Kanmon Straits
Encyclopedia
The Kanmon Straits or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japan
's four main islands. On the Honshū
side of the water is Shimonoseki (下関, which contributed "Kan" (関) to the name of the strait) and on the Kyūshū
side is Kitakyūshū, whose former city and present ward, Moji
(門司), gave the strait its "mon" (門). The straits silt up at the rate of about 15 centimetres per annum, and dredging has made it possible to build the New Kitakyushu Airport
at low cost.
. A new airport
opened in Kitakyushu on March 16, 2006 which is expected to bring further prosperity in the form of increased tourism and trade to the area.
The Fireworks Festival is held on August 13 every year. The 20th festival in 2007 was televised by NHK
and broadcast live nationwide in hi-vision.
In October 2005, one of the world's largest airship
s currently flying (a Zeppelin NT
imported from Germany) also passed through Moji on an all-Japan tour, and airship flights may be available to tourists in future. This airship was purchased by Nippon Airship Corporation in June 2004 and has been used in the Tokyo area and at the Aichi Expo 2005
.
The Kanmon Straits can be crossed in a number of ways, the oldest of which are the ferries. There is a car ferry between Nishiminato (Kokura) and Hikinoshima (Shimonoseki) which takes about ten minutes, and a passenger ferry from Moji-ko to Shimonoseki (Karato wharf). There is also a bridge which carries an expressway. By far the most used method is a number of tunnels which carry the Shinkansen
, trains, cars, and even one for pedestrians at the narrowest point.
The first railway tunnel was opened on November 15, 1942. The road tunnel was opened on March 9, 1958. The Kanmonkyo Bridge
(see photo) was opened to vehicles on November 14, 1973. The Shinkansen tunnel was opened on March 10, 1975.
and the Inland Sea. It is used by many cargo ships as a short cut to Osaka
and Tokyo
from Korea
and China
. The New Kitakyushu Airport
is also nearby.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's four main islands. On the Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
side of the water is Shimonoseki (下関, which contributed "Kan" (関) to the name of the strait) and on the Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
side is Kitakyūshū, whose former city and present ward, Moji
Moji-ku, Kitakyushu
is a ward of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is the former city of Moji which was one of five cities merged to create Kitakyūshū in 1963. It faces the city of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Straits between Honshū and Kyūshū....
(門司), gave the strait its "mon" (門). The straits silt up at the rate of about 15 centimetres per annum, and dredging has made it possible to build the New Kitakyushu Airport
New Kitakyushu Airport
is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on March 16, 2006 as but was renamed in 2008...
at low cost.
Population of Kanmon area
The total population of the Kanmon area is about 1.3 million, counting the whole of Kitakyūshū (approx one million) and Shimonoseki (approx 300,000), although detailed definitions vary widely, see Fukuoka-KitakyūshūFukuoka-Kitakyushu
Greater Metropolitan Region is the most common name given to the region comprising the metropolitan areas of the cities of Fukuoka and Kitakyūshū in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan and in between...
. A new airport
New Kitakyushu Airport
is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on March 16, 2006 as but was renamed in 2008...
opened in Kitakyushu on March 16, 2006 which is expected to bring further prosperity in the form of increased tourism and trade to the area.
Fireworks festival
The Kanmon Straits Summer Fireworks Viewing dwarfed all the neighbouring ones with no less than 13,000 fireworks being let off in 2005, when the 18th annual display was held on August 13. There were large crowds of more than one million—watching from both sides of the straits.The Fireworks Festival is held on August 13 every year. The 20th festival in 2007 was televised by NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
and broadcast live nationwide in hi-vision.
Helicopter & airship flights
Helicopter joyrides are available from Kaikyo Dramaship in Moji-ko.In October 2005, one of the world's largest airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
s currently flying (a Zeppelin NT
Zeppelin NT
The Zeppelin NT is a class of airships being manufactured since the 1990s by the German company Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik GmbH in Friedrichshafen. The initial model is the NT07...
imported from Germany) also passed through Moji on an all-Japan tour, and airship flights may be available to tourists in future. This airship was purchased by Nippon Airship Corporation in June 2004 and has been used in the Tokyo area and at the Aichi Expo 2005
Expo 2005
Expo 2005 was the World's Fair held for 185 days between Friday, March 25 and Sunday, September 25, 2005, in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of the city of Nagoya. It was a Specialized International Exhibition under the scheme of the 1972 protocol of the Convention relating to International Exhibitions...
.
Transportation across the straits
Shinkansen
The , also known as THE BULLET TRAIN, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the network has expanded to currently consist of of lines with maximum speeds of , of Mini-shinkansen with a...
, trains, cars, and even one for pedestrians at the narrowest point.
The first railway tunnel was opened on November 15, 1942. The road tunnel was opened on March 9, 1958. The Kanmonkyo Bridge
Kanmonkyo Bridge
The Kanmonkyo Bridge is a suspension bridge crossing the Kanmon Straits, a stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands...
(see photo) was opened to vehicles on November 14, 1973. The Shinkansen tunnel was opened on March 10, 1975.
Commercial importance
The Kanmon straits is also the connection between the Sea of JapanSea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and the Inland Sea. It is used by many cargo ships as a short cut to Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
from Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The New Kitakyushu Airport
New Kitakyushu Airport
is an airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Japan. It is built on an artificial island in the western Seto Inland Sea, away from the main body of the city. It opened on March 16, 2006 as but was renamed in 2008...
is also nearby.
Historical significance
- Battle of Dan-no-uraBattle of Dan-no-uraThe ' was a major sea battle of the Genpei War, occurring at Dan-no-ura, in the Shimonoseki Strait off the southern tip of Honshū. On March 24, 1185, the Genji clan fleet, led by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, defeated the Heike clan fleet, during a half-day engagement.The Taira were outnumbered, but...
- Bombardment of ShimonosekiBombardment of ShimonosekiThe Battles for Shimonoseki refers to a series of military engagements in 1863 and 1864, fought to control Shimonoseki Straits by joint naval forces from the Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States, against the Japanese feudal domain of Chōshū, which took place off and on the...
- Treaty of ShimonosekiTreaty of ShimonosekiThe Treaty of Shimonoseki , known as the Treaty of Maguan in China, was signed at the Shunpanrō hall on April 17, 1895, between the Empire of Japan and Qing Empire of China, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. The peace conference took place from March 20 to April 17, 1895...
Transportation
Ferries from Shimonoseki Port International Terminal- The Kanpu ferry to Pusan in South KoreaSouth KoreaThe Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
regularly. - The Orient ferry to QingdaoQingdao' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
regularly. - The Orient ferry to ShanghaiShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
regularly.
External links
- Kanmon straits guide (Japanese)
- Kanmon straits on Wikitravel