As Japan continued to modernize at the advent of the Meiji era, the port of Moji was designated one of Japan’s special shipping zones in Meiji Year 22 (1889), and became an important trade port, with the Wakamatsu region serving as a stopping point for the coal trade. Moji-station, now called Mojiko station (“Moji-port station”), opened in Meiji Year 24 (1891) with the arrival of the Kyushu railway. The Moji port area grew into a crucial distribution point between land and sea trade routes, with many financial institutions, trading houses and shipping companies establishing branches in the city. The port become a popular port of call on European shipping routes, and Moji-port prospered as an international port city with many foreign vessels calling on its quayside. As the amount of foreign marine traffic grew in the area, the area become known for its volume bargain sales of Taiwanese bananas, a tradition still passed down and shared with generations today.
