Iizuka, Kama City, Tagawa
Area Leader for 2024 - 2025: Mariah Beck
Moving to Japan for JET was the first time I came here, and only my second time ever leaving America. I was one of the unfortunate undergrads to have my study abroad plans canceled due to the coronavirus, but I have had plenty of cultural exchange experience regardless! Growing up, my family was a host family for the University of Delaware. Starting when I was around 10 years old, we had students from all over the world come to live with my family. Our first student was from Japan, along with many others. She was so excited to share her culture and experience ours that it was hard not to fall in love with the idea of going abroad. Because of these students, I took an interest in Japanese culture and decided to study it in college. I know there are times where we may feel discouraged about our impact through this job, but I can tell you with certainty that just being here and being excited could change someones life forever.
I work at the Tagawa City board of education and I teach elementary and junior high school (and very occaisonally kingergarten). This year I work at two elementary schools and one junior high school, but I teach a total of about one thousand students. Chikuho Area JETs have varying situations, so you could have one school or thirteen, but the students will be glad to meet you.
Chikuho Area Overview:
Chikuho includes Iizuka City, Kama City, Tagawa City, Kotake Town, Keisen Town, and Tagawa District (which includes Kawara Town, Soeda Town, Itoda Town, Kawasaki Town, Ootou Town, Akamura, and Fukuchi Town). There are currently 13 JETs in Chikuho, all based in or around Iizuka City and Tagawa City, although some attend schools outside of the cities as well. Occaisonally JETs are also placed in Kama City. Nogata and Kurate Town, while technically part of Chikuho, fall under Kitakyushu West in terms of JET Area Systems, so if you are placed there please refer to the Kitakyushu West Area Leader for more information.
The name Chikuho (筑豊) was originally an acronym for Chikuzen (筑前) and Buzen (豊前), the former names of the area, due to the coal mines that spread over both provinces. Chikuho is famous for its coal mining history, which spans back to the middle of the Edo period and continued over the Meiji era until the 51st year of the Showa era (1976).
Due to Chikuhos rich history, there is a lot to do in the area! Although we are one of the few areas in Fukuoka that does not border the ocean, you can enjoy the mountains, forests, and rivers spanning Chikuho! There are also many history and art museums, along with lots of local festivals. Fukuoka is a great place for fruit picking as well. If you are interested in finding more fun spots in Chikuho, there is a local free magazine called Hen that you can find at most train stations or in various shops. I will also give more information about each major city in the Chikuho area, including history, mascots, popular shrines and temples, etc.
Iizuka
History:
Iizuka is the largest of the cities in the Chikuho area. As with Chikuho in general, the history of coal mining is rich in Iizuka, but that is not all it is known for. Now, Iizuka is famous for its sweets, such as ひよこ (Hiyoko, a chick-shaped dense sponge cake filled with yellow bean paste) and 千鳥饅頭 (Chidorimanju, also a dense sponge cake but filled with white bean paste)、 from the company Sakaeya. It is also famous for its theaters, specifically the kabuki theater named Kaho Theater, which is unfortunately temporarily closed for renovations right now (2024).
Mascot:
Iizukas mascott actually belongs to Iizuka library, so you can always see him carrying a book! His name is Botabon, and he is a green mountain who holds a yellow book with Iizukas name on it. He is named and designed after Bota Mountain, which is in Iizuka.
Shrines and Temples (Just a few out of the 100+!, you can get stamps at these!):
- 宝幢寺 (ほうどうじ) Hodoji Temple
- 曩祖八幡宮 (のうそはちまんぐう) Noso Hachimangu Shrine
- 大分八幡宮 (だいぶはちまんぐう) Daibu Hachimangu Shrine
- 明観寺 (みょうかんじ) Myokan Temple (google maps calls it Meikanji)
- 厳島神社 (いつくしまじんじゃ) Itsukushima Shrine
- 立岩熊野神社 (たていわくまのじんじゃ) Tateiwa Kumano Shrine
- 妙見宮日岩神社 (みょうけんぐうひわかじんじゃ) Myokengu Hiwaka Shrine
- こがえる寺正法寺 (こがえるでらしょうほうじ) Kogaeru Temple Shohoji
Local Festivals and Traditions:
- 雛のまつり (ひなのまつり）Doll Festival: From early February to late March, you can go to the former residence of Ito Denemon, the "King of Coal Mines" and see his display of elaborate Hina dolls. There will be 12 venues total, including the residence as the main venue and Iizuka's shopping streets as well.
