Kanmon Straits

Kanmon Straits
Kanmon Straits
Straits of Shimonoseki; Straits of Van der Capellen;
	Kanmon Straits viewed from space and rotated 90°, with Honshu at the top and Kyushu at the bottom
	Kanmon Straits
Coordinates	33°56′49″N 130°56′48″E / 33.94694°N 130.94667°E
Type	Strait
Islands	Honshu; Kyushu;

The Kanmon Straits (関門海峡, Kanmon-kaikyō) or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating

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 Kitakyushu Airport

at low cost.

Western maps from the 19th century also refer to this waterway as the Straits of Van der Capellen.[1]

Population of Kanmon area

Kanmon Straits and Shimonoseki panorama from Hinoyama

The total population of the Kanmon area is about 1.3 million, counting the whole of Kitakyushu (approx. one million) and Shimonoseki (approx. 300,000), although detailed definitions vary widely (see Fukuoka–Kitakyushu).

Tourism

Fireworks festival

The Kanmon Straits Summer Fireworks Festival is held in August every year.

Boat rides

The Voyager pleasure boat departs from Moji-kō and cruises the straits.

Helicopter and airship flights

Helicopter joyrides are available from Kaikyo Dramaship in Moji-kō.^{[citation needed]} In October 2005, one of the world's largest

Aichi Expo 2005

.

Transportation across the Straits

Kanmonkyo Bridge from the Moji

side

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

Sanyō Shinkansen

, trains, cars, and even one for pedestrians at the narrowest point.

The first railway tunnel was opened on November 15, 1942. The highway 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.