Steel needs water, a great deal of it, and in the early twentieth century the new Imperial Steel Works at Yawata in northern Kyushu needed more than the local streams could provide. The answer was this pumping station on the Onga river at Nakama, built in 1910, which drew water from the river and sent it through pipelines to the steel works. Remarkably, it is still in operation more than a century later. The red brick building with its tall windows is part of the UNESCO listing of Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution, alongside shipyards, coal mines and iron works that tell the story of Japan's dramatic transformation into an industrial power.
The pumping station sits in a quiet riverside setting, with the brick building against green banks and the wide Onga river flowing slowly toward the sea. Visitors can see it from an observation area across the river; it is a working facility, so access is restricted. The building's style, with its Western-inspired design, shows how Japanese engineers absorbed and adapted technology from Europe.
The Onga valley runs through the old Chikuho coalfield, which supplied fuel to the steel works and was one of Japan's most important mining regions until the mines closed in the second half of the twentieth century. In nearby Tagawa, the paintings of coal miner Yamamoto Sakubei, depicting life underground, are recognised on UNESCO's Memory of the World register. The region is now quieter, with towns, rice fields and low wooded hills.
Riding in Japan means driving on the left, strict speed limits and courteous, orderly traffic. Roads in this area are mostly urban and suburban, with traffic lights, convenience stores and petrol stations everywhere. Expressways are fast but tolled. For more interesting riding, head for the hills of the Kitakyushu Quasi-National Park or the coast of the Genkai Sea to the north.
Nakama has plenty of fuel, food and convenience stores, and Kitakyushu, the big city nearby, has everything. Try local ramen with rich pork broth, a Kyushu specialty, or a bowl of udon in a small shop. Come in spring for cherry blossom along the river, or autumn for clear skies and comfortable temperatures. Summers are hot and humid, with typhoons possible. A brick pumping station may not sound like a highlight, but this one is a living piece of the industrial age.