Kitakyushu & Shimonoseki

Twin cities on either side of the Kanmon Strait: Kokura Castle, the “10-billion-dollar” night view from Mount Sarakura and fugu sushi at Karato Market, with road trips to Tsunoshima Bridge, Motonosumi Shrine and Akiyoshidai.

Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki face each other across the Kanmon Strait: on the south shore is Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture (Kokura, Yahata and Moji), and on the north shore is Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture. They are linked by the Kanmon Bridge, undersea tunnels and ferries, and the strait is only about 700 m wide at its narrowest. Kitakyushu is the birthplace of Japan’s modern steel industry, and the Imperial Steel Works in Yahata is part of the World Heritage Site “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution”. Shimonoseki is Japan’s fugu (pufferfish) capital, and the site of the Battle of Dan-no-ura between the Genji and Heike clans and of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895. Mojiko Retro and Kawachi Fujien are covered under the Fukuoka destination and can be combined with this trip.

The area breaks down into four parts. Central Kokura: Kokura Castle, Tanga Market, the Kitakyushu Manga Museum and the TOTO Museum, all within walking distance. Yahata: Mount Sarakura, one of Japan’s “new top three night views”, the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History (Inochi no Tabi) and a viewpoint over the steelworks. Karato in Shimonoseki: weekend sushi stalls at Karato Market, Akama Shrine, the Kaikyokan aquarium and Ganryujima, plus the 780 m Kanmon pedestrian tunnel under the strait and Hinoyama Park. Out-of-town road trips: Tsunoshima Bridge, Motonosumi Shrine, Akiyoshidai and Akiyoshido Cave, and the Hiraodai karst, each needing half a day to a full day.

Seasons: cherry blossoms and tulips in March–April, wisteria from late April to early May, golden pampas grass on Akiyoshidai in autumn, and fugu season in winter (October to March). Getting there: Kokura Station is on the Sanyo Shinkansen, about 15 minutes from Hakata and about 50 minutes from Hiroshima, and Kitakyushu Airport has domestic flights. JR trains link Kokura and Shimonoseki in about 15 minutes, and the Kanmon Straits ferry runs between Karato and Mojiko (about 5 minutes). Public transport to outlying sights is limited, so renting a car is recommended. Allow 3 days: one for Kokura and the Yahata night view, one for Shimonoseki and the strait, and one for a road trip to Tsunoshima and Akiyoshidai.

