Kitakyushu

We were all awake by 6:30 am but had no need to hurry. A little after 7 am I went down to collect our coffee and croissants. When I returned I used Google translate to read the instructions and then prepared and ate my noodles. Lucas did likewise with his. Majella had her yoghurt and strawberries.

By 8:30 am Majella was keen to move so we walked out to Watanabedori-dori and caught the subway to Hakata. I had planned to take the 9:23 am Shinkansen to Kokura so we had ample time to get up to the station and find our platform. Since we had not reserved seats it would not hurt to be early in line.

We waited behind two young women and Majella spent a good portion of her wait time admiring their fashionable clothes and accessories. In the 15 minutes or so we were on the platform several Shinkansen came and went. Our Shinkansen arrived already quite full and we had a moment of concern about seats but most of the passengers disembarked and we easily found three seats together.

At Kokura station we followed signs toward the monorail. Along the way we checked balances on our IC cards and topped up where necessary. There was a street piano in the foyer area but a young girl was playing so we left it for a possible later activity.

I had planned our monorail ride and knew which station we needed but was misled by a bus route on Maps. We got off, hesitated, got back on and went one station too far. No matter, we got off, went down, went up the other side, and rode back to our station.

A short walk from the station brought us to the TOTO Museum, the destination that had sparked our interest in travel to this area of Japan. From her first visit in 1995 Majella has been fascinated by Japanese toilets with their clever design features. The TOTO Museum was a chance to see and learn more.

The museum building had a showroom of current products downstairs and exhibition space upstairs. In the showroom we quickly discovered that TOTO does more than toilets. There were complete bathrooms and kitchens on display and other homewares. They were all very modern and cleverly designed.

Upstairs we were greeted by staff and issued a plan and audio commentary device with a pen tip that selected commentary accord to exhibit number. There were multiple spaces showing the history of the company with its multiple divisions including Noritake and other fine ceramics along with the history of toilets and ideas for future development. All were illustrated with examples. Among our favourites was the motorcycle powered by biogas. Obviously we had to try the toilet facilities and Majella gave them an excellent review. When I was planning our itinerary for today I mentioned to Majella that I was allowing 90 minutes for the TOTO Museum and she doubted it could take that long. It took almost exactly that and we could easily have spent more time getting deeper into the material.

From TOTO we walked along the riverside toward the city and Kokura Castle, intending to find lunch on the way. Soon after we crossed the river we spotted Le Pont de Fer. True to its name it offered French cuisine though the menu was mostly in Japanese. Lucas had steak and fries with ginger ale. Majella and I had prawns with salad and mayonnaise in a section of baguette with excellent coffees.

After lunch we walked on through a park to Kokura Castle where we bought tickets for the castle and garden. The original castle was burned in 1866 but a rebuilt version opened in 1959. The exhibits offered insights into history and lifestyle through the period from about 1600. They extended over all four levels which required a lot of steps going up. We took the lift down. As well as ample information the museum offered opportunities to engage in playful activities and Lucas availed himself of those.

The garden was disappointing. Some parts were closed off and there was just one fish in the murky pond. There were cherry trees but they were mostly done with blooming, though the azaleas were going strong. We strolled around and then exited for a final look at the castle area before walking to our next destination.

We had gone only a few metres when Majella spotted a store advertising gelato. The deal was 2 flavours in a small cup. We sat in the store to enjoy them and left refreshed.

Soon after we had crossed the river heading to our next destination Maps directed us down a narrow street lined by shopfronts with neatly dressed men standing in front. When I first saw the sign for Lady Mart I thought of clothing but soon realised it was something different. Lucas was surprised to find himself walking through what he called the ‘hood.

After a little more walking we reached our destination, the Kitakyushu Manga Museum. It was on the 6th floor of a building that seemed dedicated to stores selling associated cultural goods. The museum was extensive. It told the story of Manga over the decades with many examples and explanations which unfortunately were almost entirely in Japanese and lost on us. Nevertheless, Lucas enjoyed it and spent time wandering among the shelves in the large library of publications.

We had taken the elevator direct to the 6th floor but went down on the escalators stopping at a couple of shops on the way. One, Mandarake, engaged Lucas’ attention for a long time. We eventually waited outside until he appeared with a bag of gifts he had bought. Shopping done we headed for the station.

There was one thing more before we could leave Kokura. We found our way back to the street piano that had been in use this morning. It was available so Lucas spent a few minutes playing, causing some passers-by to pause and listen for a while.

Although we hadn’t reserved our Shinkansen seats my plan for the day did include a 3:43 pm train as a possibility. That time had passed as we reached the station and the next available was at 4:34 pm so once Lucas had played piano we headed for the platform intending to be at the head of the queue for non-reserved seats. Our platform was mostly empty and there were seats near a queue point. We sat until the first people began to queue and then stood in line at the head of one of the marked queue spaces. That strategy paid off as by the time our Shinkansen arrived there were long queues at all points.

The 60+ km ride back to Hakata took only 17 mins. We disembarked, descended to the subway, and rode to Watanabe-dori. A quick stop at the Fresh Food Market got us a simple dinner of fried chicken for Lucas and sushi for Majella and me. We also picked up supplies for our breakfast. We were relaxing in our hotel room by 5:30 pm.