Kokura and the Last Fortress of Japanese Spirit

Will Kitakyushu Become a Signpost for Japan’s Future?

Today I am once again moving between Kokura and Moji Port in Kitakyushu. Although I had passed through the area several times by car, this was my first time actually walking through the city itself. Kokura, which has now been merged into Kitakyushu City, feels like one of the few remaining places in Japan that still barely preserves traces of old Japan, which have all but disappeared elsewhere. In fact, heading about an hour west from here brings you to Hakata, Kyushu’s largest city. But when compared to the various cities I have visited across Japan, Hakata, while compact, gives the impression of being overly crowded, whereas Kokura feels even more compact, with very few high-rise buildings, and the population size seems to settle into what could be called “just right,” creating an atmosphere very different from other regions.