Kitakyushu / UNESCO Industry Revolution one-day tour

 

Kitakyushu-city is the birth place of Steel Making Industry in Japan and contributed

greatly to the development of the Japanese industry modernization.

The four sites of Yawata Steel Works in Kitakyushu area have been inscribed on

UNESCO World Heritage as Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution in 2015.

 

And also, Kitakyushu-city is leading World environment as the Environmental Future

City selected by Japanese Government and also designated as the first ‘ Model City

for Green Growth ‘ in Asia by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and

Development (OECD) in 2011.

This tour introduce how Kitakyushu-city contributed to Japan’s industrial modernization

with unprecedented speed in the world and also the history to Environmental Future

City can be learned while visiting World Heritage sites and related Industry Heritages.

 

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 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

 

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Tour conditions 

The tour is the private tour exclusively for your group.

・Minimum number : 2 person

・Maxum number : 30 person

・Tour date : please specify the date

・Chartered vehicle is utilized as per number of person.

   (1) less than 8 person

    　a chartered taxi is used with English speaking driver

    　English speaking driver assist the tour as tour guide and tour attendant

   (2) more than 9 person

　　a chartered bus is used with Japanese speaking driver

　　English speaking guide who also works as a tour attendant is accompanied

   　for assist the tour in the case of using a chartered bus

 

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Itinerary  

8:00 Depart Fukuoka-city

Transfer to Kitakyushu-city using Kyushu Expressway, 1 hours 

Visite World Heritage and related site in Kitakyushu

 Kitakyushu Innovation Gallery Studio   →　Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace

 First Head Office the Steel Works  UNESCO World Heritage

Lunch at Otani-kaikan Hall

Kawachi Reservoir  →　Minami Kawachi bridge

Onga River Pump Station　UNESCO World Heritage

Transfer to Fukuoka-cuty

18:00 Arrive at Fukuoka-city

 

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Where to visit  

Kitakyushu Innovation Gallery Studio

Museum of Industrial Technology, in April 2007, based on this theme of “innovation,

” the Kitakyushu Innovation Gallery & Studio (KIGS) opened in Yahata, Higashida, 

where Japan’s mordern steel industry operation was started. 

Museum Building

World Heritage, Meiji Japan’s Industry Revolution

Introducing Industry innovation history of Japan

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Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace

The only one in the world, the Blast Furnace which was actually used until 1972, is preserved

as it was.   This place is the birth place of Japan’s modern steel industry began in 1901 and It

contributed greatly to the development of the Japanese steel industry.

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First Head Office of the Steel Works 

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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Otani-kaikan Hall

Built in 1927, opened as an employee club of the then-owned Yawata Steel Works

The western-style building of Art Deco style architecture. 
The Hall building received the Kitakyushu City Architectural Culture Award in 1989. 

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Kawachi Reservoir

The reservoir for supplying water to Yawata Steel Works; the construction took 8 years and was

completed in 1927.  The concept of the designer Hisanori Numata was “Civil engineering is an

eternal monument”. The Dam in harmony with nature, is imaged European Castle and  

the volume 7milion cubic metre reservoir.

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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.

This supply is integral to the steel production process and was necessary to cope with the 

1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.

Onga River

Onga River Pump Station

Water piping to the Steel Works

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 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

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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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Saga-city one-day tour

 

Saga-city in Kyushu is the seat of the Saga-prefectural government.

It faces the Ariake Sea on the south and is home to Saga Airport. In the center of the city is

the Saga Castle History Museum, which also serves as the city’s symbol.

The castle itself is no longer standing, but the main keep has been reconstructed, resulting in

one of the largest wooden structures in Japan.

 

Saga is also known as the plece where it has made a great contribution to the Japanese

Industrial Revolution.

 

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  Location of Saga-city

　 

 

 

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Tour conditions

The tour is the private tour exclusively for your group.

・Minimum number : 2 person

・Maxum number : 30 person

・Tour date : please specify the date

・Chartered vehicle is utilized as per number of person.

   (1) less than 8 person

    　a chartered taxi is used with English speaking driver

    　English speaking driver assist the tour as tour guide and tour attendant

   (2) more than 9 person

　　a chartered bus is used with Japanese speaking driver

　　English speaking guide who also works as a tour attendant is accompanied

   　for assist the tour in the case of using a chartered bus

 

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Itinerary

9:00 Depart Fukuoka-city

Transfer to Saga-city

Exploring  Saga-city

 Saga Castle History Museum  →　Saga Shrine　lunch at Saga Shpping destrict

 Saga Canal boat cruise

 Mietsu Naval Dock ; UNESCO World Heritage, Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution

 Tsukiji Reflectance Furnace

Transfer to Fukuoka-city

Arrive Fukuoka-city

 

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Where to visit

Saga Castle History Museum

Japan’s Industrial Modernization activity was started here in Saga.

