a day ago
Night Cruise by Yokkaichi's Industrial Area Finds Beauty Amid Ugly History of Pollution
YOKKAICHI, Mie — Tourists are drawn to the city of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, for its nighttime views of an industrial complex along a waterfront. As the municipal government and the local business community confront the city's past — namely its history of pollution — they are sharing lessons with the visitors who come to see the fabulous glow of the factories.
On a recent night, just past 7 p.m., a cruise ship slowly made its way through the waters near Yokkaichi Port as the sun set. Before the passengers lay a cluster of factories lit up by innumerable lights. 'This is area No. 1,' explained tour guide Jiro Hashimoto, 69, prompting awed comments on the beauty of the scene from the 10 people on the tour, a group drawn from around the night cruise was launched in July 2010 by local travel company Daiichi-Kanko Co. The cruise by the industrial complex mainly takes place on Fridays and Saturdays, ferrying passengers on a one-hour tour of the area.
The commentary offered by guides who used to work at the complex has proved popular, and about 2,500 guests take the tour each year.
Hashimoto, who was serving as a guide on the day I visited, is a former employee of a major chemical company. 'The black smoke that used to come out of the chimneys is now white,' he explained.
During Japan's rapid economic growth from the middle of the 1950s to the early '70s, air pollution became a serious problem in the city, and there was a surge in the number of asthma cases. Some residents sued the companies that had plants in the industrial complex in 1967 and won their case in 1972. This lawsuit triggered measures to curb pollution, and the local environment saw a significant became vocal about turning the complex into a tourist attraction after the photo book 'Kojo Moe' (Factory infatuation) was published in 2007. The book, which presented nighttime views of industrial areas across Japan, was a hit and demonstrated the potential for transforming these landscapes into tourism spots. However, given the city's history of pollution, some corporate stakeholders were hesitant to make the industrial complex, a symbol of that history, into an attraction.
The Yokkaichi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and local tourism companies took the lead, meeting with the book's author and scenery experts to explore new forms of tourism for the city. This led to the creation of the night cruise.
Besides showing off the beauty of the nightscape, the tour guides — former workers in the complex — also recount the city's efforts to recover from pollution and improve the Yokkaichi Pollution and Environmental Museum for Future Awareness, which opened in March 2015, is one of the spots recommended to tourists by guides. 'We want to remember the past and pass on the lessons we have learned to the next generation,' said 63-year-old Takami Kawakita, the museum's director.
The museum features video testimonials from about 60 people, including those who were affected by water and air pollution and others involved in the lawsuit. One video of a woman who lost her 9-year-old daughter to an asthma attack has her sharing her thoughts after taking the cruise. 'I hate to say it, but the night view is beautiful,' she says. 'I just hope they really tell people what happened in Yokkaichi.'
