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Kokura
Ancient castle town in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan

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.

Plan a trip to Kokura→From Fukuoka

Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West.

Get in

Getting to Kokura

  1. 01
    Kitakyushu Airport
  2. 02
    Kokura Station
See

Worth seeing

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.

  1. 01
    Kokura Castle
  2. 02
    Hiraodai

    A rare karst plateau in Kokura Minami ward, 30-40 minutes by car from Kokura station.

  3. 03
    Sugao

    This waterfall in Kokura Minami ward is cool and popular with Japanese residents in the summer.

  4. 04
    Kanmon Kaikyo Museum
  5. 05
    Railway Museum
Do

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.

Eat

Where to eat

  1. 01
    Rihga Royal Hotel

    This hotel has several high-priced restaurants.

How locals move

Getting around Kokura the local way

  • 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. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Ka23 13 (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.