Top sights

Karato Market – Shimonoseki's seafood market. On weekends, the 'Lively Bakan Street' sushi stalls let you pick fugu sushi on the spot and enjoy it by the s…
Tsunoshima Bridge – A 1,780-meter sea-crossing bridge stretching straight over emerald-green water. It is one of Japan's most photogenic scenic drives.
Motonosumi Shrine – 123 vermilion torii gates line a cliffside path down to the Sea of Japan. CNN once named the shrine one of Japan's most beautiful places.
Akiyoshidai Plateau – Japan's largest karst plateau, with limestone pillars rising from the grassland. In autumn, the miscanthus grass turns the plateau into a g…
Akiyoshido Cave – One of Japan's largest limestone caves, with wonders such as the Hundred Plates and the Golden Pillar along a roughly 1-kilometer route.
Kokura Castle – Built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. Its rare “Karayo” style tower has an upper floor wider than the one below it. It was renovated in 2019 w…
Mount Sarakura – A 622-meter viewpoint and one of Japan's “New Three Great Night Views,” known as the “ten-billion-dollar night view.”
Hinoyama Park – A 268-meter viewpoint beside the Shimonoseki Strait, overlooking the Kanmon Bridge, passing ships, and Moji Port across the water.
Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel – A 780-meter pedestrian tunnel about 60 meters beneath the sea, where you can walk from Honshu to Kyushu in about fifteen minutes.
Akama Shrine – Enshrines Emperor Antoku, who was eight years old when he drowned at the Battle of Dannoura. Its vivid vermilion Water Gate, modeled after…
Sino-Japanese Peace Treaty Memorial Hall – A memorial hall beside Shunpanro, where the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. It recreates the negotiation room setup.
Shimonoseki Aquarium Kaikyokan – An aquarium famous for displaying more fugu species than anywhere else in the world, along with a blue whale skeleton and a penguin village.
Kaikyo Yume Tower – A 153-meter observation tower with a glass sphere at the top, offering 360-degree views of the Kanmon Strait, Ganryujima, and the Sea of Ja…
Ganryujima Island – A small uninhabited island in the strait where the swordsmen Miyamoto Musashi and Sasaki Kojiro dueled in 1612. A bronze statue of the two…
Mekari Shrine – An ancient shrine at the north end of Moji Port, facing the strait. Its sea torii gate framed by the Kanmon Bridge overhead makes it the be…
Tanga Market – A "kitchen of Kitakyushu" born in the Taisho era, this old market along the Kamidake River lets you build your own "daigaku-don" rice bowl.
Kitakyushu Manga Museum – A manga museum in front of Kokura Station showcasing the works of Leiji Matsumoto, with about 50,000 manga volumes free to read.
TOTO Museum – A free museum beside the headquarters of bathroom brand TOTO, tracing Japan's toilet evolution from ceramics to smart toilets.
Former Imperial Steel Works Head Office Viewing Space – Part of the World Heritage "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution," this is the starting point of Japan's modern steel industry.
Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History – One of the largest natural history and history museums in western Japan, with a 100-meter dinosaur gallery that is impressive and great for…
Hiraodai Karst Plateau – One of Japan's three major karst landscapes, with white limestone scattered across the grasslands like a flock of sheep, and the chance to…
Chofu Castle Town & Kozanji Temple – The samurai district of the Mori clan's Chofu domain, with earthen-walled lanes and the National Treasure Kozanji Temple Buddha Hall, a his…
Akiyoshidai Safari Land – A safari park where you can drive or ride a shuttle through free-roaming areas with lions, giraffes, and more, great for families.
Munakata Taisha – The core shrine of the World Heritage "Island of Gods Munakata and Okinoshima" site, the head shrine of Munakata shrines across Japan and f…
Kawachi Fujien Wisteria Garden – A private wisteria garden in the mountains of Kitakyushu, where two wisteria tunnels were once named among the world's most beautiful place…
Mojikō Retro – A cluster of Meiji and Taisho-era port buildings beside the Kanmon Strait. Highlights include Mojiko Station, the former Mojiko Mitsui Club…

Where to eat

Shunpanro Honten – The first officially licensed fugu restaurant in Japan, where you can enjoy authentic fugu kaiseki by the Kanmon Strait…
Darumado Izutsuya – The birthplace of Kokura yaki udon, founded in 1945, which relocated to the 6th floor of the Kokura Izutsuya Main Build…
Karatoya – An ocean-view restaurant inside Karato Kamon Wharf, where you can enjoy fugu, kawara soba, and fresh seafood from Karat…
Ganso Kawara Soba Takase Honkan – The famous birthplace of kawara soba in Kawatana Onsen, serving green tea soba noodles on a hot roof tile, which keeps…
Curry Honpo Mojiko Retro – A famous baked curry restaurant next to Mojiko Station, known for its fragrant melted cheese baked in a high-temperatur…
Honten Tetsunabe – The birthplace of tetsunabe gyoza, founded in 1958, serving bite-sized winged gyoza in a hot iron skillet.

Itineraries

Yamaguchi Coast & Karst Road Trip – Drive north from Shimonoseki along the Sea of Japan, cross the Tsunoshima Bridge, explore the Hagi Castle Town, and tra…
Chugoku Region San'in & Sanyo Grand Loop Self-Drive – Depart from Okayama to loop around western Honshu, covering both the Sea of Japan and the Seto Inland Sea sides in one…