Kokura
Kokura was an ancient castle town in Japan and the center of the city of Kitakyushu, which is the second most populous city on the island of Kyushu, after the city of Fukuoka.
Kokura was an ancient castle town in Japan and the center of the city of Kitakyushu, which is the second most populous city on the island of Kyushu, after the city of Fukuoka. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kokura
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04Yawata Steel Works
Steel works as a component of world heritage site in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
5.4 km · Wikipedia - 05
- 06
- 07
- 08
- 09
- 10
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
What Wikivoyage says to see
The city has the reputation of being just an industrial area, but this is only true of part of the coastline. The city covers a very large area (much larger than Fukuoka, 486 km² as compared with 340), and there are many pleasant spots for sightseeing and recreation.
- 01Kokura Castle
- 02Hiraodai
A rare karst plateau in Kokura Minami ward, 30-40 minutes by car from Kokura station.
- 03Sugao
This waterfall in Kokura Minami ward is cool and popular with Japanese residents in the summer.
- 04Kanmon Kaikyo Museum
- 05Railway Museum
From Wikivoyage: Kokura, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Things to do
Visit the Blast furnace near Space World train station. Japan's steel industry began here in 1901 and the original furnace is preserved as steelmaking was so important to Japan and the development of Kitakyushu in the 20th century. Also nearby are the city's natural history museum and environment museum. Cruise the Dokaiwan sea inlet between Tobata and Wakamatsu wards at night.
From Wikivoyage: Kokura, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Where to eat
- 01Rihga Royal Hotel
This hotel has several high-priced restaurants.
From Wikivoyage: Kokura, CC BY-SA 4.0. Not yet checked by us.
Getting to Kokura
- Airports
- Kitakyushu (KKJ), 15 km · Fukuoka (FUK), 52 km · Kyushu Saga (HSG), 98 km
- Stations
- Kokura Station, 400 m · Jōno Station, 2.8 km · Abeyamakōen Station, 4.8 km · Kyūshūkōdaimae Station, 4.4 km · Minami-Kokura Station, 2.3 km
- Fukuoka → Kokura54 km · quickest by road, 1h 19m · ¥740–1,010
- Saga → Kokura90 km · quickest by road, 2h 12m · ¥1,250–1,710
- Kumamoto → Kokura121 km · quickest by road, 2h 32m · ¥1,670–2,280
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kokura
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kokura. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inKokura ferry terminal connects with Matsuyama in Ehime Prefecture, Shikoku with an overnight ferry service.
- Get inThe ferry departs at 21:55 and arrives at 05:00 (you may stay on board until 07:00).
- Get inYou need to fill out a short form before boarding the ferry.
- Get inShin Moji ferry terminal connects with Osaka, Kobe and Tokyo.
- Get inThe Tokyo service is operated by Ocean Tokyu Ferry, 03-5148-0109; passenger fares are ¥14,000 for second class and ¥26,600 for first class.
From Wikivoyage: Kitakyushu, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-09.
- 01561 km
- 02918 km
- 031,250 km
- 041,354 km
- 051,602 km
If you know how people move in Kokura – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kokura
Kokura is 5 km from Kitakyushu, the nearest large city, whose note carries the wider picture.
- Kitakyūshūcity in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan4.9 km
- Kokurakita-kuward of Kitakyūshū, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan900 m
- Tobata-kuward of Kitakyūshū, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan5.1 km
- Kokuraminami-kuward of Kitakyūshū, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan4.1 km