Mojiko Retro
門司港レトロ
A port town at Kyushu's northern tip on the Kanmon Strait, lined with Western-style buildings from its trading heyday, with Shimonoseki across the water.
A former international trading port
Moji Port (Mojiko) is a port in Moji Ward, Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture. It sits at the northernmost point of Kyushu, facing Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture on Honshu across the Kanmon Strait right in front of it.
From the Meiji era to the early Showa era, Moji Port flourished as one of Japan's leading ports. Ships bound for places such as Dalian in China and Taiwan sailed from here. Buildings from that time still stand around the port, and the area has become a sightseeing district called Mojiko Retro.
Touring the historic buildings
The gateway to the area, the JR Mojiko Station building, is a wooden structure built in 1914. It was the first station in Japan to be designated a national Important Cultural Property, and after six years of conservation work it was restored to its Taisho-era (1912 to 1926) appearance in March 2019. Only two working station buildings are Important Cultural Properties: Mojiko Station and the Marunouchi building of Tokyo Station.
In front of the station is the Former Moji Mitsui Club, built in 1921 as a social club for the trading company Mitsui & Co. It is known for having hosted the physicist Albert Einstein in 1922, and there is a memorial room inside. The red-brick Former Moji Customs House dates from 1912 and is now used as a rest area, cafe and gallery, with a viewing space overlooking the Kanmon Strait. You can stroll around comparing buildings such as the Former Osaka Shosen building (1917), which stands out with its octagonal tower and orange tiles, and the Art Deco Former Dalian Route Terminal, completed in 1929.
Strait views and baked curry
Across part of the harbour runs the Blue Wing Moji, a 108m pedestrian drawbridge. It lifts at set times to let ships through. From the 103m-high Mojiko Retro Observation Room you can look out over the port town, the Kanmon Strait and Shimonoseki on the opposite shore.
Moji Port's signature dish is yaki-kare, baked curry: curry and rice topped with cheese and other toppings and baked in the oven. You can try it at about 20 restaurants in the area. Sightseeing boats of about 20 minutes also leave from the port.
Getting there
Take the train from JR Kokura Station to JR Mojiko Station. The Mojiko Retro area starts right in front of the station. Under the Kanmon Strait runs the Kanmon Tunnel, with a pedestrian walkway you can cross on foot, so you can combine your visit with sightseeing in Shimonoseki on the other side.
Tips
- The Blue Wing Moji lifts at set times. If you want to see it, check the times on the signs on site or on the official website before you head there.
- The Mojiko Retro Observation Room has also been chosen as a Japan Night View Heritage site. Go up in the evening or at night to enjoy the lights of the port and the strait.
- Parts of the platforms and the building at Mojiko Station still show what it looked like in the Taisho era. If you arrive by train, take a look around inside the station before heading straight out.
Sources
Updated 29 September 2026. Opening hours and prices change, so check the official site before you go.
