Kitakyushu travel guide

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Kitakyushu is the second largest city in Kyushu and World leading Environmental Future city, 

and blessed with spectacular & stunning nature. The city is the Industrial Innovation city greatly

contributed to Japan’s Industrial modernization. Now Kitakyushu offers a lot of sightseeing spots

such as scenic beauty places, UNESCO World Heritage of Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial

Revolution , Industrial heritages, placed introduce cultures of people living there, and various

historic sites.  

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Featured Tourist Destinations  

 

Kokura  

Kokura Castle

Kitakyushu’s landmark Kokura Castle. Fukuoka–prefecture only in Japan is selected by

CNN Travel as one of the top 19 places to visit in 2019.  And the Photo of Kokura Castle is

used for introducing Fukuoka-prefecture. The Castle located within a walking distance of 

JR Kokura Station.

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Kokura Castle Garden

Kokua Castle Garden made at the former site of lord’s guest house, located next to Kokura Castle.

This garden consists of a Japanese garden and a lord’s house, a building of the style of Japanese

domestic architecture. In this garden, not only can you see Japanese traditional architecture,

but also enjoy the Tea Ceremony at the Experience Zone.

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Tanga market 

Typical Japanese market, known as “the kitchen” in Kitakyushu-city.  There are more than

120 shops in the 180 metre-long arcade. Here you get a true taste of the culture and sample

the real life style  of the people living in Kitakyushu. You can find fresh, inexpensive fish,

vegetables and meats, as well as local specialties.​

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Uomachi & Kyumachi downtown shopping street 

Uomachi and Kyomachi Ginteigai are the arcade downtown shopping streets connected from

JR Kokura Station. The literal meaning of Gintengai is the Silver roof arcade shopping street

and Uomachi Gintengai is the birth place of Japanese arcade shopping street constructed in 1991.

Now, there are many kind of fantastic shops and restaurant along the street.

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Manga Museum and Aru Aru City 

Manga Museum is located next to JR Kokura station. The museum is located on the 6th floor

of Aru Aru City, a multi-floored shopping mall devoted to products and services for anime, manga,

idol culture, and cosplay fans, a kind of Harajuku in miniature.

Manga Museum and Aru Aru  City next to JR Kokura station

Best known Manga writer  Reiji Matsumoto

Aru Aru City, a multi-floored   shopping mall

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Moji  

 

Mojiko Retro

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Higashida

Japan’s modern steel industry was started as Yawata steel Works at Higashida district

in 1901. Since then, the Works greatly contributed to Japan’s industrial modernization.

The three sites in Higashida have been registered on UNESCO World Heritage  as

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.

 

Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace

Only the Blast  Furnace in the world which preserved as it was. The birth place where 

Japan’s steel industry began in 1901. It contributed greatly to the development of the

Japanese steel industry and was used until 1972, and has been preserved just as it was.

Blast Furnace proper

Cast house floor

Torped Car

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First Head Office of the Steel Works  / UNESCO World Heritage  

Built in 1899, ahead of production facilities. It is an architectural fusion of Japanese and

European design, a two story red brick building with bilateral symmetry and a central dome

set in a Japanese tile roof.

World leading rails producing in the Steel Works

First Head Office building registered on the World Heritage

Observation deck of the World Heritage

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Museum of Industrial Technology. In April 2007, based on this theme of “innovation, ” the Kitakyushu

Innovation Gallery & Studio (KIGS) opened in Yahata, Higashida, the first site of steel manufacturing

in Japan’s modern age. Various things related Industry technologies are exhibited.

Museum Building

World Heritage, Meiji Japan’s Industry Revolution

Introducing Industry innovation history of Japan

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Industrial Heritages

 

Kawachi Reservoir

The first-class civil construction heritage completed in 1927, the triggered the registration of World

Cultural Heritage of Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.  The Kawachi Reservoir was

constructed for the industrial water supply to Yawata Steel Works. The dam was constructed at the

Okura River and upper stream of the dam was expanded and making the 7milion cubic metre reservoir.

