The Ultimate Plan to Fully Enjoy the City!

"Kokura Castle," a famous Japanese castle built in 1602, still stands in the center of Kitakyushu City. Take a relaxing walk in "Kokura Castle Japanese Garden" and "Yasaka Shrine," where you can feel the Japonesque atmosphere. You will not want to miss the nighttime light-up, when the white ramparts and splendid stone walls stand out in the dark!

At "Tanga Ichiba," also called "Kitchen of Kitakyushu City" with a history dating back more than 100 years, stand about 120 stores including fishmongers and greengrocers. Experience the vitality of the community at this old-fashioned market which is loved by the locals.

A specialty Japanese tea shop run in a traditional Japanese-style residence located in a quaint backstreet. In this fancy half-Japanese, half-Western shop, you can savor not only traditional Japanese tea and sweets, but also confections made from tea, Matcha beer, Matcha cocktails and etc. In the adjoining selling space you can find miscellaneous goods and tableware that are perfect for souvenirs, too.

Appreciate local dishes in the first shopping arcade in Japan! In this arcade with a length of about 400 meters, you will find rows of yaki-udon (stir-fried udon) restaurants and bakeries with customers making huge lines every day. Also popular are the Matcha sweets of "Tsujiri-chaya," an old tea store; you can take out some products such as Matcha soft serve and Matcha chiffon cake.

This museum was established in Kitakyushu City, home to numerous manga artists, to preserve Japanese manga culture. It offers the experience of "watching" exhibitions of writers and works related to Kitakyushu City, "reading" about 50,000 manga books, and "drawing" manga in hands-on classes, so you can spend the whole day immersed in the world of manga.

"Kokura Dazzle Street" is a facility where food stands proudly offers dishes made from local ingredients. In this non-restrictive establishment, you can enjoy unique dishes provided by food stands.