an oversized screen of "Fifty-Three Stations on the Tokaido: Rokugo Ferry at Kawasaki" by Utagawa Hiroshige I. The print shows a boat crossing the Tama River with Kawasaki Post Town on the other side. "I wonder if Kawasaki Station is somewhere around here..."

Visit the gift shop for ukiyo-e-patterned stationery, books of seals, and other goods like these cute postcards of a puppy drawn by Nakamura Hōchū or a cat drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige.

Enjoy the retro pop feeling of the Shōwa period (1926–1989) that came from the wave of rapid economic growth. You can also experience the culture of the time by visiting the Kawasaki Racecourse, the Kawasaki factory area, and the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki, which will be nostalgic for adults and novel for young people.

Take in works of art in a maze-like space

This art museum exhibits about 1800 works of art and materials donated by Tarō Okamoto, an artist with ties to Kawasaki City. The permanent exhibition room was designed to be an interactive exhibition space. Visitors can experience Okamoto's works by sitting in a chair and coming into contact with the various pieces of art.

At the entrance of the permanent exhibition room, you are greeted by a relief of the face of the Tower of the Sun, which also served as the symbol of the World Expo Osaka. Inside are paintings, art pieces, and other works that transcend genre. There’s also a photography section and a space to introduce Okamoto’s life and career chronologically.

An artsy parfait in a café, surrounded by greenery

After you’ve seen the artwork, head to the comfortable and verdant Cafeteria Taro. Have teatime on the outdoor terrace, viewing the works installed in the pond.

The Sun Parfait (¥748) is inspired by the Tower of the Sun. It has a bottom layer of corn flakes topped with soft-serve ice cream and mixed-berry and strawberry sauce, crowned with a cream puff.

The museum shop offers a variety of goods and stationery with Okamoto's works as motifs. You can purchase figurines of Tower of the Sun (¥2035) or Afternoon Sun (¥4950) that fit in the palm of your hand.

The museum is surrounded by the rich nature of Ikuta Ryokuchi Park. We recommend taking a stroll in the forest after seeing the symbolic Tower of Mother.

The quintessential Kawasaki soul food in a single bowl

This dish dates back to 50-odd years after the shop was established, when the owner reimagined Chinese sesame-chili ramen (called “tantanmen” in Japanese) as a stamina-boosting dish. He christened it “New Tantanmen.” Today, the shop has many fans who visit for this Kawasaki soul food.

This is the famous tantanmen (¥860). This bowl of ramen packs a punch, with painstakingly prepared chicken stock and minced meat, garlic, beaten egg, and crushed red pepper. The soup is the perfect accent for the delectably chewy noodles made from carefully selected wheat flour.

If you want some excitement, ask for super spicy!

You can choose from five levels of spice: mild, normal, medium spicy, super spicy, and mega spicy. I always order mine normal, so I tried super spicy this time! The bright red color of the soup was shocking... but what about the taste?

• 

• Actually, it was milder than I expected! The umami of the soup stood out, and the egg cut the heat of the chili for a gentle harmony. Apparently connoisseurs eat the noodles first, then add rice to the soup for a savory porridge.

You can order a side of gyōza (¥420 for five). They also have many other side dishes, including shrimp with chili sauce, grilled meat, and more.

New Tantanmen is a beloved local soul food that people turn to when they’re worn out and need energy. There are now more than 40 locations, mostly around Kawasaki.

Catch a glimpse of the near future on the Kawasaki coast at night

This group of Kawasaki factories supports Japanese industry as the center of the Keihin factory area. But when darkness falls, the nighttime illumination and flare stacks completely transform the factory scenery from its daytime appearance to a fantastic, dream-like landscape. You can enjoy this night view of Kawasaki’s factories by taking a high-speed sightseeing boat from Yokohama.

Gather at the Elephant Nose Pier (or Nihonmaru Pier) in Minato Mirai and then it’s time for the 90-minute cruise of the Kawasaki factory area to begin. It’s handy to bring a small light because the ticket comes with an original cruise map.

