Omuta City's World Cultural Heritage Site "Miike Port" - Special opening of the Light Route (1/19~25 evening)

At Miike Port, a World Cultural Heritage Site facing the Ariake Sea in Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture, a natural phenomenon called the "Passage of Light" appears every year in January and November. To coincide with this, from Friday, January 19 to Thursday, January 25, 2024, the first quay, which is normally off-limits, will be specially opened to the public.

This "light route" appears at sunset as the setting sun extends in a straight line from the tip of the long passage to the center of the lock. Viewing time is 16:45~18:00, and sunset time is around 17:40.

During the period, in addition to the parking lot of the Miike Port Observatory near the first wharf, a special parking lot will be provided. It is also accessible by bicycle rental and taxi. Specialty sweets are sold on-site, but drinks are not served.

The person in charge of Omuta City explains, "In addition to the quay, which is open to the public, there is a permanent observatory, but the best spot for photography is the quay where there are no obstacles such as electric wires."

Miike Port is a component of the World Heritage Site "Heritage of the Industrial Revolution of Meiji Japan". In the Meiji era, it was built to dock large ships to ship coal mined from the Miike coal mine. Since it is located in the Ariake Sea, where the difference in tides is more than 5.5 meters, a lock-type sluice gate is used to block the Ariake Sea and the inside of the harbor to keep the water level constant, allowing large ships to dock even at low tide.