For this years vacation I flew out of Fukuoka airport so was able to spend the day exploring a bit of Kitakyushu before my flight. First I headed to an area I had not been to before, Yahata.
I wanted to see the Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art as it was designed by Arata Isozaki. Later I will do a complete post on it.
From the hill on which the museum is located there are great views over Yahata!!!
Yahata is dominated by a big amusement park, Spaceworld, built around the theme of space. Most visitors to Yahata will be heading there and it even has its own JR station.
Next to Spaceworld is the small Kitakyushu Environment Museum which focuses on the environmental problems created by the areas industrialization and the steps taken to combat pollution both locally and globally. The building itself utilizes various sustainable technologies and while the displays have no english information its worth a visit at 100yen.
Next door is the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History and Human History which was surprisingly good and large. The main hall has dozens of dinosaur skeletons and there are some quite good historical displays too.
The first steel works in japan were built in Kitakyushu and the first blast furnace, opened in 1901, has been preserved as an open air museum. Its located right next to Spaceworld station.
great shot of the mitsubishi chemical plant!! ;)
ReplyDeletei visit yahata a lot now that the new AEON is there (next door to space world). my kids love the dinosaur museum, but now only want to go to be frightened by the moving dinos. silly kids.
and before you think i'm completely materialistic, i go to the AEON a lot because it's weather controlled and about halfway between a good friend and me so we meet there a lot just to hang out and speak english with one another!
Hi illahee..... if you worry about what I may think about you then maybe youve been in Japan too long :)
ReplyDeletei agree with that statement!! lol
ReplyDelete