Facing Kawasaki across Tokyo Bay, Kisarazu is a historic city that’s been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period. It’s associated with a tragic love story that’s celebrated at its iconic tower and is home to a Buddhist temple where you can pick up one of the most highly sought-after amulets in Japan.

Things to do

Don’t miss the Kimisarazu Tower, which dominates the mountain park of Odayama, or “Love Forest”. Depicting two lovers on a ship, it represents a tragic love story associated with Kisarazu and features a staircase leading to the ship’s platform where you can take in the sweeping city views.

Mingle with locals during the Kisarazu Kaigan, a shellfish gathering event that extends from the middle of March through to the end of August. Keep your eyes peeled for the highly-prized golden clam while fossicking along the beach shores at low tide.

Want to travel along one of the longest underwater tunnels in the world? Drive the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, which connects the city of Kawasaki with Kisarazu. It extends for more than nine kilometres beneath Tokyo Bay, then across an impressive 4.4-kilometre-long bridge with magnificent bay views.

Make a pilgrimage to the Buddhist temple of Kōzō-ji to collect one of their amulets, which are highly prized throughout Japan. Founded in the Heian period, the temple features a multistorey irimoya roof typical of 6th-century Buddhist architecture and a famed Kannon statue carved from a single piece of camphor wood.

Getting around

Kisarazu is around 1.5 hours by train from the centre of Tokyo and just 40 minutes from Haneda International Airport. Buses travel throughout the city and connect to both Yokohama and Kawasaki.