Kokura: Kokura Castle and Tanga Market – Kitakyushu's Kitchen Food Walk

A complete walking course to experience the castle town of Kokura in Kitakyushu. Start in the morning at Kokura Castle, built by Hosokawa Tadaoki. Climb the karazukuri-style castle keep with its distinctive protruding top floor, and you'll see Kokura's streets and Murasakigawa River spread before you. After a quiet garden stroll through Kokura Castle Garden, where the castle stands as borrowed scenery from the study, head to Tanga Market. In this retro arcade called "Kitakyushu's Kitchen," enjoy a food-walk lunch featuring the specialty nukamiso-daki and daigaku-don. In the afternoon, tour the free TOTO Museum to trace the evolution of water-related innovations, then wrap up with cafés and shopping at colorful Riveralk Kitakyushu on the riverbank. A full day in Kokura, packed with history, cuisine, and discovery.