Reservoir, constructed for the industrial water supply to Yawata Steel Works

Unprecedented design in the  world has been applied to harmonize with nature

First-class civil construction heritage

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Minami Kawachi-bashi bridge

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Onga River Pump Station         

Built in 1910 on the east bank of the Onga River. It served, and still serves, to deliver industrial

water to Yawata via an 11.4 km pipeline. The site has been registered on the UNESCO World

Heritage, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution 

Onga River

Onga River Pump Station

Water piping to the Steel Works

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Kurogane Railway         

Dedicated Railway for Yawata Steel Works. The railway connected between Yawata and Tobata,

construction work took three years, and completed in 1930. The most difficult and hard work was

making Miyatayama tunnel with a total length of 1180 m due to suffering from floods. The gates of 

the Miyatayama tunnel are decorated with stately designs.

The rail way crossing the road

Miyatayama tunnel Tobata side

Miyatayama tunnel Yahata side

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Yahata port

Japan’s Modern Steel Works history started here. Yawata was a rural village with a small

population of agriculture and fishing industry. And this place was decided in Parliament as

the Japan’s Modern Steel Works construction site in 1897.At that time, there were no

construction machineries, the Steel Works was constructed with human power in just 4 years.

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Study tours to Kitakyushu   

The city of Kitakyushu is the birthplace of the modern Japanese steel industry which began

operation in 1901, and is now the world’s leading environmental future city. Now it is called

industrial and environmental city which is representative of Japan. Therefore the various

things can be learn here.

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Local cuisines and featured restaurant

 

Kawara Sobe

Kawara soba is a local cuisine which Soba noodles and meat are cooked together

on a Kawara (stone roof tile) and dipped into a special sauce when eating it.

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Yaki curry

Yaki curry latterly means baked curry and is local cuisine in Moji which is curry with rice

topped with cheese and/or egg heated in oven. The melted cheese and soft-boiled egg

combine with the spicy curry to enhance its flavor even more.

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Nagahama Ramen, Tonpei

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Eel Restaurant, Chikurintei

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Dinner at Kokura

 

Ekikara sanjippo yokocho

The place is located on the ground floor of JR Kokura Station. There are 8 restaurants

where local cuisines can be enjoyed.

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Tanga Yatai

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Tour results

We are offering various types of tours, and the tour results up to now are shown links below. 

Tailor-made tour      Study tour      Golf tour

 

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Study tours to Kyushu

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Japan KYHUSHU Tourist offer the Study tours in Kitakyushu and Nagasaki. The themes of

study are Environment, Solid Waste management, Industry, Christianity in Japan, World

Peace, Science, Geography, Architecture as well as Economy.

 

We are providing the Study tours for Schools, Universities, companies and any other groups.

Furthermore, we are also providing the excursion tours for the customers of International

conferences and company visit. Our Study tour is a package including the planning,

arrangement of visiting places, tour conductor and interpreter, transportation and accommodations.

 

Related sites to the Study tour

Study tour to Kitakyushu     Study tour to Nagasaki      History of Industrial modernization 

History of Japanese Christianity      Environmental Future city Kitakyushu

    

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What to learn

We are offering various type of study tour utilizimg the following learning resources, environment

requirement of learning.

 

Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revokution / Kitakyushu-city and Nagasaki

Kitakyushu one-day tour	Nagasaki one-day tour	Japan’s Industrial modernization tour
The birth place of Steel Industry in Japan and contributed to the development of the Japanese industry modernization	The origin of Japan’s modernization. Nagasaki contributed for Shipbuilding and Coal Mining	To learn how Japan has become the world’s most industrialized country in the short period

One-day tour	3 days tour	6 days tour
To show how Christians have been continued their faith since 26 martyrs were crucified in Nagasaki in 1597	To visit Nagasaki, Shimabara and Unzen. Shimabara was the Battle field of Shimabara Rebellion	To visit Sotome, Nagasaki  Unzen, Shimabara, Amakusa  Kumamoto and Hirado

Peace Statue

Ground Zero

Atomic Bomb Museum

 

STEM Education field  / Kitakyushu-city and Fukuoka-city 

There are a lot of Museums and facilities where Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

can be learned.

