The sky over Kawasaki once was choked with smoke billowing from factories along its waterfront, giving the city at the center of the Keihin Coastal Industrialized Zone a reputation as one of the country's most polluted areas.
But Kawasaki has learned from its past and is building a new public image: an environmentally friendly city with clean technologies and geographical advantages, as well as a sparkling tourist destination full of attractions.
Back in the 1960s and '70s, Kawasaki was a major powerhouse driving Japan's hard-charging economy. The downside of that industrial growth, however, was degradation of the environment and such problems as air pollution and water contamination.