Stand at the only exit of Kawasaki Daishi station and you face a choice: straight ahead through a shopping arcade toward one of the largest temples in the greater Tokyo area, or a short walk to a small shrine whose deity takes the form of a meter-long iron phallus. That pairing — the grand and the offbeat, side by side in an industrial city that blends into its residential suburbs — is what a day in Kawasaki looks like.
Kawasaki suits travellers who have already done the Tokyo highlights and want something quieter, stranger or more photographic. Weekdays at the temple are calm, the folk house museum is rarely crowded, and the industrial canals at night are a draw for photographers.
This guide covers the sights and experiences the source material supports, plus a one-day plan that strings them together.
Top things to do in Kawasaki
1. Kawasaki Daishi
Officially Heikenji, this is a large temple dedicated to the monk and scholar Kobo Daishi, with an eight-sided, five-storied pagoda and more large temple buildings than you can shake a stick at. It is a textbook example of a Japanese temple, and remarkable primarily for the fact that on a weekday you can pretty much have the place to yourself. It is phenomenally popular with locals praying at midnight in the New Year.
It is easily reached on foot from Kawasaki Daishi station, a 10-minute stroll through a shopping arcade. Pair it with Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine, which sits on the same walk from the station.
2. Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine
A quiet Shinto shrine that would be indistinguishable from an average neighbourhood shrine if not for one thing: it is one of Japan's few remaining fertility shrines, and the deity venerated here assumes the form of a meter-long iron phallus, known as Kanamara-sama. The shrine inexplicably shares its grounds with a kindergarten.
To get there, take the only exit from Kawasaki Daishi station, cross the intersection and follow the road that branches off second from the right; there is a hospital on the corner visible from the station, and the shrine is just beyond it. It is definitely best visited during festival time.
3. The small sex museum at Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine
In the shrine building you can find a small sex museum, showcasing mostly Japanese erotic art. Notable exhibits include a version of the Three Monkeys with two extra monkeys and a life-sized brass model of a vagina; if you buy an amulet from the shop, you are supposed to rub it against this.
Opening hours are erratic, but the shrine shop attendant will usually be happy to open it up on request. Entry is free, but donations are accepted.
4. Kanamara Matsuri
Kawasaki's best-known event, also known as the Iron Penis Festival, is held on the first Sunday in April. Penis-laden temple floats are paraded down the streets of Kawasaki and everybody gets sloshed. The festival has been to some extent hijacked by foreign tourists and Tokyo's transgender community, who often make up half the audience, but the people running the show aren't terribly uptight and nobody seems to mind.
Penis and vagina boiled candy popsicles are on sale. The vagina ones in particular tend to be produced in smaller quantities and sell out early in the morning, the penis ones typically selling out before midday. For a souvenir to take home, pick up a traditionally dyed cloth as a headscarf with penis insignias on it.
5. Japan Open-air Folk House Museum
Known in Japanese as Nihon Minka-En, the large grounds display over twenty traditional Japanese houses, plus the gate of Nagoya castle, dating from the late 17th to early 20th century and transplanted from around the country. It is rarely crowded.
It is a 12-minute walk from Mukogaoka-yuen station on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku, or 20 minutes from Noborito on the JR Nanbu Line. See the website for the free English guided tour, for which a reservation is needed. Admission is ¥550.
6. Kawasaki Racecourse
One of the most accessible racecourses in Japan, and one of the city's two gambling options alongside the keirin bicycle racing track. It meets on weekdays, including night races from March to December, and has a modest English website.
It is a 5-minute walk from Keikyu Minatomachi station, or 12 minutes from Kawasaki station. Admission is ¥100.
7. Kawasaki Industrial Zone at night
Located on a bunch of man-made islands and split up by a network of canals and bridges, the combination of smoke, piping and lighting makes the industrial zone quite spectacular and a big drawcard for local photographers.
The easiest way to get there promptly is to take the Keikyu Daishi train to the end, walk south and then find one of the east-trending roads leading on to one of the larger islands. There are a lot of long dead-ends that don't quite reach the islands, so print off an aerial photo or map beforehand. The more luxurious way is a nighttime boat cruise or Hato bus tour.
8. Summer fireworks outside Futako-Tamagawa station
Summer fireworks are ubiquitous across Japan, especially Tokyo, but the display outside Futako-Tamagawa station between Tokyo and Kawasaki has a "boom-factor" rivalling some of the larger ones. It is split into two on the roster, each with half the notoriety, as half the fireworks are launched in Tokyo Prefecture and half in Kanagawa Prefecture on the one night. They take turns, so it comes across as somewhat of a competition of one-upmanship.
It happens near the end of summer, so check local schedules.
9. The World's Shortest Escalator
Located in the basement of the More's shopping complex near Kawasaki station, this is a curiosity you can sandwich into a day trip somewhere else, since the actual act of riding it takes 8 seconds. More's is the small, thin, dirty looking one just to the south of the two stations, over the road with the entire ground floor one games arcade. Pop down the escalator and find the lowest entrance to the underground car park.
The legend varies considerably as to just why this thing exists, especially considering it is placed between two sets of stairs making it pointless even for the disabled. The popular version states that they simply ran out of cash and ceased construction after the 5 metallic steps were made; local drunks may tell you tales of a child dying there. In fact, it was an engineer's mistake: he found there was a structural beam in the way only after the first section had been installed. The city's official site now has a page on the "petitcalator" under the section "Modern Industrial Cultural Properties".
If you only have one day
Morning: Take the Keikyu Daishi train to Kawasaki Daishi station and walk the 10-minute shopping arcade to Kawasaki Daishi, where a weekday morning gives you the temple largely to yourself. On the way back to the station, cross the intersection and follow the road that branches off second from the right to Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine, and ask the shrine shop attendant to open the small sex museum.
Afternoon: Ride the Keikyu Daishi train to the end and walk south to the Kawasaki Industrial Zone, using a printed aerial map to find one of the east-trending roads onto the larger islands. Alternatively, head to the Japan Open-air Folk House Museum from Mukogaoka-yuen station, or catch a weekday meeting at Kawasaki Racecourse, a 5-minute walk from Keikyu Minatomachi station.
Evening: Return to the Kawasaki Industrial Zone after dark for the smoke, piping and lighting, or take a nighttime boat cruise or Hato bus tour of the canals. If you are near Kawasaki station, finish with the World's Shortest Escalator in the basement of the More's shopping complex.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Kanamara Matsuri held?
It is held on the first Sunday in April.
How do I reach Kawasaki Daishi and Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine?
Both are reached on foot from Kawasaki Daishi station. Kawasaki Daishi is a 10-minute stroll through a shopping arcade; for the shrine, take the only exit from the station, cross the intersection and follow the road that branches off second from the right, past the hospital on the corner.
When does the Kawasaki Racecourse hold races?
It meets on weekdays, including night races from March to December.
What does the Japan Open-air Folk House Museum cost, and how do I get there?
Admission is ¥550. It is a 12-minute walk from Mukogaoka-yuen station on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku, or 20 minutes from Noborito on the JR Nanbu Line.
Check local schedules for the fireworks and the festival, then start planning your days around the temple, the shrine and the canals.