Environmental Museum

Kitakyushu Manga Museum  and Aru Aru City

Kitakyushu Innovation  Gallery Studio

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Architecture and construction design / Kitakyushu-city and Fukuoka

There are a lot of unique construction designed by renowned architects and civil engineers, 

that were constructed beginning of Japan’s Industrial modernization.  The design philosophy

of designers focused on the future can be learned.

West Japan Industrial   Club

Minami Kawachi-bashi   bridge

Kawachi Reservoir

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Study tours to Kitakyushu

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Kitakyushu-city is the World leading Environmental Future city, and blessed with spectacular

and stunning nature. The city is the Industrial Innovation city greatly contributed to Japan’s

Industrial modernization since Japan’s modern Steel Industry operation commenced in 1901.

Now Kitakyushu offers the various kind of Study tour such as Environment, Solid Waste

management, Industry, Science, Geography, Architecture, Economy as well as SDGS.

 

We are providing the Study tour as a package including the planning, arrangement of visiting

places, tour conductor and interpreter, transportation and accommodations.

 

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Where to learn

We are offering various type of study tour utilizimg the following learning resources, environment

and historical aspects. Feature of our study tour is the tailor-made in accordance with customer

requirement of learning.  

 

Solid Waste management & Recycling 

Kitakyushu-city is the advanced city of solid waste management in Japan. Comprehensive

solid waste management syetem can be learned from waste collecing procedure at

household to the final stage of waste treatment such as incineration, landfill and recycling. 

Eco Town Center

Waste paper recycling

Melting Furnace

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Low Carbon Society

The city is promoting the low carbon society in Asia while taking leadership as the Environmental 

Future City.  The new generation technologies and the activities cooperated with Citizen to achieve

low carbon society can be learned.

Wind Power Generation

Zero Emission Transportation

Solar Power Generation

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Industrial modernization & KAIZEN strategy

Japanese industry at the end of 19th century was 200 years behind. Since Japan’s modern

Steel Industry operation commenced in 1901 in Kitakyushu, Japan became the world’s leading 

industrialized country in only 100 years. There is the KAIZEN strategy in the background to

Japan becoming an industrialrzed country at a rapid speed.

Nippon Steel

TOYOTA Motor Kyushu

Yaskawa Electric

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Geography

Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and

phenomena of Earth. Kitakyushu has unique geographical features, therefore Earth and its

human and natural complexities and also how they have changed and come to be can be learned.

Hiraodai Limestone Caves

Sone Tideland

Hiraodai karst plateau

 

 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

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Related sites to the Study tour

Study tour to Kyushu     Study tour to Nagasaki      History of Industrial modernization 

Environmental Future city Kitakyushu 

 

Study tour in the STEM Education field

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Science Learn Science, Environment, Nature, Industry, various history

Geography Field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, phenomena of Earth

Architectures Various unique architectures designed by renowned designers

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Environmental Museum in Kitakyushu

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The museum has Environmental learning function, Environmental information function and

Environmental activity function. The Environmental improvement history of Kitakyushu, Global

warming and other various environmental issues can be learned.

The Museum Building

Learn the Global warming

The Environmental improvement history of Kitakyushu

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 General information  

Address	2-2-6 Higashida, Yahata-higashi, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-prefecture
Access	5 minutes walk from JR Space World Station
Open hours	9:00 to 17:00
Admission fee	No admission fee is required
Days closed	evey Monday

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Sankiro

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The largest three-story wooden building used for Ryotei in Kyushu. The Ryotei is a type

of luxurious traditional Japanese restaurant Sankiro was built in 1928 and was the largest

three-story wooden building used for Ryotei in Kyushu, and was a representative building

for the time. There were over 1200 square meters of floor space and more than 20 rooms.

At the present, the building is used for Japanese restaurant, Shunpanro.

