This is a cruise tour that takes you around multiple canals within Kawasaki Port, including Shiohama Canal, Tanabe Canal, and Minamiwatari Canal, while enjoying the night view of the Kawasaki factories.

The journey takes about 3 hours including travel time (about 2 hours on board).A private bus will take you from Hotel Nikko in front of the east exit of JR Kawasaki Station to the houseboat departure and arrival point, making access easy!

The boat is a hybrid type with a deck on the roof. You can go out onto the deck whenever you like, except when departing, returning to port, or passing under a bridge.

This is an original booklet distributed to all participants. It contains detailed information about the sights and routes. Just looking at the glittering cover makes us even more excited!The guides on board are “Kawasaki Factory Night View Navigators” (hereafter referred to as “Navigators”). They have passed the “Welcome! Kawasaki Certification” training course run by the Kawasaki Industry Tourism Promotion Council, and have also completed about a year of on-site guide training. (※)What kind of stories will pop up?! With this booklet in hand, we set sail!

When I went up on deck and held up my camera, the photos were blurrier than I’d imagined… The words I’d been told beforehand – “Photography on board is a battle against blur” – really hit home at the start of the trip.As I leaned against the pole to stabilize my body and braced myself with my arms around my sides, I caught sight of the fascinating “natural gas power plant” on the Keihin Canal. It is affectionately known among navigators as “Twin Aqua.”

Next came into view was a plant belonging to a functional chemical manufacturer located on Minamiwata Canal. The company is engaged in recycling operations, including producing hydrogen from used plastics. Thewhite mist is water vapor. Apparently, not only this plant, but all the white mist emitted from factories in the Kawasaki waterfront area is water vapor. I was surprised to find that the air in this industrial town was cleaner than I had imagined.

This spot, with its striking white metal lamp light, is apparently nicknamed “White Castle” by the navigators. As it is a representative spot for the night view of Kawasaki’s factories, participants put in a lot of effort to hold their cameras. Welearned that including people or other people’s smartphone screens in the frame makes for a more realistic photo!！

The flame, resembling a sacred flame, catches the eye even from afar. This is a flare stack, a device used to neutralize excess gas, and several are installed at oil refineries along the Keihin Canal. One of the attractionsof the houseboat cruise is that you can get right under the flare stack and see the raging flames up close. Apparently the appearance of the flame changes depending on the operational status, and on this day we were lucky enough to see a larger flame than usual.

As we approached the Asahi Kasei Kawasaki Factory on the Suehiro Canal, an announcement was made saying, “This is the place where Akira Yoshino, the Nobel Prize-winning inventor of the lithium-ion battery, was born,” causing a stir on board the ship. (*)This comprehensive chemical manufacturer produces synthetic rubber, the raw material for tires, and acrylic, which is used in car taillights. (*)The rows of plants are impressive, and the night view of the Asahi Kasei Kawasaki Factory was used as an image for a collaborative event with the game FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE, which is popular both in Japan and overseas, so it’s no wonder it has such a strong presence.

The approximately two-hour cruise offers more than just the night view of the factories. You can look out over the canal, which is normally off-limits to the public, see the Bay Bridge and Landmark Tower from the boat near the border with Yokohama City, and even see Kawasaki Higashi Post Office, a stopover for international mail sent by sea. TheKawasaki Factory Night View Houseboat Cruise, which is enjoyed with all five senses and accompanied by commentary from a knowledgeable navigator, is a special experience.It turns out that even smartphone photography can capture beautiful night views if you know the tricks. Immerse yourself in an extraordinary space and enjoy a fulfilling time.