At the Yokkaichi Municipal Museum, located a three-minute walk from Kintetsu Yokkaichi Station, you can learn all about the history of Yokkaichi, from the primitive era up to present-day. Since lifestyle depictions and streetscapes representative of each historical period are displayed in full-scale, walking through the facility feels like you're actually traveling through each period. The contents of the exhibitions are changed to match the current season, so seeing the changes in summer and winter clothing is another exciting feature of the museum. You can view history up through the Edo period down the "Jiku Kaido" ("The Time Tunnel") on the third floor, and from the Meiji era through present-day era in the "Yokkaichi Pollution and Environmental Museum for Future Awareness" on the second floor.

Tablets that can be operated in languages including English and Chinese can be rented for free, so you can read descriptions of exhibitions while you view them. There are no descriptive signboards in front of the displays themselves, so remember to make use of the tablet as you walk around.

After you travel back in time to take photos of the Yokkaichi of the past, be sure to visit the planetarium next to experience outer space. This planetarium holds the Guinness world record for the greatest number of stars, able to project over 140 million! What's more, the approximately 9,500 stars that can be seen with the naked eye are recreated in the same colors as they are in real life. Once or twice every month in the park out front of the museum, the traveling astronomy car "Kirara-go" holds free stargazing parties as well.

The place with the greatest historical feel in the Yokkaichi city area is "Suwa Shrine". It is said to have been founded over 800 years ago in 1202, when the deity at Suwa Grand Shrine in Nagano Prefecture was split and shared in this new shrine, giving it a history that stretches even further back than Yokkaichi City was named in the 1400s. The shrine has long been a place for travelers to stop and worship since the Edo period, when it was numbered among the notable places along the route traveling to Ise Shrine and published in the "Illustrated Guide to the Ise Pilgrimage" and the "Illustrated Guide to the Famous Sites of the Tokaido Road”.

Once you pass through the main torii gates on the South side and cross the stone bridge, you'll face the large haiden worship hall. When you visit, continue up to the hall and pay your respects using the standard "bow twice, clap twice, pray once" method of worship. Also, on the grounds is the "Masanari Inari Shrine" and its succession of red torii gates. As the shrine withstood even the fires and warfare of World War II, the "Masanari-sama" deity enshrined here is believed to provide protection against disasters.

Designated as a Yokkaichi City cultural property, this building is the former residence of the Okada family (who served as village headman in the Edo period) and as such, has been preserved in its original form to host the museum, serving as its main facility. The main building, used long ago as living quarters, is a great photography spot that gives off a sense of Japanese history in every direction you look. You can also go inside the building and look around at all the different rooms.

Inside the museum, places like a meeting room where people gathered to conduct business affairs and a toilet from that era have all been preserved. You can even play with the toys Japanese people used in the past, getting a glimpse of what life would have been like at the time.

Located in the farthest area of the courtyard in the center of the museum grounds is a rare object called the suikinkutsu water harp cave, a musical device enjoyed for its interesting sounds. When water drips down through the rocks, the droplets echo as they fall into the cavern created underground. Visitors can enjoy these beautiful echoes, reminiscent of notes from a harp.

When sightseeing around Yokkaichi, there's one tall building that stands out among the rest. This is the "Yokkaichi Port Building", towering over Yokkaichi Port. It was built in memorial of the 100th anniversary of the 1899 opening of Yokkaichi Port. As a nod to the port's 100 years, the building is also 100 meters tall. On the 14th floor of this landmark, the tallest building in all of Mie Prefecture, is the "Umiterasu 14" observatory, one of the top recommended sightseeing spots in Yokkaichi. Come enjoy the view from the highest point in the entire prefecture.

On the top, the 14th floor of the building, a movie providing an introduction to Yokkaichi Port is played several times a day, so you can learn about the port's history and the about ships that come into port. After learning about the port in the theater, next up is the highlight—a 360-degree panoramic view from approximately 90 meters in the air, also on the 14th floor. This is the only place you can get a complete view of Yokkaichi's unique factory district and the mountains in the distance. During the daytime the observatory is bustling with tourists who come to view the scenery, but the most recommended time to visit is actually after dark. Here’s why.

The view of the city at nighttime is so beautiful, that Yokkaichi Port Building was actually chosen as a "Japan Nightscape Heritage" facility! On weekdays, the observatory deck is open until five in the evening, but on weekdays and holidays, you can enter until nine. Anyone who wants to enjoy some photogenic nighttime scenery will want to go on a weekend or holiday night.

On a "Yokkaichi Industrial Complex Night View Cruise”, you can enjoy the impressiveness and night scenery of the factories as close up as possible. These boat tours are always busy, not only with the locals, but with an increasing number of couples and families as well. The area boasts great popularity as a sightseeing activity where you can view the nighttime scenery of one of Japan's largest factory zones from a boat. There are two cruise plans: a 60-minute plan on a smaller boat that can take up to 35 passengers to tour famous night scenery spots, and a 90-minute plan where you can leisurely enjoy the sights on a larger ship that can hold up to 125 passengers.

These night view cruises, which began operating ten years ago, leave from the Yokkaichi Port passenger terminal near Industrial Complex #1 (37 Chitosecho, Yokkaichi City, Mie) and make a loop around Yokkaichi Port. The popular 90-minute plan goes to Japan’s largest power station, the Chubu Electric Power’s Kawagoe Power Station, and you can gaze out at the brightest group of factories near Industrial Complex #3. Make sure to relish the beautiful scenery of the night lights reflected on the water's surface.

So that even visitors from afar can enjoy the cruises, you can reach the meeting place for the tour by free shuttle bus from the Kintetsu or JR Yokkaichi Station. Additionally, there are also plans that include an overnight stay. Why not bring your sightseeing trip to Yokkaichi to an end with an impressive and spectacular ride on the water? Any point along the way is sure to make for excellent photographs.

Text by:gain