Kawasaki is largely an industrial area and residential suburb — as typical in Japan, not much distinction between the two is made. But there's one very large temple and one very offbeat shrine to draw in the occasional curious tourist.

• Kawasaki Daishi (川崎大師), officially Heikenji (平間寺). [2] (in Japanese). A large temple dedicated to famed monk and scholar Kobo Daishi (see Mt. Koya). Featuring a 8-sided, 5-storied pagoda and more large temple buildings than you can shake a stick at, Kawasaki Daishi 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. Easily reached on foot from Kawasaki Daishi station, a 10-minute stroll through a shopping arcade.
• Wakamiya Hachiman-gū Shrine (若宮八幡宮). A quiet Shinto shrine that would be indistinguishable from your average neighborhood shrine if not for one thing: this happens to be 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 (金まら様, lit. "Iron Big Penis Lord"). There are a number of stories behind this, and while the most entertaining one is certainly the official legend (see box), the more likely explanation seems that prostitutes from nearby brothels — still a large industry in Kawasaki — used to pray here for protection. To get to the shrine, 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. Definitely best visited during festival time (see Do).
• In the shrine building you can also find a small sex museum, showcasing mostly Japanese erotic art. A few notable exhibits include a version of the Three Monkeys with two extra monkeys and life-sized brass model of a vagina; if you buy an amulet from the shop (see Buy), you're 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.
• Nihon Minka-En (日本民家園), or Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum [3]. The large grounds display over twenty traditional Japanese houses, dating from the late 17th to early 20th century and transplanted from around the country. Rarely crowded, and costing only ¥500 admission, the museum is a 12 min. walk from Mukogaoka-yuen station on the Odakyu Line from Shinjuku, or 20 min. from Noborito on the JR Nanbu Line.
• If you like to gamble, Kawasaki is also home to a horse racing track and a keirin (bicycle racing) track. The horse track is located next to the Keikyu Daishi Line Minatomachi station, while the keirin track is a 15 minute walk from the JR and Keikyu Kawasaki train stations.

When you're finished in Kawasaki, visit the Keikyu Line platforms to watch the Keikyu train crews merge and divide trains. These operations, between main line trains and trains to/from Haneda Airport, are done at a very fast pace, and are done with passengers on board. The merger operation is more exciting, especially since you may think that one train is about to crash into the other. As of October 2006, merging can be viewed on the Yokohama-bound platform on weekdays in between rush hours, and all times on weekends, at 5, 25 and 45 past the hour. Splitting operations are done on the Shinagawa-bound platform at similar frequencies.

By plane

To reach Kawasaki from Narita Airport, take the JR Narita Express to Tokyo or Shinagawa and transfer to the Tokaido Line (90 minutes, ¥3280, no charge with Japan Rail Pass).

From Haneda Airport, you can take the Keikyu Line to the Keikyu-Kawasaki station in as little as 11 minutes (up to 20 minutes with a connection) at a cost of ¥400.

By train

JR Kawasaki station is on the Tokaido Main Line from Tokyo. Trains on both the Tokaido Line and the Keihin-Tohoku Line stop here.

The immediately adjacent Keikyu-Kawasaki station is also accessible more cheaply on the private Keikyu line from Shinagawa.

By boat

Kawasaki has a ferry terminal which previously offered services to Kochi and Miyazaki. These services have been "suspended" since June 2005 but still appear in timetables. For the latest information, contact Miyazaki Car Ferry, 03-5540-6921.

The surprisingly rustic Keikyū Daishi Line (京急大師線) putters through people's backyards, and is useful for the three-stop trip from Keikyu Kawasaki to Kawasaki Daishi. The total fare from Shinagawa is only about ¥300.

Wakamiya Hachiman has a wonderful selection of amulets promising fertility, sexual prowess and protection from disease. Prices ¥500-1000, and some of the revenue goes to HIV/AIDS research.

In festival time, a little market selling penis-shaped candies and other sexual paraphernalia pops up on the shrine grounds.

Long thought of as a working-class, blue collar, industrial city with little to offer in terms of the sophistication of Tokyo or the internationalized flair of Yokohama, central Kawasaki has recently (last thirty years or so) undergone a revitalization and modernization around the station area that often leaves some Japanese surprised at the changes that have taken place. The area around the station is quite clean and modern, very safe and convenient and offers good value in terms of eating establishments. You will not find much in the way of notable or must-eat culinary restaurants but you will find very competent and reasonable dining particularly on the east side of the station and in the Azalea Underground Arcade connected to the east exit of the station. The other place to check out is the restaurant floor at the top of the Seibu Department Store building next to the Nikko Hotel which is a few minutes walking from the east exit of JR Kawasaki station.