The City of Kawasaki is a busy modern urban center offering many choices for visitors. With many contemporary shopping malls and restaurants, the city also offers historic sites and natural scenery that are rich with Japanese culture. Ancient houses, hot springs, temples, traditional theaters, and lush green parks balance life in one of Japan's biggest industrial areas. The Port of Kawasaki also contains some of Japan's latest technology, and many factories offer tours for the public.
The Port of Kawasaki enjoys four distinct seasons. Summers are hot and humid, and winters are brief. Spring and autumn are wonderfully mild. The annual average temperature in the Port of Kawasaki is 16 °C (61 °F), ranging from an average high of 30 °C (86 °F) in August to an average low of 10 °C (50 °F) in January. Rainfall is heaviest in September.
Visitors to the Port of Kawasaki will not want to miss a visit to the Nihon Minka-En, an open-air folk house museum in Ikuta Green Park. Minka-En is a collection of traditional Japanese homes that were dismantled and moved to the park to be rebuilt. Seven of the houses are official Important National Cultural Properties. The houses include farm houses and merchants' homes, and they reflect traditional Japanese architecture and functionality. Placed in a wooded area, the collection of old thatched houses create a folk village where visitors can be transported to the 17th to 19th Centuries in old Japan. Minka-En includes an exhibition hall with exhibits on traditional architecture, design, and construction, including building tools and farm implements.
The Port of Kawasaki's Toshiba Science Museum is a popular attraction with both children and adults. The museum contains some 70 booths that include basic information about electronics and high-vision and multi-media technologies, including the environmental issues surrounding new technologies. The Toshiba Science Museum in the Port of Kawasaki has a high-performance robot that will delight everyone. Visitors will learn about the technology of modern and future cell phones, mobile wireless technologies, futuristic stereoscopic eyeglasses, semi-conductors, biotechnology, fuel cells and thermoelectrics, intelligent transportation systems, and state-of-the-art home technologies.
The Port of Kawasaki is home to the Heikenji, or Kawasaki Daishi, a large temple celebrating the life of Kobo Daishi (Kukai), a famous scholar and monk who lived from 774 to 835 AD. The five-story, eight-sided pagoda and many temple buildings is within walking distance of the Kawasaki Daishi Station. Established 870 years ago, the temple is a popular place for people who want to pray and strengthen their spiritual life. It is one of Japan's three most popular temples for traditional New Years' visits. Legends say that Kukai did not die but rather entered into an eternal blissful meditative state and that he still lives on Mount Koya. The public is not allowed to see him, but monks care for him, dress him, and feed him.
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