Kawasaki Good Times World

Kawasaki Good Times World, located within the Kobe Maritime Museum, is a corporate museum of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group. Here, a variety of machines, including motorcycles from past generations, are on display. In particular, visitors to the motorcycle exhibit can actually touch and straddle the machines. There is also a simulator that allows visitors 140 cm or taller to enjoy a simulated circuit ride.

Visitors can also enter the cabin and driver’s cab of a Series 0 Shinkansen bullet train, as well as the cabin of a helicopter. At Kawasaki Good Times World, visitors can “see” and “touch” representative products of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group.

At the Founder’s Introduction Corner, visitors are introduced to Shozo Kawasaki and Kojiro Matsukata, the founders of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. The history of the company’s birth and the Matsukata Collection, a collection of art works collected by Matsukata, are introduced here. In addition, the history of the city of Kobe and the history of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries Group (Kobe Kawasaki Zaibatsu) are also explained.

In the History Corner, visitors can learn about the history of Kawasaki Heavy Industries for more than a century, and see the first industrial robot made in Japan, an early model jet ski, and other actual items on display.

The Kawasaki Good Times World Theater is a dark room leading from the History Corner, where the company’s product line is introduced through sound and six screens.

The Motorcycle Gallery displays actual motorcycles from past generations. Visitors can touch and ride some of the vehicles. Also on display are some of the company’s best-selling models.

In the land zone, the first car (21-7038) of the Shinkansen Series 0 train is on display, and visitors can enter the passenger compartment and driver’s cab. Visitors can also enjoy a model train diorama and the “Densha de GO! 2 High Speed version 3000” game.

In the Marine Zone, visitors can watch a video showing how Kawasaki Shipbuilding builds its ships and the launching ceremony. A water bike simulator game is also available.

In the Air Zone, a KV-107 II helicopter (JA9555 Kawasaki Heavy Industries company aircraft “Mino”) is on display. Visitors can also go inside this helicopter. In addition, a flight simulator is available for visitors to experience takeoffs and landings from Kobe Airport.

In the Global Environment Corner, the new energy technology developed by the company and a landmine detection and removal machine are introduced.

In the Performance Robotics area, industrial robots that normally work in the factory are challenging Rubik’s Cube.