Kokura Castle and Its Garden

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Exploring the Area Around Kokura Castle

A little way from Kokura Station, I headed to Kokura Castle. Its main keep was reconstructed in 1959.

Behind it, I could see a shopping mall called Riverwalk Kitakyushu, and the contrast with the modern surroundings was striking.

When I actually went inside the castle, the interior felt very much like a commercial facility, and the top floor of the main keep is, surprisingly, a café. I thought it was quite rare to see a castle commit so fully to that direction.

Right next to the castle there was also a garden, so I went in there too, but some people were doing pre-wedding photo shoots, so I couldn’t walk around freely and felt a little disappointed.