In my recent visit to Japan I had a chance to visit the Fukuoka region, and a quick fast train away is Kitakyushu, an old industrial city. Near a very large trading port, surrounded by mountains, one of the first things I did was – ofcourse – to catch a cable car to the top to get some panoramic views of the city, the coastline, and the back-mountains. It was a fun ride, and some gorgeous views. I then went to Kitakyushu town and based on a random Tripadvisor search decided to visit the Toto toilet museum, a wonderful specialty museum about the history of toilets and how the Japanese became obsessed with these things. I finally saw a bit of the old castle area and the main downtown canals.
A great daytrip from Fukuoka if you’re in the region.