Once it starts, you can see the night view of Minato Mirai behind you. The landmark tower, the ship-shaped hotel, and the CosmoWorld Ferris wheel all look so beautiful ♪ It’s also a comfortable ride because double-hulled boats aren’t prone to rocking.

As the boat glides across the sea, we pass under the Yokohama Bay Bridge. Check out the 360-degree view from the open deck seats on the second floor.

The near future is right before your eyes at the Kawasaki factory area

• We passed JFE Steel's East Japan Works and Higashi-Ohgishima Thermal Power Station, and then had a few minutes to take photos in front of the enormous flare stack at Kawasaki Refinery and near the Keihin Refinery. Up close, the factories at night look like fortresses out of a science fiction movi

• 

From a cruise ship, the Kawasaki Natural Gas Power Plant looks otherworldly, lit up with pale light. There, the boat made a U-turn toward Minato Mirai. The guide’s talk was exciting, and 90 minutes passed in a flash. If you book the Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki guest plan (inquire for details), you can get picked up and dropped off at Shiohama Port.

Watch horse races after work! A fun activity for weekdays only

Kawasaki Racecourse was established in 1949 and began holding horse races from the following year. It operates as a local racetrack on weekdays and as an off-track sales center for the Japan Racing Association on weekends. It’s lots of fun not only for fans but also for families with no knowledge of horse-racing. If you want to enjoy a little time at the races on the way home from work, we recommend the weeknight Sparking Nighter.

Race footage is projected onto one of the world's largest Dream-Vision screens. If you want to cheer, choose the area in front of the goal. The sound of the racehorses panting and galloping is enormously powerful!

In addition to the special spectator seats to kick back and watch the races in Stands 1 and 2, there are also skybox seats to watch outdoors, tatami room seats for groups, and more.

A space that feels like the Kentucky Derby

To enjoy the races in style, head to the Kentucky Lounge on the third floor of Stand 1. At the attached restaurant, which is inspired by American sports bars, you can watch the races in an open space with a craft beer or hot dog in your hand.

※ Open only by advance online reservation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There may also be other restrictions, including available areas, so check the Kawasaki Racecourse website for details.

A bargain for all-you-can-drink! A bar crawl of eight different shops

A nostalgic restaurant alley where anyone can feel comfortable dropping by for a drink. The hanging lantern decorations give it a retro, Shōwa feel. Lined up in the alley are eight specialty restaurants that serve grilled chicken, deep-fried skewers, simmered skewers, and a variety of other dishes. Here, we’ll cover the bar crawl plan for all-you-can-drink across all eight!

It’s directly connected from the east exit of Kawasaki Station! It’s also close to the hotel, making it convenient for an after-dinner drink. The bar crawl plan is a great deal, offering an unlimited-time, all-you-can-drink menu for only ¥2000 each for men and ¥1000 each for women.

Put on your wristband and raise your glass! Here at Kushi-Katsu Kushibō, fried skewers start at ¥110 each. They came up with their recipe after sampling fried skewers in Osaka, the food’s birthplace. The coating is so crispy you can eat skewer after skewer.

They offer a wide variety, including potato, onion, lotus root, Vienna sausage, shrimp, and more. Their food pairs well with draft beer and sour cocktails. They also have all-you-can-eat cabbage♪

Don't miss the fresh sushi, horsemeat, and pizza

Kawasaki Alley Noren Zushi is a seafood pub that takes freshness seriously. Enjoy lean red tuna and conger eel nigiri and other fresh sushi offerings from ¥220 per piece.

They have all your favorites: fatty tuna, medium fatty tuna, salmon roe, scallops, and more. The all-you-can-drink menu includes sour cocktails, highballs, draft beer, and even soft drinks. Enjoy the feeling of barhopping even if you don’t drink alcohol!

*The shop is temporarily closed as of March 10, 2022 due to semi state of emergency COVID-19 measures. Check in advance before visiting.

Check out La Cittadella for the latest entertainment information, Lazona Kawasaki Plaza for newly opened restaurants and shops, and Kawasaki Delta, which just opened in 2021. After experiencing what the constantly evolving city of Kawasaki has to offer, it’s time to enjoy your stay at the Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki.

