Kokura Castle Japanese Garden

Built in 1602 by feudal lord Hosokawa Tadaoki, Kokura Castle is architecturally unusual: its walls flare outward rather than curving inward, a style unique among Japanese castles. The current reconstruction dates to 1959 and houses history exhibits on the Kokura Domain. The surrounding Katsuyama Park provides seasonal gardens, and the adjacent Kokura Castle Japanese Garden has a strolling pond and a ceremonial tea house where you can sit with a bowl of matcha. The castle is a short walk from Kokura Station, the main Shinkansen stop for northern Kyushu.