Kitakyushu_

Japan's Kitakyushu fuses steel-mill heritage with reinvented waterfronts, where Mojiko Retro's Taisho-era buildings house trendy cafes overlooking the Kanmon Strait. Remote workers score high-speed internet and shinkansen access to Fukuoka, enjoying mild winters and hot springs nearby. Night markets sizzle with yatai stalls for after-hours unwinding.

As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu, after the city of Fukuoka. Sited at the northern tip of Kyushu, Kitakyushu was formed in 1963 from a merger of municipalities centered on the historic city of Kokura, and its name literally means "North Kyushu". It is located on the Kanmon Straits, separating the island from Honshu, across from the city of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Kitakyushu's Urban Employment Area forms part of the Fukuoka-Kitakyushu Greater Metropolitan Region, which, with a population of 5,738,977 (2005–2006), is the largest metropolitan area in Japan west of the Keihanshin region. The city is known as one of Japan's foremost industrial areas, centred on the historic Yahata Steel Works, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.