Former Karatsu Bank — Attraction in Karatsu

Visiting the old Karatsu Bank building feels like stepping straight into a snippet of local banking history. Built in 1912 and designed under the influence of Kingo Tatsuno (the Tokyo Station guy), it’s fancier than any bank has a right to be. There’s a grand staircase, vintage chandeliers, and a counter so ornate you half-expect a Victorian banker to pop out and ask if you’ve brought your top hat. The brickwork is a weird but cool mix of Bizen-made tiles from Okayama and granite trim, giving the whole thing a proud, slightly overdressed Western look with a Japanese soul.

It’s open to the public for free, just five minutes from the station, and the whole building feels frozen in time. There are plenty of photogenic corners worth a wander—even if you’re just in it...

A decent place to visit. There’s no entrance fee. There’s only a few section of exhibition area however the building itself is historical and it’s really amazing how they managed to maintained almost all of the original parts of the building that was built...

Nice quiet town in the north and when you visit the famous castle then it would make sense to spend some time for the old bank building. The bank's guide is a really nice guy but just the building would not warrant a trip to Karatsu on...