A base for entertainment information

La Cittadella is a commercial complex designed to look like an Italian hill town. It is home to the 12-screen theater Cinecitta, one of the largest cinema complexes in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and the large live music hall Club Citta, as well as a wide variety of shops and restaurants.

Between movies, live music, and shopping, you could spend a whole day here without a moment of boredom. It’s also photogenic enough that it’s used as a filming location for dramas and movies, and even to host weddings.

There are green trees and fountains on the street corners, cobblestone walkways, and benches where you can take a break from shopping.

They host a variety of events where you can get ideas on the latest lifestyle trends.

Lazona Kawasaki Plaza is a shopping mall that’s directly connected to JR Kawasaki Station so on rainy days, you can visit without getting wet. The five-story building houses about 300 shops, including fashion retailers, restaurants, and a gym, and you can find seasonal items from Japan and overseas. In September 2021, the Grand Food area was renovated in commemoration of the 15-year anniversary of the mall's opening.

It’s time to visit the food sales area, Grand Food, to shop for sweets that are recommended as souvenirs.

Take a left out of the central south ticket gates of JR Kawasaki Station and you’ll see the entrance to Lazona Kawasaki Plaza. It’s directly connected to the station, and is located right next to the Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki.

A souvenir that will bring joy: sweets that look like precious gems

We visited the newly opened Kakuōzan Fruit Daifuku Benzaiten. Enjoy seasonal fruits directly with these fruit daifuku. The fruit is enveloped in lightly sweetened azuki bean paste and soft gyūhi mochi made with high-grade habutae rice flour.

The seasonal fruit daifuku are all lined up. They come with a mochi-slicing thread invented by Benzaiten, which you may have seen used to create colorful cross-sections of food for social media photos. The staff gave us careful instructions on how to use it.

C3 (C Cubed) sells tiramisu with mascarpone cheese from Hokkaidō and cakes with house-made fresh cream. Their gorgeous tiramisu cups look like parfaits.

A deity of matchmaking in a shopping mall?

The roof has a green space, a plaza, and even a small shrine. It’s a branch shrine of Izumo Taisha Shrine in Shimane Prefecture, and visitors can pray for a good match from the matchmaking deity enshrined there.

Roofer Square, which is connected to Kawasaki Station, is a comfortable space covered with artificial turf. On sunny days, you can relax and lie down there, and enjoy activities other than shopping.

*※ Hours, parking lot hours, and available services are subject to change upon government request. Check the current business hours on the News page of the official site before visiting.

Established in May 2021, Kawasaki Delta is a new neighborhood consisting of JR Kawasaki Tower Office Building, Commercial Tower, and the Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki. It has a reputation as an important new trainspotting site. From the pedestrian deck on the railway side, you can see trains passing on four different JR lines, including the Nambu, Keihin-Tōhoku, and Tōkaidō lines.

The light blue Keihin-Tōhoku Line train passing by was quite an impressive sight.

It’s worth a stop even if you’re not a train enthusiast. The pedestrian deck has benches and chairs so you can take your time trainspotting, even with kids

Show up empty-handed for a barbecue on the breezy terrace

The second floor of the Hotel Metropolitan Kawasaki has a buffet restaurant whose concept is lively and vibrant dining. They serve a variety of cuisines, including Italian, Chinese and Asian dishes. Here, we’ll cover their option for self-service barbecue on the spacious terrace. It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors after work or during holiday gatherings.

This course comes with bone-in sausages, pork spareribs, beef sirloin, and other sumptuous meat and vegetable options, plus Asian side dishes like chicken green curry and banana-leaf-wrapped turmeric rice.

Looking out over the city lights from the upper floor terrace makes dinner time feel very special. The restaurant handles the charcoal and cleanup so you can enjoy a stress-free barbecue.

