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Scenically beautiful Kitakyushu has no shortage of tourist spots. Moji, northeast of the city, for example, has flourished as a trading port since the beginning of the 20th century. It has many historical structures and is noted for the beauty of its scenery, a blend of mountains and sea. The wooden railway station building erected in 1914 has been designated an Important National Asset and is still in use. The brick tax office built around the same time is open to the public as a museum. There is a policy of both preservation and restoration that ensures the visitor can enjoy the atmosphere of an old harbor town.
As part of a project to further develop the historical nature of the city, the Japan Expo 2001 Kitakyushu will be staged for 4 months starting in July. The event has a visitor target of 2 million people and will have two main exhibits: the Environment and Technology Pavilion, designed to stimulate thinking about the future of the Earth, and the Asian Exchange Village, designed to promote exchange with the peoples and municipalities of the rest of Asia. The city of Kitakyushu is already working with 8 major cities in China and Korea in the forum of the East Asia (Pan Yellow Sea) City Conference, but it is hoped that the Expo will be an opportunity to further deepen links with the rest of Asia in general. The first thing the many visitors to the event will see on entering through the main 2001 Gate will be a stunning flower monument. Sumitomo Metals (Kokura) will be taking a major role in arranging the feature. |
