Kawasaki

Kawasaki is an industrial city wedged between Tokyo and Yokohama along the Tama River, part of the continuous urban belt around Tokyo Bay. Most travelers pass straight through it, which is exactly why its handful of destinations feel like local discoveries rather than tourist circuits.

Kawasaki Daishi, a major Buddhist temple, draws some of Japan's largest New Year crowds, and shops along its approach hammer out herbal throat candy in rhythmic performances. The Fujiko F. Fujio Museum celebrates the creator of Doraemon, selling tickets in advance only, and Nihon Minka-en park preserves thatched farmhouses from across Japan.

After dark, boat and bus tours turn the bayside factory zone into an unlikely light show of pipes and flares. Trains from central Tokyo arrive constantly, so Kawasaki works as a half-day add-on rather than a base. New Year visits and museum bookings are the two things to plan ahead.