Observation Exhibition Room "Umiterasu 14" in Yokkaichi Port Building.

It is the highest spot in Mie Prefecture, where you can see from the Suzuka Mountains to Nagoya during the daytime, and at night you can enjoy the nationally famous night view of Yokkaichi Port and its factories. In addition to the night view, there is an exhibition corner where you can learn about Yokkaichi Port, making it a perfect place for a family outing!

Yokkaichi Port Building is also certified as a "Japan Night View Heritage". This time, we will thoroughly report on the attractions of the observatory exhibition room "Umiterasu 14" on the top floor of the Yokkaichi Port Building.

Boasting the highest height in Mie Prefecture
"Yokkaichi Port Building"

I came to Yokkaichi Port Building.

Access by car: 5 km south from the Mie-Kawagoe IC on the Isewangan Expressway. By train: 15-minute walk from Tondahama Station on the JR Kansai Honsen Line. From Nagoya, it is about 45 minutes by car.

The Yokkaichi Port Building was built in 1999 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Yokkaichi Port, and is 100 meters tall.

On the first floor of the building, visitors were introduced to Yokkaichi Port's container transport and to Sydney, with which Yokkaichi Port established a sister port affiliation in 1968.

Take the escalator to the observation exhibition room "Umiterasu 14" on the 14th floor!

Observation Exhibition Room "Umiterasu 14"

When you arrive at the 14th floor, get an admission ticket and enter.

We arrived around 16:00. Since there is still time until the night view, let's first look at the scenery of Yokkaichi in the daytime. The observatory has observation lobbies in four directions around the navigation theater, and you can enjoy a large 360-degree panorama.

southwest

The southwest observatory lobby is the most popular night view spot. Yokkaichi Dome can be seen!

The southeast observation lobby offers a panoramic view of Ise Bay. Centrair Central Japan International Airport can be seen in the distance. Containers, indispensable for transportation, are also lined up. The large cargo ships and huge cranes that are unique to the port are exciting to see.

The entire city of Yokkaichi can be seen from the observation lobby in the northeast.

Binoculars are installed in each observatory lobby, so let's take a look!

Learn about Yokkaichi Port!

From the end of the Edo period to the early Meiji period, Yokkaichi Port prospered as the largest commercial port in Ise Bay. 1932 saw the start of wool imports from Australia, and in the 1950s, Yokkaichi developed into an industrial port with the location of the first large-scale petrochemical complex in Japan. From crude oil, gas, car fuel, fuel for oil stoves, raw materials for synthetic fibers, synthetic rubber, and other products indispensable to our daily lives are produced at this industrial complex.

At the exhibition section, you can learn various information about Yokkaichi Port.

The navigation theater in the center uses videos and large models to introduce the history and various functions of Yokkaichi Port in an easy-to-understand manner. The screening time is every 2 hours, so let's check in advance. (Screening time: about 15 minutes)

In the Port History Section, a picture-story show introduces how Yokkaichi Port developed into a modern port. The guide is Mr. Sanemon Inaba, a person who has contributed to the modernization of Yokkaichi Port.

One of the most popular items among children is the simulation device “Anata mo Sencho (You are the captain),” where you can experience being the captain of a ship. I'm glad that there is a section where children can learn while having fun!

Dusk was approaching by now, so we went to the southwest observation lobby.

Enchanted by the factory night view

The night view after dark is of course spectacular, but the best time to visit is at dusk, when the scenery changes second by second, creating a romantic atmosphere. Music boxes are played inside the museum, and sofas are set up in the observation room, so you can relax and enjoy the view.

Even if your goal is just to take photographs, we recommend that you arrive here a little early, as the most popular areas begin to fill up at dusk.

When the sun goes down, the lights by the windows are turned off so that you can enjoy the night view even more beautifully. The lights of the factory group began to light up.

After a few minutes, it will be such a beautiful night view of the factory.

As time passes, it becomes even more magical.

The rugged silhouette unique to the factory night view is irresistible.

By the way, this time I tried shooting without a tripod. You can use a tripod in the observatory lobby, so if you want to take authentic pictures, be sure to bring a tripod.

*When using a tripod, please respect each other and use it for a short time so as not to disturb other customers.

It was more beautiful than I had imagined, and I lost track of time as I was fascinated by it. You can relax and appreciate this beautiful night view while sitting on the sofa. It's a gorgeous spot.

The place is open until 5:00 p.m. on weekdays, so if you want to enjoy the night view, go on weekends and holidays when it is open at night (~9:00 p.m.)! Also, on days when Umiterasu is open at night, the indoor lights will be turned off 10 minutes before closing.

The factory group that shines in the night is worth seeing. Please enjoy the factory night view of Yokkaichi Port at Umiterasu 14.

Umiterasu 14
Address : 2-1-1 Kasumi, Yokkaichi City, Mie Prefecture
Telephone number ：059-366-7022
Hours ： 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., until 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, and national holidays *Entrance until 30 minutes before closing
Closed: Wednesdays (open if Wednesday is a national holiday), December 29-January 3

<Entrance fee>
General (high school students and above) 310 yen
Free for junior high school students and younger

http://www.yokkaichi-port.or.jp/ut14/index.html

Let's go around Yokkaichi industrial complex night view!

In addition, this time, along with the "Yokkaichi Industrial Complex Night View Map", we will also visit night view spots! 11 recommended spots are introduced, and I went to Yokkaichi Dome Mae from among them.

Since it is in a park, there is a moderate amount of brightness, and the parking lot is also fully equipped, so I was able to relax and appreciate it.

Please take a look around the map!

▼Yokkaichi Industrial Complex Night View Map
https://kanko-yokkaichi.com/sys/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/327e6e854d4a74571543bd831b4d0297.pdf