The largest restored wooden building in Japan at 2,500m2, the museum offers the unparalleled

chance to experience a Japanese castle from more than 175 years ago.

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Saga Shrine

The shrine is designated as the special government shrine.

The shrine dedicated to Naomasa Nabeshima, who oversaw the manufacture of Japan’s

first modern Cannon.

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Saga Canal boat cruise

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Mietsu Naval Dock  UNESCO World Heritage

Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution , before Meiji Restoration, the Mietsu Naval Dock served

as a venue for naval drilling and maintenance of Western-style ship, as the naval base of Saga Clan.

Japan’s first practical steam ship, the Ryofu-maru was constructed there in 1865.

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Tsukiji Reflectance Furnace

This is the Japan’s first constructed Reflectance Furnace and it was used for Japan’s first

Cannon manufacturing.

The reflectance furnace was greatly contributed for initial stage of Japan’s Industrial Modernization.

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Contact us

 

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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Nagasaki / UNESCO Hidden Christian sites one-day tour

 

Japanese Christianity has a long history of continuing faith while coexisting

with Japanese traditional religion Shinto and General society.

Japan’s unique practice of the Christian faith continued even during the ban on Christianity.

Hidden Christian Site in Nagasaki-city ,  Shimabara  and  Amakusa regions bear unique testimony

to the tradition of people and their communities who secretly transmittraryed their faith in Christianity

while surviving in the midst of the conventional society and its religions during the time of prohibition.

 

The tour introduces how Christians have been continued their faith since Christianity was

propagated to Japan, by visiting Hidden Christian sites in Nagasaki-city.

 

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Travelling route 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tour conditions

The tour is the private tour exclusively for your group.

・Minimum number : 2 person

・Maxum number : 30 person

・Tour date : please specify the date

・Chartered vehicle is utilized as per number of person.

   (1) less than 8 person

    　a chartered taxi is used with English speaking driver

    　English speaking driver assist the tour as tour guide and tour attendant

   (2) more than 9 person

　　a chartered bus is used with Japanese speaking driver

　　English speaking guide who also works as a tour attendant is accompanied

   　for assist the tour in the case of using a chartered bus

 

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Itinerary

8:00 Depart Fukuoka-city

Transfer to Nagasaki-city using Kyushu Expressway and Nagasaki highway, 2hours 

Exlore Unesco World Heritage sites and related sites in  Nagasaki-city

  Sotome area Hidden Christian Site  

  Urakami Cathedral 

  Lunch at Nagaaski Wharf

  Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan     

  Oura Cathedral  

Transfer to Fukuoka-cuty using Nagasaki Expressway and Kyushu Expressway, 2hours 

18:00 Arrive at  Fukuoka-city

 

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Where to visit

Sotome area Hidden Christian Site  / UNESCO World Heritage 

When he discovered the underground Christians, Petitjean realized that there were many

other Christians hiding in the Sotome region.

He appointed de Rotz as the parish priest of the Shitsu and Kurosaki districts.     

Shitsu Church

Former Shitsu Aid Centre

The Statue of Mary

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Urakami Cathedral

Originally constructed in 1895 as a brick Romanesque building, after a long-standing ban on

Christianity was lifted. When completed in 1914, it was the largest Catholic church in East Asia.

The atomic bomb dropped on August 9, 1945 explored in Urakami, only 500m from the

cathedral, which was completely destroyed. What remained of the cathedral is now on display 

in the Atomic Bomb Museum.

A replacement the Cathedral was built in 1959

Ruins of destroyed Urakami Cathedral are displayed

Ruins of destroyed Cathedral, displayed nearby Ground Zero

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Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan     

Nishizaka hill, the site of Martyrdom in 1597

The martyrs said that  ” All people, bless God ! ”

The 26 Japanese martyrs have  been canonized in 1862

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Oura Cathedral  / UNESCO World Heritage

Basilica of Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan.

Built in 1865 under the supervision of the French priest Bernard Petitjean.

It was designated as a National Treasure in 1933 for its value as Japan’s oldest Gothic-style

Cathedral.

Entrance gate of Oura Cathedral

Japan’s oldest Gothic-style Cathedral building

Statue of Mary, at entrance of Cathedral, installed in 1867

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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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UNESCO World Heritage / Onga River Pump Station

 

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.

This supply is integral to the steel production process and was necessary to cope with the 

1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.

 

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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 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

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General information 

Address	1-3-1 Dotenouchi, Nakana-city, Fukuoka-prefecture
Access	40 minutes by a vehicle from JR Kokura Station 60 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city

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Contact us

Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace

 

 

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Minami Kawachi-bashi bridge

 

Minami Kawachi-bashi bridge  

 

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 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

 

 

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Industrial Heritages in Kitakyushu

 

Kitakyushu-city  is the industrial innovation city where a lot of Japan’s Industries were born

and Japan’s industrial modernization has been achieved.

