A relaxing countryside journey filled with horses, local flavors, and friendly animals

Animal Encounters in the Peaceful Hibikinada Area

If you’re planning a trip to Japan and want to discover a slower, more heartwarming side of Kitakyushu, this model course is for you.
In the tranquil Hibikinada area of Wakamatsu, enjoy gentle animal encounters, local gourmet treats, and wide-open green spaces. From horseback experiences to meeting kangaroos, this easygoing half-day drive is perfect for families, couples, and anyone seeking a peaceful escape.

Duration : 3 hours

Transportation : Car

📍Places to visit on this course

  1. IYOTA Horse Club

  2. IYOTA Horse Club

  3. Kitakyushu Hibikinada Green Park(Green Park & Hibiki Animal World)

🚩START!

Kyushu Expressway Kurate IC

By car (35 minutes)

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1. IYOTA Horse Club

🐎 Friendly Horses Await! Feeding & Guided Riding Experience

This welcoming horse riding club is home to nine gentle and well-trained horses.
Despite their large size, the horses have calm and friendly personalities, making it easy for both children and adults to feel comfortable around them—even on a first visit.

For experienced riders, outdoor riding experiences are also available, including beach riding along nearby Iwaya Coast, where you can enjoy the sea breeze while on horseback.

📍 Basic Info

Pick Up!

60-Minute Experience Plan to Become Friends with a Horse

A beginner-friendly plan suitable even for lower elementary school children.
Participants can feed the horses and enjoy guided riding with an instructor by their side.

  • Feeding & interaction: ¥1,100

  • Feeding + guided horse walking: ¥2,750

  • Limited to 5 groups per day on weekends

  • Reservation required

By car (15 minutes)

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2. Sushi Restaurant Mitsumoto

🍣 A Hearty Seafood Bowl with a Kanmon Strait View

Bowl of assorted sashimi with raw fish, shrimp, roe, sea urchin, and vegetables. A cup of yellow-green soup with a leaf decoration, a black bowl, and a decorative red and gold object are also visible.

This sushi restaurant serves fresh seafood personally selected by the owner at Kokura’s market. Enjoy local specialties such as Kanmon conger eel, octopus, and even pufferfish at reasonable prices.

The popular Special Seafood Bowl features 12–13 kinds of toppings. First, enjoy it with dashi soy sauce, then add the onsen egg included in the set for a second, richer flavor experience.

📍 Basic Info

Immediately

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3. Former Osaka Shosen Mercantile Steamship Co. Building

🎨 Mojiko Scenes Painted by the “Traveler of Color”

A historic building with a tower and large arched windows, featuring brick and stone accents, situated on a city street with a mountain in the background under a clear blue sky.

Built during the Taisho era, when ships departed from Mojiko to destinations around the world, this historic building once served as the Mojiko branch of Osaka Shosen Shipping Company.

On the first floor, you’ll find a gallery dedicated to works by Seizo Watase, a Mojiko-born manga artist and illustrator known as the “Traveler of Color.” Exhibitions change twice a year, so each visit offers something new — many works depict Mojiko itself.

📍 Basic Info

By car (2 minutes)

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4. Former Dalian Shipping Line Terminal

🎬 Step into a Retro Movie World of Art Deco Design

A white, multi-story building with large green-framed windows and tall columns, situated under a bright blue sky with some clouds. There is a pedestrian walkway with a strip of grass and a few benches along the sidewalk.

Designed by Yoshikuni Okuma, the architect behind Japan’s National Diet Building, this Art Deco–style structure once served as Mojiko’s international ferry terminal.

Today, it functions as a multipurpose event space. On the first floor, the Matsunaga Bunko Film Archive displays over 12,000 movie-related items collected after World War II. Film lovers will be especially impressed by this rare and valuable collection.

📍 Basic Info

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By car (10 minutes)

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Kyushu Expressway Moji IC

🏁GOAL!

  • A bowl of udon noodle soup topped with green onions, tempura, beef, and a fish cake, served alongside onigiri rice balls wrapped in seaweed.
  • Display of packaged cookies with labels that feature a cartoon character holding a leaf, on a wooden surface.
  • A modern building with glass doors and windows, decorated with flags and signs, including a cartoon tiger mascot wearing a white hat and cape, outdoors on a sunny day with trees in the background.
  • A historical brick building with large windows and a tower, located on a city street under a clear blue sky.