Welcome to the second chapter of Fukuoka JET Spotlight! In this round, we asked our JETs to share their favourite sightseeing spots in our humble prefecture.
As international and inter-prefectural travel is dissuaded by the local government in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, now is the perfect time to get out and enjoy Fukuoka at its finest. This mini-series, Fantastic Fukuoka, will show you some sweet spots recommended by other ALTs.
Steph, SHS ALT
Q: What are your favourite sightseeing places in Fukuoka Prefecture?
Two of my favorite sightseeing places in Fukuoka are Dazaifu Tenmangu and Komyouzenji which are, conveniently, right next to each other!
Q: What are the main things to do or see at these places?
Dazaifu Tenmangu is a shrine dedicated to Tenjin, the deity of learning, culture, and the arts. As such, there are many things in the area that you can do relating to those things. The most well-known of these is probably Kyushu National Museum, which is on or close to the grounds of the shrine. There’s also Dazaifu Tenmangu Museum! Visitors to the shrine can do the usual things like collect goshuin, find their fortunes, and buy various types of omamori, as well as view art from local artists around the grounds.
Dazaifu is ideal to visit in early spring when the plum blossoms are in bloom, and also in fall when the leaves have turned.
Komyouzenji is a really small temple near the grounds of the shrine. The temple was founded almost a thousand years ago and has two really beautiful gardens–a really small rock garden in the front and a bigger rock garden in the back with many trees. Visitors can go inside to view the back garden from the second floor.
The ideal time to visit is fall after the leaves have turned.
Q: Please tell us some good stories/memories from when you visited these places.
I’ve been to Dazaifu three times! The first time I went in fall with my co-AT, the second time I went in late spring with my dad, and the third time I went in fall with some friends for a kimono-wearing event.
My favorite memory if probably my first visit with my co-ALT, because it was one of the few times I got him to go anywhere, haha! We had a fun time trying food (I don’t like bean paste and has a good time making him eat my umegaomochi after I realized it had bean paste in it lol) and checking out the streets leading up the shrine entrance. My co-ALT was an artist so we spent a lot of time just walking around and taking pictures of the grounds with him.
My favorite memory of Komyozenji was probably just going up to the second floor alone and taking in the fall foliage without anyone else being around. It was really peaceful, espcially after how busy the shrine always is.
Q: How can you access these places?
Both places can be accessed on foot about 10 minutes from Dazaifu Station.