Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Kitakyūshū (北九州市; -shi), literally "north Kyushu", is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. The city is a major part of the Kanmon-Kitakyushu metropolitan area, and the area is becoming increasingly integrated with the Fukuoka metropolitan area.
As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 1,004,079 and a density of 2,073.47 persons per km². The total area is 484.25 km².
Kitakyushu has the image of an industrial and polluted city, which it was in the 1960s - but nowadays it is one of the most advanced in Japan with regard to pollution control and recycling technology.
History
The city was founded on February 10, 1963 and was designated on September 1, 1963 by government ordinance. It resulted from the amalgamation of five urban centres, Moji, Kokura, Tobata, Yahata and Wakamatsu, centred around the ancient feudal city of Kokura.
Culture
The writer Matsumoto Seicho's birthplace was in Kokura. A museum dedicated to him is located in the city centre.
The novelist Mori Ogai lived here for several years and his house is open to the public in Kokura. He wrote Kokura Nikki (Kokura diary) here.
The writer Hino Ashihei was born in Wakamatsu ward and his birthplace can be visited.
Scenic spots
Hiraodai (平尾台) karst plateau, Mount Sarakura (皿倉), Kawachi (河内) reservoir
Wards （区）
Kokura Kita (小倉北), Kokura Minami (小倉南), Moji (門司), Tobata (戸畑), Yahata Higashi (八幡東), Yahata Nishi (八幡西), Wakamatsu (若松).
Economy
Nippon Steel is still a major employer but the Yahata and Tobata plants are much reduced from the heyday of the 1960s.
Transportation
Located at a strategic position on the south side of the Kanmon Straits, Kitakyushu is an important transport hub for traffic between Honshu and Kyushu and has a large port.
Kokura Station is the penultimate stop on the Sanyo Shinkansen and all Shinkansen services stop here. It is also served by local and express trains on the Kagoshima and the Nippo main lines. Within the city transport is provided by buses and a monorail line.
Kitakyushu is the largest ferry port in Western Japan. Ferry services operate between Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki, Matsuyama, Tokushima, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Ulsan (Korea), Busan (Korea) and city's isolated islands.
Within the Kanmon-Kitakyusyu area, there are three commuter lines: Trans-Dokaiwan Ferry, The Kanmon Straits Ferry, and The Kanmon Straits Liner.
A new 24-hour airport is scheduled to open in 2005 which will be much larger than the present Fukuoka city airport and offshore on an artificial island.
Miscellaneous
Sister cities include Dalian, China, Incheon, South Korea and Norfolk, Virginia, Tacoma, Washington, USA.
External links
- Official website (http://www.city.kitakyushu.jp/) in Japanese
- Official website (http://www.city.kitakyushu.jp/~english/) in English
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ja:北九州市