 

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General information  

Address	3-6-8 Kiyotaki, Moji-ku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-city
Access	10 minutes walk from JR Mojiko station 25 minutes by a vehicle from JR Kokura station
Open hours	10:00 to 17:00
Admission fee	No fee is required
Days closed	Monday

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Sone Tideland

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Sone tideland facing the Seto Inland Sea from Sone, in Kitakyushu-city and is one of the

largest tideland in the Seto Inland Sea ; it is about 5 km offshore with an area of about 517 ha.

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The tideland is the home to some 326 species of benthic animals in the tidal flat, including a

handful of endangered species, like the ancient horseshoe crab that has not changed since the

age of dinosaurs. Several endangered birds are seen during the summer, like the Saunders’s

Gulls, Eastern Marsh Harrier, and the Intermediate Egret.

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Horseshoe Raising house, the ecology of the horseshoe can be learn here.

 

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Contact us   

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Geography learning in Kitakyushu-city

                                                                                                                                           HOME 

 

Geography is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants,

and phenomena of Earth.  Kitakyushu has unique geographical features, therefore Earth

and its human and natural complexities and also how they have changed and come to

be can be learned.

 

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Hiraodai karst plateau 

One of the three largest in Japan along with the Akiyoshi-dai Plateau and the Shikoku Karst. 

It is located in southeastern part of Kitakyushu-city. At altitudes between 400 and 600 meters

above sea level and stretching 6 km from north to south and 2 km from east to west.  

 

Hiraodai Limestone Caves 

There are three limestone Caves in Hiraodai Karst and each cave has different unique feature. 

 

Senbutsu limestone cave

Literally means 1,000 Buddha Cave, is the largest of the caves in Hiraodai Last Plateau,

extending about 900 m while meandering toward the northeast. The shape of the cave is narrow,

narrow ceiling ravine with a maximum width of 10 m and a maximum ceiling height of 15 m.

Approximately 30 large and small stalactites hang down at the entrance, giving a spectacular

scenery. Abundant groundwater still continues to erode in the cave.​

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Mejiro limestone Cave

It is the longest cave in Hiraodai Karst, over 2 km in length. The highlight of this cave is the

monolithic ceiling which is a very unique structure as a limestone caves.

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Ojika limestone cave

The cave is called footfall of dinosaurs.  It is the very rare cave in Japan; the entrance is vertical

pit with 25 meter, when getting down to the bottom, you follow the underground horizontal cave

and you can see the hidden aspects of Hiraodai Karst.

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Hirotani Wetland

It is the only wetland in Fukuoka Prefecture, located 600 meters west from Seiryu Cave and

2,500 m east from Hiraodai Nature Observation Center. The wetland is an important part of 

Hiraodai Karst landform, offering a variety of wetland plant life such as the Sagiso (rein orchis),

Tokiso (pogonia), and Nohanasyobu (iris).​

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Sone Tideland

Sone tideland facing the Seto Inland Sea from Sone, in Kitakyushu-city and is one of the

largest tideland in the Seto Inland Sea ; it is about 5 km offshore with an area of about 517 ha.

The tideland is the home to some 326 species of benthic animals in the tidal flat, including a

handful of endangered species, like the ancient horseshoe crab that has not changed since the

age of dinosaurs. Several endangered birds are seen during the summer, like the Saunders’s

Gulls, Eastern Marsh Harrier, and the Intermediate Egret.

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Hibikinada Biotope

Japan’s largest Biotope, the Pradise of creatures made over the year in the waste disposal site.   

237 kind of birds including circus spinouts listed on the Japan’s endangered species and 284 kind

of vegetation have been confirmed in the Biotope of 41 hectares.

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UNESCO / Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution

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Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining are a group of historic sites that played

an important part in the industrialization of Japan in the Bakumatsu during National

isolation period and Meiji periods, and are part of the industrial heritage of Japan.

The UNESCO World Heritages consist of eight areas with thirty component sites located

throughout Japan from Northern part Tohoku to Kyushu.

