Muroran
Muroran is a port-and-industrial city of about 75,000 residents on the Etomo Peninsula jutting into the Pacific in southwestern Hokkaido. It grew during the Meiji era as a coal-export port, and remains known after the war as a heavy-industrial city centered on steel (Nippon Steel's Muroran Plant still operates). Its industrial nightscape was certified in 2012 as one of «Japan's Five Great Factory Nightscapes» (alongside Kitakyushu, Kawasaki, Shunan, and Yokkaichi). The 140 m cliffs of Cape Chikyu, the 1,380 m Hakucho Bridge (Hokkaido's longest suspension bridge, completed 1998), the panorama from Mt. Sokuryo (200 m), and the inlets and factory complexes of the Etomo Peninsula combine to make Muroran a leading southern Hokkaido subject for photographers fascinated by the contrast of sea and industry.
Highlights
- Industrial nightscape — one of Japan's Five Great Factory Nightscapes; the classic shoots are from Iwaizumi Observatory, Mt. Sokuryo, and Hakucho Bridge
- Hakucho Bridge — Hokkaido's longest suspension bridge at 1,380 m, with night illumination cycling through seven colors; links the Etomo Peninsula to the mainland
- Cape Chikyu — 140 m cliffs over the Pacific, ranked first among «Japan's New 100 Tourist Destinations»
- Mt. Sokuryo Observatory (200 m) — overlooks the Muroran cityscape, port, Hakucho Bridge, and the Pacific; an iconic night-view location
- Dolphin and Whale Watching — May to October, Minke whales, dolphins, and orcas appear in the Pacific waters
