city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
Mooka (真岡市 Mooka-shi, sometimes spelled Moka or Mohka) is a city in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
The local tourist association has a Japanese-only guide site.
Rail access is from Mooka Station (真岡駅 Moka-Eki) on the private Mooka Line. From Ueno Station in Tokyo, take the JR Utsunomiya Line to Oyama. There, change to the JR Mito Line for Shimodate. You can catch the Mooka Line train from Shimodate Station.
There are buses that run several times a day from JR Ishibashi Station (Tochigi) and JR Utsunomiya Station to various stops in Mooka, including Mooka Station.
The unique construction of Mooka Station gives it the shape and appearance of a giant steam locomotive; and, in fact, the railway operates steam service using C11 and C12 class steam locomotives (abbreviated "SL") back and forth on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. The Mooka SL Train Museum is also located here, at the station's west exit.
Mooka is famous for its hand-dyed woven cotton products, called Mooka-momen (真岡木綿). The city flower is the cotton flower. Along the main road downtown, many traditional Japanese gift shops can be found carrying products made from Moka-momen.
Tochigi Prefecture is famous for its gyoza (餃子, Chinese dumplings), and one of the most popular places to sample this specialty is at Utsunomiya Min Min (宇都宮みんみん). The Mooka branch is located at 1-11-13 Namikicho, right next to the Besia shopping center and very near Mooka Station.