 

Kyushu has 5 areas with 16 sites as follows;

・Kitakyushu : 4 sites for Iron and Steel

・Miike (Omuta, Arao and Misumi)  : 3 sites for Coal Mining

・Saga : 1 site for Shipbuilding

・Nagasaki : 5 sites for Shipbuilding and Coal Mining

・Kagoshima : 3 sites for Iron and Steel

 

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Kitakyushu  

The four sites of Yawata Steel Works in Kitakyushu area have been inscribed as Iron and Steel

Industry. The buildings of The Imperial Steel Works, Japan at Yawata Works NSSMC are the

surviving components of Asia’s first successful integrated iron and steel works: the State-run

Imperial Steel Works opened in 1901. It is located in the northernmost part of Fukuoka Prefecture,

the north end of Kyushu, 8 km south of Hibiki-Nada Seashore close to the continent of China.

Their present-day setting is still a working industrial landscape set in the southeastern section of

NIPPON STEEL Yawata Works which, for over a century, has consistently maintained a leading

role in the Japanese steel industry. Now, NIPPON STEEL is one of the world leading steel

manufacturers.

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Miike  

Miike Coal Mine, Railway and Port forms a Western-style linear coal mining landscape located

in the southernmost part of Fukuoka Prefecture and the northernmost part of Kumamoto Prefecture,

bordering the Ariake Sea to the west. The mines are situated in the relatively flat and low-lying area,

to the south of Omuta City and the north of Arao City which developed as industrial cities centred on

Miike Mine. Miike Coal Mine and transport infrastructure sites are physically linked and comprise.

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Saga  

The former (1858-71) ship repair and shipbuilding yard at Mietsu is one of Japan’s pioneer

Westernstyle maritime facilities. Most of the site is located in the present-day Riverside Park,

Hayatsue, Kawasoe-machi, on the southern outskirts of Saga City, Saga Prefecture. The site,

much of it a buried structure, lies on the western bank of a 90° meander in the Hayatsue River,

a tributary channel of the Chikugo River near its mouth, just over 6 km north of the northern

shore of the Ariake Sea. Mietsu had been a mooring facility, with warehouses, since at least

the latter half of the eighteenth century and the Ofunate-Keikosho was expanded as a training

facility for operating Western style ships in 1858.

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Nagasaki  　

The natural harbour and commercial city at the mouth of the Urakami River already had a long

history of interaction with Europe, China and Southeast Asia. Throughout the Japanese isolation

period (1639-1854) Dutch traders were the principal foreign power permitted to remain in Japan,

being confined to the tiny island of Dejima. In 1854, the Tokugawa Shogunate’s response to

Perry’s visit was to build a navy. They lifted the ban on building large ships and established the

Nagasaki Naval Training Institute and Nagasaki Foundry. Following on from the Shogunate’s

foundations, Mitsubishi’s shipyard turned out many of Japan’s greatest vessels. The company

also pioneered its undersea coal mines, the first to be developed with Western technology,

and which supported the global naval and commercial network of steamships operating in

East Asia and the Pacific.

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Kagoshima

The site is located on the western side of Kagoshima (Kinko) Bay, formed from the collapsed Aira

volcanic caldera and dominated by the active Sakurajima stratovolcano, and is backed by sheer

and wooded cliff faces traversed by narrow valleys. Shuseikan is a National Historic Site. Sengan-en,

the location and setting for the Shuseikan complex, was a garden created by the 19th Lord Mitsuhisa

Shimazu in 1658.

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Hibikinada Biotope in Kitakyushu

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Japan’s largest Biotope.  The Pradise of creatures made over the year in the waste disposal

site.  237 kind of birds including circus spinouts listed on the Japan’s endangered species

and 284 kind of vegetation have been confirmed in the Biotope of 41 hectares.

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General information  

Address	1 Hibikimachi, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-prefecture
Access	30 minutes by a vehicle from JR Kokura Station
Open hours	9:00 to 17:00
Admission fee	JPY 100
Days closed	Tuesday

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