Idyllic scenery, sometimes overwhelming scenery touring! 5 areas in Kyotsuki and Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture

Recommended Touring Spots in 7 Prefectures in Kyushu

Hello, I am Tetsuma Photographer, a photographer who loves traveling in Kyushu! Using the know-how I've gained through my coverage activities for touring magazines since 2017, I'll be introducing selected recommended touring spots in the Kyushu area from the viewpoint of Tetsuma Photographer. In this 28th installment, we will take you on a journey through time, from wartime bunkers to modern-day fighter planes to the history of coal that supported the Meiji and Taisho eras.

1. Inado No. 1 Bunker," one of the largest bunkers in Japan, which bears the memory of the Chikuki Naval Air Force.

Built to house the large "Ginga" land bombers, the bunker is extremely large at approximately 5.4 meters high and 26.8 meters wide, making it one of the most powerful bunkers still in existence. While many bunkers were destroyed after the war, this one was used as a warehouse, and its original shape remains very beautiful.

You cannot go inside, but when you get up close, you will be overwhelmed by the size of the building!

The brick wall, which bears the scars of machine gun fire at the end of the war, has been relocated to the site.

Fresh bullet holes. Valuable war remains.

2. Real fighter planes welcome you! Even adults will be thrilled by the "Forest of Metase"!

This is a rare spot in Japan where "healing nature" and "powerful fighter planes" coexist. The rows of metasequoia trees that give the park its name are famous as a photo spot, not only in the season of fresh greenery, but also in the extremely beautiful brick-red autumn leaves around the end of November.

The F-4EJ Kai (Phantom) and T-33A (training plane), which were actually used by the Air Self-Defense Force, are on display in the vast lawn area, allowing visitors to experience their power up close

3. The Skyline, a pleasant road with no traffic lights, runs through the four seasons! Kyochiku Agri-Line

The Kyochiku Agri-Line is a wide-area farm road that runs parallel to the mountain side (south side) of National Route 10 from Miyako Town to Koge Town in Fukuoka Prefecture. With very few traffic lights, ups and downs, and gentle curves, it is known among riders as an "easy-to-ride road with spectacular scenery.

It stretches long from north to south through Miyako Town, Gyobashi City, Chikue Town, Buzen City, and Jomo Town, and serves as a bypass to avoid traffic congestion on National Route 10.

4. Even if you have no use for it, you may want to stop by. Roadside Station Oto Sakura Kaido" with the most luxurious restroom in Japan

One of the largest roadside stations in western Japan, "Michi no Eki Oto Sakura Kaido" opened in 2010 under the concept of "a roadside station where families can enjoy themselves all day long" in the center of Oto Town, located in the middle of the tourist route connecting Kitakyushu to Oita and Kumamoto. What a surprise, the "Yuubi Toilet" built at a total cost of approximately 100 million yen at this roadside station is so luxurious that it overturns the concept of a toilet!

This is a very satisfying roadside station where you can be amazed by the luxurious restrooms, be healed by the hot springs, and enjoy the illumination at night.

5. The huge "double chimneys" and "shaft turrets" that supported the modernization of the Meiji era! Tagawa City Coal History Museum

This museum is located in Tagawa City, the center of the Chikuho Coal Field, which once flourished as one of the largest coal mines in Japan.

The two 45.45-meter-high chimneys, whose presence is enhanced by the song "Because the chimneys are too high~" in the coal miners' song.

On the site is the massive Ita Tatekogura (Ita Shaft Yagura), which was used to lower the elevator down into the deep underground. Built with imported British steel, it was the crystallization of the most advanced technology of its time.

The museum recreates the coal mine dwellings of the workers, known as "nagaya," and even displays chabudai (tea table) and household utensils. Visitors can enjoy a peek into the life of a family at that time.

Idyllic scenery, sometimes overwhelming scenery touring! Fukuoka, Kyotsuki and Tagawa area, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan 5 To Gallery (9)