are the Straits of Shimonoseki a stretch of 700 metre wide water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's 4 main islands and is a narrow channel of water. The channel has long been important to maritime transportation and cargo ships more recently cruise ships have added the channel to their itineraries, as it connects the Sea of Japan and the Inland Sea.
Around 700 vessels of all sides pass through on a daily basis.
In August each year the local spectacle with over 10,00 sky rockets fired from both sides
Passenger and car ferries link the port cities of Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu, as do trains and bridges.