The Yomiuri Shimbun
Tour participants watch workers operate a huge crane at the Ota Incineration Plant in Ota Ward, Tokyo, in September.
15:18 JST, November 8, 2025
Tours of off-limit areas such as airports and plants around Tokyo have been garnering attention. Organizers are hoping their unique tours will satisfy a variety of enthusiasts.
In September, tour participants visited the Ota Incineration Plant in the waterfront area of Ota Ward, Tokyo. They looked around the crane control room, which is closed to the public, and got a close look at a giant crane that handled large amounts of waste.
The tour, organized by the Ota Tourist Association, also included a bus tour of man-made islands in Ota Ward, including Heiwajima and Keihinjima. The association has previously held two similar tours, which have been well-received. Participants said they enjoyed being able to visit places that are usually hard to get to. For this tour, about 230 people nationwide applied.
On the day, 25 people were selected by lottery to visit the waste disposal plant as well as Reiwajima, which is not accessible by public transportation.
“I’ve lived in the ward for a long time, but I’m discovering new things all the time,” said a 77-year-old woman.
Private companies also offer tours to areas that are normally inaccessible.
Courtesy of Hato Bus Co.
Bus tour participants get off in the off-limit area of Haneda Airport and watch planes fly up close.
Hato Bus Co., a major bus tour operator based in Ota Ward, has been holding the “Haneda Airport Best View Drive” since 2022. The tour entices participants by allowing them to visit an off-limit area of Haneda Airport, letting them watch planes take off and land up close. The tour is popular with aviation enthusiasts.
The tour destination for December is Hakone, a popular spot in Kanagawa Prefecture. Participants will visit the Hakone Ropeway’s operations control center and technical area. They will be able to look at equipment such as the motors that move the ropes, which are not normally visible, and take a tour of the Shonan Monorail’s train depot, which is normally off-limits to the public.
“We hope that these arrangements will broaden our customer base to include transportation enthusiasts and encourage them to join our regular tours,” said an official of Hato Bus.
Mania na Godogaisha, an event company whose name translates to “mania limited liability company,” has previously organized unusual events. One such event let participants prepare for the opening of a public bath and take the first bath of the day.
Shigenobu Matsuzawa, the president of the company based in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, said that he himself is an enthusiast of unusual spots. He came up with the idea of creating unusual tours after visiting various places with people who are knowledgeable in each field.
“It’s not often that you get to clean a public bath and see its boiler room. I thought it would appeal to enthusiasts who want to see what goes on behind the scenes,” Matsuzawa said.
Most participants are in their 30s and 40s and found out about the tours online, with 50% to 60% being women, he said. For the end of November, the company is planning a tour involving shishimai — a Japanese traditional lion dance —with a lion dance researcher.
Tamagawa University Prof. Shigeki Taniwaki, a specialist in tourism policy, analyzed that the reason for the emergence of such tours is that more and more people are placing importance on experiences that can only be enjoyed at a specific time and place.
“Traditionally, focus has been placed mainly on tour plans that take large numbers of tourists to certain destinations, but this raises concerns about issues such as overtourism. Going forward, I think there will be growing demand for high-quality tourism with added value,” he said.
AloJapan.com