Every year, the global Green Destinations Top 100 competition invites candidates to submit stories about sustainable management of tourism and its impacts. In this selection, we learn how two Japanese cities linked their separate locales with a novel tourism tactic. Abstract by Ailin Fei.
Building Unity with Infrastructure Tourism
For decades, the cities facing each other across the Kanmon Strait faced a paradox: Separated only by a narrow channel, the two cities shared deep historical, cultural, and economic connections, yet they remained divided by prefectural boundaries, fragmented tourism planning, and a perception of the strait as a barrier rather than a bridge.
Located between the major islands of Honshu and Kyushu, the strategic Kanmon Strait is a maritime corridor for transportation, trade, defense, and industry. Shimonoseki sits on the Honshu side across from Mojiko on Kyushu. An array of rail tunnels, bridges, pedestrian tunnels, and ferries – the “Seven Paths of the Strait” – link the two shores. While effective, these infrastructure assets were historically viewed only as functional transportation facilities, not tourism resources.
To challenge the perception of the strait-as-a-barrier, the region chose an unconventional approach: transforming infrastructure itself into the destination. Through the Kanmon Infrastructure Tourism initiative, iconic structures such as the Kanmon Railway Tunnel and Kanmon Bridge were opened for exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, revealing their engineering, history, and social significance. These experiences were combined with local heritage, cuisine, and cultural attractions to create a unified tourism narrative across the strait.
The Kanmon Strait experience demonstrates that infrastructure can serve as more than a means of movement; it can become a platform for storytelling, collaboration, and regional identity. The project highlights the importance of cross-boundary governance, partnerships with infrastructure operators, and creative interpretation of existing assets. For destinations facing geographic or administrative divisions, the Kanmon model shows how shared infrastructure can become a symbol of connection, sustainability, and collective tourism development.
To learn more, read the full submission.