Kokura Kita-ku, Kitakyushu
Encyclopedia
is a ward
of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka
, Japan
. It is the north part of what used to be Kokura
City before the merger of five cities to create the new city of Kitakyūshū in 1963. JR Kyūshū's Kokura Station
is the main rail hub of Kitakyūshū, and the Sanyo Shinkansen
stops there.
Population: 184,545 persons (2000 - national census)
Area: 39.27 km²
.
The two main department stores are Colet (next to Kokura Station) and Izutsuya (next to the Murasaki River and opposite Riverwalk Kitakyūshū
). The Tanga Market is a traditional open-air market where fresh fish, meat and vegetables are the main produce for sale.
Headquarters of companies include
(built by the Hosokawa family in 1602) and the Riverwalk Kitakyūshū shopping complex
(completed in 2003) are about a ten-minute walk from JR Kokura Station. So also is the house once inhabited by Mori Ōgai
when he was a doctor to the Kokura garrison and wrote Kokura Nikki ("Kokura Diary").
The Kitakyūshū Monorail
terminus is in Kokura Station and serves the commuters and residents living in Kokurakita and Kokuraminami Wards.
yakuza
syndicate is headquartered in Kokurakita. A designated yakuza group, the Kudo-kai is the largest yakuza syndicate in the Kitakyushu area.
Wards of Japan
A is a subdivision of one of the cities of Japan that is large enough to have been designated by government ordinance. Wards are used to subdivide each city designated by government ordinance...
of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. It is the north part of what used to be Kokura
Kokura
is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyūshū, Japan, guarding, via its suburb Moji, the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshū and Kyūshū. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound Sanyo Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR Kyūshū and an important part of the...
City before the merger of five cities to create the new city of Kitakyūshū in 1963. JR Kyūshū's Kokura Station
Kokura Station
in Kokura Kita ward is the main railway station in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is part of the JR Kyushu network and the Sanyo Shinkansen stops here. It is the second largest station in Kyūshū with 120,000 users daily...
is the main rail hub of Kitakyūshū, and the Sanyo Shinkansen
Sanyō Shinkansen
The is a line of the Japanese Shinkansen high-speed rail network, connecting Shin-Ōsaka in Osaka with Hakata Station in Fukuoka, the two largest cities in western Japan...
stops there.
Population: 184,545 persons (2000 - national census)
Area: 39.27 km²
Industry & Commerce
The largest commercial and shopping areas of Kitakyūshū, mainly in Uomachi (魚町 "fish town"), are clustered around Kokura StationKokura Station
in Kokura Kita ward is the main railway station in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is part of the JR Kyushu network and the Sanyo Shinkansen stops here. It is the second largest station in Kyūshū with 120,000 users daily...
.
The two main department stores are Colet (next to Kokura Station) and Izutsuya (next to the Murasaki River and opposite Riverwalk Kitakyūshū
Riverwalk Kitakyushu
is a prestigious shopping centre near the Murasaki river and Kokura Castle in Kokura Kita ward, Kitakyushu, Japan. It was opened as part of the Kitakyushu Renaissance policy on April 19, 2003 and includes theatres, restaurants, a multiplex cinema, NHK studios, the head offices of Zenrin Co...
). The Tanga Market is a traditional open-air market where fresh fish, meat and vegetables are the main produce for sale.
Headquarters of companies include
- TOTOTOTO (company)was founded in 1917. It is a company based in Kitakyushu, Japan. It is the world's largest toilet manufacturer.The name "TOTO" is an abbreviation of the two Japanese words forming its full name, . The company invented and patented the Washlet. Plants outside Japan are:*Beijing Toto, China*Taiwan...
Ltd. - south of Riverwalk - ZenrinZenrinZenrin Co. Ltd. is a Japanese map publisher. Founded in 1948, the company is known as a maker of residential maps and software used in personal computers and Automotive navigation systems...
- in Riverwalk - Asahi Shinbun (West area) - in Riverwalk
- The head office of StarFlyerStarFlyeris a Japanese airline headquartered on the grounds of Kitakyushu Airport in Kokuraminami-ku, Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture. It is modeled after JetBlue Airways as a "low-cost, high-quality" carrier aimed at business and leisure travelers. The airline began operations on March 16, 2006 and is one...
Inc. was in the Shin Kokura Building in Kome-machi. In 2010 the airline announced that the headquarters will move to Kitakyushu Airport.
Tourism
Kokura CastleKokura Castle
in Kitakyushu, Japan was built by Hosokawa Tadaoki in 1602. It was the property of the Ogasawara clan between 1632 and 1860. The castle was burnt down in 1865 in the war between the Kokura and Chōshū clans....
(built by the Hosokawa family in 1602) and the Riverwalk Kitakyūshū shopping complex
Riverwalk Kitakyushu
is a prestigious shopping centre near the Murasaki river and Kokura Castle in Kokura Kita ward, Kitakyushu, Japan. It was opened as part of the Kitakyushu Renaissance policy on April 19, 2003 and includes theatres, restaurants, a multiplex cinema, NHK studios, the head offices of Zenrin Co...
(completed in 2003) are about a ten-minute walk from JR Kokura Station. So also is the house once inhabited by Mori Ōgai
Mori Ogai
was a Japanese physician, translator, novelist and poet. is considered his major work.- Early life :Mori was born as Mori Rintarō in Tsuwano, Iwami province . His family were hereditary physicians to the daimyō of the Tsuwano Domain...
when he was a doctor to the Kokura garrison and wrote Kokura Nikki ("Kokura Diary").
The Kitakyūshū Monorail
Kitakyushu monorail
The Kitakyushu monorail is a monorail in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka, Japan, run by the Kitakyushu Urban Monorail Co. Ltd. ....
terminus is in Kokura Station and serves the commuters and residents living in Kokurakita and Kokuraminami Wards.
Crime and safety
The Kudo-kaiKudo-kai
The is a yakuza group headquartered in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka on the Kyushu island of Japan, with an estimated 690 active members. refers to the Kudo-kai as an affiliate of the Yamaguchi-gumi, but that is false...
yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
syndicate is headquartered in Kokurakita. A designated yakuza group, the Kudo-kai is the largest yakuza syndicate in the Kitakyushu area.
External links
- Kokura Kita Ward Office - official site in Japanese
- Matsumoto Seicho Memorial Museum - near Kokura castle
- Riverwalk Kitakyushu (Japanese)
- Uomachi Shopping Arcade (Japanese, some English)