Self-service barbecue and free-flowing drinks for a fixed price ♪

Cook it just to your liking. With the free-flow option (¥2000 per person for 90 min.), they’ll bring you draft beer and highball servers

It feels so much like a resort that you’ll forget you’re in the city. We also recommend the buffet for lunch or dinner. It offers a roast beef carving station, soufflé omelet rice, and a variety of other Japanese and international meal options and desserts.

Taste the past, present, and future of Kawasaki through craft beer

This brewery was established in 1894 by the company Iwataya, in cooperation with the city of Kawasaki and the local community, out of a desire for a project that would use Kawasaki’s history as a post town. The craft beer produced by brewery technician Satoshi Tanoue has been chosen as one of the 100 Best Craft Beers to Try Right Now and for the Japan Great Beer Awards 2022.

You’ll know it by the handwritten wooden signboard at the entrance. The sliding doors are engraved with a pattern of ginkgo leaves, an association with the sacred ginkgo tree of Inage Jinja Shrine, and dragonflies which are also called katsu-mushi and are believed to bring luck.

The beer is brewed in an attached facility, and there are beer tanks lined up behind the glass door at the counter.

Taps are installed along the wall to dispense freshly made beer.

We did a flight of three very unique craft beers.

Their flight of three beers is served in kiriko glassware (¥1320). You can choose three beers from their standard 1623, Black Depressant, Pale Red Excuse, and Encounter of Barley. Enjoy the different fruity aromas and diverse flavors.

The lighting fixtures on the upper part of the counter are kiriko glassware, and you can see drawings imagining the near future of Kawasaki on the wall. This is a great place to indulge and spend some time enjoying the flavor of new-style beers while contemplating the past and future of Kawasaki.

A friendly and cozy space for people to meet

An urban hotel with good access from Tokyo and Yokohama, just two minutes on foot from Kawasaki Station. It’s also an easy base for business and sightseeing in Kawasaki City. We aim to create a stage where people can encounter the city of Kawasaki, and its music, art, restaurant offerings, and more.

The hotel is just across the Musa Deck from the south central ticket gate of Kawasaki Station.

Check in at the lobby lounge on the second floor. There is a comfortable wood-grain interior and an impressive high corrugated ceiling. In one corner stands a grand piano, and there are live music performances every Friday.

All rooms have a rain shower so you can unwind in comfort

A standard twin room with a spacious of 30-m2 layout. The beds are Simmons' top-class Beautyrest LUXE series, and all rooms have 49-inch 4K TVs.

Look out the large windows in the guest rooms on the 14th to 16th floors at the clusters of buildings and an expansive scenic view. On the lower levels, each floor offers its own appealing view of Kawasaki Station and the railway tracks from the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

• 

• The bathrooms have spacious bathing areas with both a handheld showerhead and a rain shower on the ceiling so you can wash up comfortably and hands-free.

The hotel also features a gym for its guests and spacious laundry lounge.

The hotel gym is open 24 hours a day. It has four fitness machines, mineral water, and towels, so all you need to bring is clothes and shoes.

The laundry lounge is also open 24 hours a day. Beyond irons and steamers, it also has a microwave, a laptop computer, a color printer, and a large central table that makes a great space to communicate.

Breakfast is buffet style, with about 50 different dishes on offer

It’s served at Terrace and Table, the restaurant run by the hotel ♪ Sit in the streaming natural light and eat to your hearts content from the about 50 different dishes laid out before you.

The lineup of Japanese and Western dishes features Kanagawa vegetables, sausage, bacon, and four egg dishes as well as miso soup, and soba noodles in nanban curry soup. You should also try their Nara tea-rice okowa, a modern variation of a dish that appeared in the comic novel Shank’s Mare. (Glutinous rice is steamed with different daily ingredients of meat, fish, and/or vegetables.)

Enjoy Japanese-style omelets made in the open kitchen, and recharge your energy with fresh salad and sweet vinegar drinks. There are also eight varieties of bread, including croissants and danishes.

Original hotel goods are available for sale at the front counter. The original pattern tote bag (¥900) or the original ukiyo-e motif fan (¥2000) would also make great souvenirs. There’s a café and bar in one corner of the lobby where you can relax until checkout.