Sarakurayama Observatory

It's an observatory from which you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Kitakyushu city area. To reach the observatory at the summit of the 622-meter-high mountain, visitors take a cable car and a slope car. The cable car is one of the longest in western Japan, stretching 1,100 meters from Sanroku Station to Sanjo Station and covering an elevation difference of 440 meters. Visitors can enjoy the magnificent view from the car's all-glass windows, which changes depending on the time of day.

The night view of Kitakyushu City from below the observatory has been named one of "Japan's New Three Most Spectacular Night Views," along with Nagasaki and Sapporo. The night view from Mt. Sarakura is called the "10 billion dollar night view" and has been selected as one of the "New Three Major Night Views of Japan" and the "Lover's Sanctuary. The entire city of Kitakyushu, a city of one million people, including the entire Dokai Bay area, including Wakato Bridge, and from Kokura to the Kanmon Straits, can be seen from the observatory. Visitors can enjoy a meal at the observatory's restaurant while admiring the 200-degree panoramic view.

There are also mountain hiking routes, so many people enjoy hiking the mountain casually. The "Kisai-no-mori Course" is the most popular of the eight trails. The course requires good stamina because it begins with an uphill trail right from the start, but hikers can enjoy the seasonal scenery during the approximately 90-minute hike.