Where the name Kawasaki comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
One explanation for Kawasaki's name begins with the Tama River. In a city publication, researchers from the Japan Institute of Place Names explain that kawa means river, while saki may refer to the tip of land formed in a river delta. Another interpretation connects kawasaki with an older expression meaning land facing a river. Neither explanation is firmly established.
The name appears in records from the late Heian period. A member of the Chichibu warrior family, known as Kawasakino Motōie, is traditionally associated with developing an estate in this area and taking its name. Walk northeast from Kawasaki Station along the old Tokaido road. The land is flat, but the historic road follows slightly raised sandy ground formed by river deposits. Lower, wetter land once surrounded the settlement.
During the Edo period, Kawasaki developed as a post town beside the crossing of the Tama River. Today the station is surrounded by shopping centers and busy roads, but walking toward the river reveals the geography behind the old name. The enormous river, broad floodplain, and slightly elevated highway explain why this became an important place to live and travel.
→ Leave Kawasaki Station by the east exit and follow the former Tokaido northeast toward Rokugo Bridge. Pass through the old Isago and Kunezaki districts, then climb the river embankment. The broad Tama River floodplain provides a geographical clue to Kawasaki's name.
Sources (in Japanese): 川崎市『かわさき市政だより』2026年4月号「川崎の地名の由来って？」, 川崎市上下水道局『川崎市水道百年史』川崎市の変遷
Walk east from Kawasaki Station and you can follow the former Tokaido highway through the old Kawasaki post town. Established in 1623, the settlement was intended to reduce the burden on the neighboring post towns of Shinagawa and Kanagawa. It began with the districts of Shinjuku and Isago, later incorporating Kunezaki and Kotoro. The post town stretched approximately 1.5 kilometers along slightly elevated sandy ground. Additional earth was used to raise the road and protect it from flooding.
Continue northeast toward the Tama River. Before modern bridges, travelers crossed at the Rokugo ferry. They often rested or spent the night in Kawasaki while waiting for boats. At its height, records list 72 inns. Pilgrims visiting Kawasaki Daishi joined merchants, samurai, and other travelers passing through the town. Official lodging houses and transport offices stood beside shops and workshops.
The opening of the railway between Shimbashi and Yokohama in 1872 changed everything. Kawasaki gained a station, and transport gradually shifted from the highway to the railway. The former post town developed into a modern commercial district. Historical information boards and the site of the Tanaka Honjin inn still mark the old route, allowing visitors to walk through the town that existed before the station.
→ Follow the old Tokaido northeast from Kawasaki Station, looking for historical panels in the Isago district and the former Tanaka Honjin site. Near Rokugo Bridge, find the Kawasaki Daishi stone lantern and the monument commemorating Emperor Meiji's river crossing. The route traces the old approach to the ferry.
Sources (in Japanese): 川崎市川崎区「川崎宿とは」, 国土交通省関東地方整備局「東海道への誘い・川崎宿」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).