Mojikō Retro: The Moji Port Heritage District in Kitakyūshū

The Blue Wing Moji pedestrian drawbridge is a popular spot for couples. Symbol of the Mojikō Retro District, it was completed in 1993.

The drawbridge, which operates six times a day, is a great spot for viewing Kanmon Bridge and the city of Shimonoseki across the strait.

The view from the Mojikō Retro Observation Deck at twilight. The former Moji Customs Office is in the foreground, and in the center is the Mojikō Hotel.

JR Mojikō Station, an important cultural property, was built in 1914.

The monument to banana no tataki uri, the sale of cut-price bananas, which is said to have originated at Moji Port. Moji did considerable trade with Taiwan, from which it imported bananas. Banana no tataki uri later developed into a kind of street performance by peddlers who would attract crowds with their spiels.

The oldest structure in the district is the former Kyūshū Railway head office building. Erected in 1891, it has been repurposed as the Kyūshū Railway History Museum.

Locomotives are on display at the museum, which opened in 2003.

The former Moji Customs Office dates from 1912. The Dalian Friendship Memorial is visible in the background to the left.

The former OSK Lines Building, built in 1917, features an elegant octagonal tower. The first floor of the building houses a gallery showing the works of Watase Seizō (b. 1945), a manga artist and illustrator who grew up in Kitakyūshū.

The former Dalian Sea Route Warehouse, erected in 1929, was the terminus for ships sailing between Moji and Dalian.

The Kaikyō Plaza is a commercial facility with restaurants, cafés, and souvenir shops. Mojikō Retro cruises also depart from here.

Yaki-karē, Mojikō’s signature dish, is a curry and rice gratin with a soft-boiled egg under the cheese topping.

Mojikō Retro High Mart is a high-rise apartment building designed by renowned Japanese architect Kurokawa Kishō (1934–2007). The topmost floor houses the Mojikō Retro Observation Deck.

The former Moji Mitsui Club, dating from 1921, hosted many luminaries, including Albert Einstein.

The Shiokaze trolley train is popular with visitors. The one-way fare is ¥300 for adults and ¥150 for children. One-day tickets are also available.

The Idemitsu Museum of Arts houses the collection of Idemitsu Sazō. Moji, formerly a major coal shipping port, later became the home of one of Japan’s leading petroleum companies.

Norfolk Square is a popular picture-taking site. In the background, gigantic ships transit the Kanmon Strait.

The Mekari Tide-viewing Promenade passes under the Kanmon Bridge. Across the water is Dannoura, site of a climactic twelfth-century battle, at Mimosusogawa in Shimonoseki.

A huge mural depicting the Battle of Dannoura, made of Aritaware ceramics, is near the Mekari Park No. 2 viewing platform.

The city of Shimonoseki lies beyond the Kanmon Bridge.

The night lights of Moji Port, viewed from the Mekari Park Second Observation Deck.