The city presents various Industrial Heritages including UNESCO World Herigate

of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution.

 

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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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Onga River Pump Station, UNESCO World Heritage

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.

This supply is integral to the steel production process and was necessary to cope with the 

1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.

 

Onga River

Onga River Pump Station

Water piping to the Steel Works

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Kawachi Reservoir 

The first-class civil construction heritage that triggered the registration of

World Cultural Heritage of Meiji Japan’s Industrial Revolution.

The Kawachi Reservoir was constructed for the industrial water supply to Yawata Steel Works. 

 

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Minami Kawachi-bashi bridge

This shape and colour really harmonize with nature and become a symbol of the Iron town Yahata.

 

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Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace

The Blast Furnace used to make the pig iron and was 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.

 

Indication of the year of Steel Works operation commencement

Proper of Blast furnace, Hot Stoves and Stack

Cast house floor, the pig iron is being discharged

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Dedicated railway for Yawata Steel Works 

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 Yahata side

Miyatayama tunnel Tobata side

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Kawachi Reservoir

 

The first-class civil construction heritage

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.

 

 Specification of the dam  

・completion year : 1927

・height : 43.1 metre 
・Width : 189 metre

In the construction of the dam, the unprecedented design in the world has been applied 

in order to harmonize with nature and to save the construction cost. The stones come

out from the mountain when the river was expanded have been utilized for construction

of the dam.

 

All stones are cut into sizes and shapes by the stone technicians  according to the

place of use.  The large size stone were used at the main construction of the dam

and the small size stones were used for other places as per size and shape.

Construction was started in 1919 and was completed in1927 by 900 thousand total

number of workers.

 

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Minami Kawachi-bashi bridge

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 Location of Kitakyushu-city

 

 

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Kitakyushu UNESCO World Heritage / Industrial Revolution

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

as Iron and Steel Industry.

Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining, are a grouping of historic sites

that played an important part in the industrialization of Japan in the Bakumatsu

and Meiji periods.

History of Industrial Revolution  

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

 

Japan’s Steel Industry Steel Works operation has commenced in 1901

Kawachi Reservoir Triggered the registration of World Cultural Heritage

Higashida No.1 Blast Furnace contributed to the development of the Japanese steel industry

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

section of Yawata Works which, for over a century, has consistently maintained a leading

role in the Japanese steel industry.

 

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World Heritage Sites  

First Head Office of the Steel Works 

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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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.

This supply is integral to the steel production process and was necessary to cope with the 

1st phase expansion of the Imperial Steel Works.

 

Onga River

Onga River Pump Station

Water piping to the Steel Works

 

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Steel-framed repair workshops

Built in 1900. It was used for the fabrication and assembly of a parts and the repair of machinery used at the Steel Works.  It is the oldest existing steel-structured building in Japan and, more than 100 years later, is still a repair shop. The facility houses its original travelling crane and it is still in use for maintenance work.

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Former Forge Shop

Built in 1900 using designs and steel products from the German steel manufacturer, the purpose of manufacturing forgings such as large scaled spanners, chisels, hammers and stands for machine mounting  needed for the construction of the steelworks.

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General information 

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Contact us  

Kagoshima travel guide

Sengan-en is the most famous garden in Kagoshima-ken, made by Shimazu lord in the 19th century

at the beautiful bayside Kinko bay. The garden contains many historic artifacts that tell of its long history.

Mount Sakurajima

Shimazu family residence

Suzumon gate

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Shoko Shuseikan Modern Industrial Complex   UNESCO World Heritage

The museum of the Classics located here exhibits a various of objests related to the Shimazu

family and the Satsuma domain, introducing a Shimazu family tree chart and many other

belongings. The stone buiding which houses the collection has been desighnated on the

UNESCO World Heritage,  Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution

Shoko Shuseikan

Reflectaance furnace

Base of Reflectaance furnace

 

Shiroyama Park

The park is most famous for its Shiroyama Observatory with spectacular views over downtown Kagoshima, Kagoshima Bay and Sakura-jima.

Shiroyama Park

Stand at the Observatory

View from the top

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View from Yoshino Park

Yunohira Observatory

Arimura Lava Observatory

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Sakura-jima Ferry

The Ferry connects Kagoshima-city and Sakurajima in 15 minutes and is operated for 24 hours.

Kagoshima Port

To Sakura-jima Island

Sakura-jima Port

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Cape Sata

The southernmost Cape of main land Japan at 31′ 00″ latitude. Cape Sata is home to many sub-tropical

flowers. Visitors may board a semi-submersible glass bottomed boat called the “Sata Day Go” to enjoy

coral reefs marine creatures and the underwater world.

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 Location of Kagoshima

　　

 

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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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