A half-day tour of Kitakyushu Moji Port, visiting the old buildings with European style nostalgia

#MarchGoodPlaces2025 Visit Kyushu's external gateway "#Moji Port", which has a strategic position equivalent to Keelung Port. It has been opened for 120 years since the early Meiji period. In the Taisho era, it was called "Japan's Three Major Ports" together with Kobe and Yokohama. Mojiko is a very exotic place, and you can easily arrange a half-day tour, starting from the JR station and visiting several attractions around the port: #Kitakyushu City Former Moji Customs Built in 1912, it is a building left over from the prosperous period of trade and economy at that time. It is free to visit. There is a rest area and historical customs items on the first floor, photography works and an observation deck on the second floor, and a small attic observation deck on the third floor overlooking the Blue Wing Bridge. #Kitakyushu City Dalian Friendship Museum This beautiful German-style building imitates the building built by Russia in Dalian in 1902. It was built to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Dalian becoming a sister city. The museum is free to visit. The first floor is a library and a nostalgic cafe, and the second floor is the Mojikan Art and Crafts Research Institute. #BlueWingBridge Japan's only movable suspension bridge for pedestrians is about 108 meters long. The bridge deck can be opened and closed to allow ships to pass. It opens and closes six times a day with background music, and the scenery on the bridge is beautiful. Legend has it that after the suspension bridge is closed, couples who cross the river for the first time will get married, so it is regarded as a paradise for lovers. #Kitakyushu City Old Osaka Merchant Ship It was once the office building of Osaka Merchant Marine. The exterior of the building is decorated with red bricks and white lines, and the hexagonal dome presents an elegant Renaissance style. On the first floor, there is an art gallery and a cafe by Kitakyushu-born illustrator Masazo Watase, where people can visit and relax. #Former Moji Mitsui Club In the past, this was an inn specially built for Mitsui & Co. to receive guests. It was a European-style building, and even the interior was decorated in gorgeous European style. Einstein once stayed here for a week. The first floor is a restaurant, and the public area is free to visit. The second floor requires a fee of ¥150, and exhibits historical materials related to Einstein's stay.