Kitakyushu
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 August 2004, the city has an estimated population of 1,000,211 and the total area is 484.18 km². The average population density is thus 2,065.78 persons per km². The city's symbol flowers are the azalea (tsutsuji) and the sunflower (himawari). The symbol tree is the ichiigashi (a kind of Japanese beech).
Kitakyushu still suffers from the unfortunate image and reputation - both domestically and overseas - of an industrial and heavily polluted city with many smokestacks, which it indeed was back in the 1960s when it was a major engine of the Japanese economy. As a result some superficial guidebooks have described the city as "hideous", "ugly" etc. - but nowadays this is becoming more and more outdated, and it was in any case never the whole story. Kitakyushu is now one of the most advanced cities in Japan with regard to pollution control and recycling technology. The city also covers a vast area and there are many unspoilt and beautiful areas which have never been touched by industry, especially in the southern part.
Kitakyushu has an international conference centre and is very active in holding and hosting international conferences of various kinds.
A new offshore international airport is being built in the South of the city. It is presently scheduled for completion late in 2005 or early in 2006.
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.
There are several local festivals (matsuri) held in the summer in various parts of the city, including the beautiful Tobata Gion festival and the Wasshoi Hyakuman matsuri which brings all the festivals together for a grand parade and finale near the City Hall in Kokura.
Scenic spots
Hiraodai (平尾台) karst plateau and Mount Adachi （足立） in Kokura Minami ward; and Mount Sarakura (皿倉), and Kawachi (河内) reservoir in Yahata Higashi ward are all great walking areas with fine scenery.
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).
Nakama city was to become the eighth ward of Kitakyushu in 2005, to be called Nakama-ku, Kitakyushu. However, the planned merger was rejected on December 24, 2004 by Nakama city's councillors, despite having been initiated by Nakama city. The reason is that as part of the merger the 21 councillors would be reduced to just three in the enlarged Kitakyushu city.
Economy
Nippon Steel Corporation is still a major employer but the Yahata and Tobata plants are much reduced from the heyday of the 1960s. The Zenrin company known for its mapping and navigation software is based here, and so is TOTO, the Japanese toilet manufacturer.
The major department stores in Kokura Kita ward are Izutsuya by the Murosaki river and Isetan, near Kokura Station in the former Sogo department store building.
Riverwalk is the newest shopping centre in Kokura. It contains many shops, the Kitakyushu studios of NHK TV and the branch of the Kitakyushu city art museum. It is next to the castle and to Murosaki river which runs through the centre of Kokura Kita ward.
A smaller scale shopping centre called Cha Cha Town has been created by Nishitetsu bus company next to the Sunatsu bus depot in Kokura Kita ward.
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.
Trains
Kokura Station owned by JR Kyushu 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.
Mojiko Station is the northern terminus of the Kagoshima Main Line (J: Kagoshima honsen) which is the most important line on the JR Kyushu network.
Boats
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-Kitakyushu area, there are three commuter lines: Trans-Dokaiwan (Waka-To) Ferry, The Kanmon Straits Ferry, and The Kanmon Straits Liner.
Planes
A new 24-hour airport (Shin Kitakyushu Kuko) is scheduled to open in 2006. It will be much larger than the present Fukuoka Airport in Fukuoka city, and offshore on an artificial island in the Suo Nada gulf in the Seto Inland Sea, near Kanda town. It will be connected with Kokura station by a new fast rail link.
Bridges
There are several bridges in Kitakyushu and between the city and other places. The largest ones are the Kanmon Straits bridge (J: Kanmon Kyo) between Kitakyushu and Shimonoseki (on Kyushu and Honshu respectively) and the Waka-To O-hashi bridge linking Tobata and Wakamatsu wards. But there are also bridges over the Onga river (J: Onga-gawa) on the western border of the city.
See also
Universities:
- Kyushu Dental University
- Kyushu Institute of Technology
- Kyushu Kyoritsu University - Nakano Daisuke the gymnast who won an Olympic gold medal in Athens 2004 (team event) is a student here.
- Kyushu Womens' University (Kyushu Joshi Daigaku)
- The University of Environmental & Occupational Health
- The University of Kitakyushu etc.
Sister cities:
- Dalian, China
- Incheon, South Korea
- Norfolk, Virginia, USA
- Tacoma, Washington, USA.
External links
- Official website in Japanese
- Official website in English
- Kitakyushu Bridges - English language newsletter produced by Kitakyushu International Association
- Kitakyushu Kicks - an unofficial English language website about Kitakyushu
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