Kitakyushu (Japanese: 北九州市, Hepburn: Kitakyūshū-shi, lit. "North Kyushu City") is one of two designated cities in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, together with Fukuoka, with a population of just under 1 million people.
Restaurants in Kitakyushu
4.0 based on 685 reviews
This nicely restored castle has a good mix of history and fun. Walkable from the Kokura train station. Kids, including those 65+ will enjoy riding the palanquin and sitting in on a samurai war council. The views are great from the top floor too. A lift is available for the mobility impaired or travel-weary.
4.0 based on 590 reviews
Ever since visiting Mojiko in April 2018 and seeing the Station building shrouded in scaffolding, undergoing restoration, I expressed a desire to return one day when the work was completed. 18-months on, I got the opportunity whilst staying in Kokura to make a fleeting visit to Mojiko to view the result of the lengthy Restoration Project. The facade of the Neo-Rennaissance building (built 1914) has been restored to its' former glory and brought bang-up to the 21st Century with the inclusion of modern ticketing facilities and a Starbuck's to boot. With the dimly lit period wooden canopies over the Station Platforms, all that's missing from this iconic scene is an original locomotive idly discharging clouds of steam!
4.0 based on 31 reviews
After travelling out from Kokura by JR train to Yakata Station and spending an enjoyable morning going up Mt. Sarakura on the Sarakurayama Cable Car, I decided to make the short hop to nearby 'Space World' JR Station to take in nearby attractions. Although the theme park after which the JR Station is named closed at the beginning of 2018, nevertheless two worthwhile attractions are listed nearby; If you exit the JR Station and turn to the right, the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History is located within 200m. This Museum which houses an impressive collection of dinosaur skeletons is well-advertised in the press, on flyers, etc. and is listed by Trip Advisor (quite rightly so) at #1 of 'Things to Do in Kitakyushu'. However, if you exit the JR Station and turn to the left you will see a series of white and grey-painted steel structures topped with a signboard indicating the year '1901'. This is the 'Higashida Blast Furnace I (1901)'; unlike the nearby Museum of Natural History I could find no information on the attraction prior to visiting and it languishes at a lowly #37 of 'Things to Do in Kitakyushu' by Trip Advisor with zero reviews in English. What a pity ..... this hidden gem of Industrial Archeology adjacent to Space World JR Station deserves to be better advertised and better promoted as a good example of the early 20th Century steelmaking process. Although there is little or no information provided in English, through the use of static displays (e.g.: of the railway train that would take the 'Torpedos' of molten steel to the nearby rail manufacturing plant), models, mannequins of steelworkers, pictorial information boards and displays of photographs from the early 20th century onwards, the whole process of steelmaking is put into context and adequately explained. Admission is free, but there doesn't appear to be any facilities on-site. I spent an hour just taking photographs; the surroundings are pleasantly landscaped, so I would have spent longer enjoying the late afternoon sunshine if only I had brought some refreshments or snacks with me ... just make sure you use the facilities at the JR Station before you arrive, however!
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