【Mojiko Retro and Shimonoseki, Two Tourist Attractions Located on the Kanmon Straits】

●Mojiko Retro District

Moji Port, located at the northernmost tip of Kyushu, opened in 1889 and was one of Japan’s leading international trading ports.
Mojiko flourished as a strategic point for sea and rail transportation in Kyushu, and Western buildings for shipping and trading companies were built one after another in Mojiko.
The Mojiko Retro District restored and reconstructed the appearance of those days. The Western buildings lining Mojiko overlooking the Kanmon Straits have been likened to the Bund in Shanghai.
Mojiko Station, which opened in 1914 as Mojiko Station (at that time), is designated as an important cultural property of Japan and is a symbolic building of the Mojiko district.

The former Moji Mitsui Club, a guesthouse where Einstein stayed, the former Kyushu Railway Headquarters, which was the starting point of the Kyushu railroad line, is now popular as the Kyushu Railway Museum, the former Osaka Merchant Marine, with its striking octagonal spire and orange tiles, and the former Moji Customs House are among the unique buildings in the area. It is a nostalgic sightseeing spot where visitors can feel the Japan of the Meiji and early Showa eras.
Located in the heart of the Mojiko district, the Premier Hotel Mojiko, a uniquely designed hotel by architectural master Aldo Rossi, boasts a majestic appearance while blending in with the atmosphere of Mojiko Port.
Shimonoseki, which stretches across the opposite shore of Mojiko, is another famous tourist destination.
It takes only five minutes by boat from Mojiko to Shimonoseki Karato. The two sightseeing towns across the Kanmon Straits make it easy to enjoy the combination of the Western Mojiko and the Japanese Shimonoseki.

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●Shimonoseki

Located at the westernmost tip of Honshu, Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture shares an economic zone with Kitakyushu City in Fukuoka Prefecture, the northernmost city on Kyushu Island, and has many tourist attractions.

In the Karato district on the opposite shore of Mojiko Port Retro, within walking distance are Karato Market, famous for its fresh seafood and sushi buffet, the Kaikyokan aquarium facing the straits, and Akama Jingu Shrine, famous for its brilliant Ryugu-zukuri style shrine overlooking Dannoura. The annual Sentei Festival held at Akama Jingu Shrine is a famous festival that attracts visitors from all over Japan.
Chofu, a 15-minute bus ride away, still retains its Edo period streetscape, with historical buildings such as the Mori Residence and Kozanji Temple.
Shimonoseki’s coastline is extremely beautiful, with natural formations such as Kakunoshima Island, famous for filming movies and TV dramas, and Yutani Bay, a beautiful sea where the sun sets. Ichinomata Onsen, famous for its beautiful skin, and hot springs are easily accessible from Kitakyushu.

The Kanmon Straits Fireworks Festival, held every year on August 13, is a rare fireworks display across the straits, and the 15,000 fireworks that are shot off from both the Moji and Shimonoseki sides of the straits against the Kanmon Bridge and the night view is a spectacular spectacle.