Old and new architecture, RiverWalk mall and Kokura Castle face to face

The modern Kitakyushu city was founded in 1963, uniting five cities around Kokura, the old castle town established around the castle built by the Hosokawa clan at the beginning of the 17th century. Destroyed in 1866, the Kokura Castle was rebuilt in 1959 and was restored in the 1990s, together with the nearby garden.

The ultra-modern shopping mall RiverWalk Kitakyushu was built in 2003, right across the river from the Kokura Castle. Seen together, from the bridge crossing the river, they create one of the most beautiful old and new combinations of architectural styles...