- 飯塚山笠 (いいずかやまかさ) Iizuka's Yamakasa: Around July 11th and 13th, four teams representing each district in Iizuka prepare their Yamakasa (parade floats with large dolls on them) and practice running with them throughout Iizuka. Around the 15th, a race is held by the four teams throughout Iizuka, followed by a chilren's Yamakasa afterwards.
- 納涼花火大会 (のうりょうはなびたいかい) Summer Fireworks Event: Held in early August, this summer tradition in Iizuka city is one of the biggest summer works events in Chikuho. Large-scale fireworks are launched in the sky and there are many stalls lined up!
- 筑前の国いいづか街道まつり (ちくぜんのくにいいづかがいどうまつり) Chikuzen no kuni Iizuka Gaidou Festival: Held in Autumn around the end of October, this festival has stage shows, dance performances, and a procession of daimyo dressed in Edo attire. It is a representation of the Nagasaki Kaidō, a road used during the Edo period.
- 大分の獅子舞 (だいぶのししまい) Daibu Lion Dance: In late September, this local performing art is the center of the Great Festival of Daibu Hachimangu Shrine. The lion's head used is said to be dated around 1724.
- 綱分八幡宮放生会御神幸祭 (つなわきはちまんぐうほうじょうやおんじんこうさい) Tsunawaki Hachimanguu Jouyaon Festival: Held in mid October, this sacred festival dates back to the 1300s. It has passed down the traditions of Taiko drumming, the Lion Dance, and Yabusame, along with many others.
Other Activities:
- Katsumori Park: A beautiful park with a playground and bridge. You can see lots of local birds here and it's a great spot for cherry blossom viewing!
- Denemon Ito's former residence: A historical landmark from the man known as the "coal mine king". You can sign up for a tour to see the house and its beautiful gardens!
- Iizuka City Historical Museum: Interested in Japanese History? Here you can see a replica of an ancient tomb, along with artifacts from the Jomon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods. There are also changing displays, one in the past was about local fossils!
- Aso Ouraso Villa: Residence of the Aso family, one of the three major families of the Chikuho conglomerate. It is currently used as a salon and the garden is usually closed to the public, but you can enjoy autumn leaves and the view of the garden (without going in)!
- Kaho Kabuki Theater: (currently closed as of 2024 for renovation, but keep an eye out for its reopening!)
Kama
History:
Kama City was created after one city and three towns (Yamada City, Usui Town, Inazuki Town, and Kaho Town) were merged together in 2006. It is home to the Kaho Alps, a certified Japan Mountain Heritage Site as of 2016. As about 72% of Kama is forest and cultivated land, they have worked closely with the city of Silkeborg in Denmark to promote outdoor tourism. Kama is also decorated with statues of Kappa from Japanese folklore due to the folk tales still existing around the Onga River that runs through the city. Kama is known for apples, pears, local sake, and kaho beef among other things.
Mascot:
Kama Citys mascot is Kamashishi-chan the wild boar, made to bring harmony between the residents of Kama and the wild boars that terrorize them. He wears the lid of an o-kama on his head, the bowls traditionally used for rice. On his outfit you can see the kanji 嘉, which is the first kanji in Kama City (嘉麻市). On the back of his outfit is a four leaf clover that represents the four towns that once made up what is now Kama. It is said that if you touch the leaf that is a different color, something good will happen!
Shrines and Temples (Just the a few!):
- 射手引神社 (いでびきじんじゃ）Idebiki Shrine
- 鮭神社（さけじんじゃ）Sake (fish) Shrine
- 真宗輝明山智山寺 (しんしゅてるあきさんともやまでら) Shinshu Teruakisan Tomoyama Temple
- 専正寺 (せんしょうじ) Senshoji (Temple)
- 永泉寺 (えいせんじ) Eisenji (Temple)
- 北斗宮 (ほくとぐう) Hokutogu (Shrine)
- 山野若八幡神社 (やまのわかはちまんじんじゃ) Wakahachiman Shrine
- 日吉神社 (ひよしじんじゃ) Hiyoshi Shrine
- 馬見神社 (うまみじんじゃ) Umami Shrine
Local Festivals and Traditions:
- 一夜城祭り (いちやじょうまつり) Ichiya Castle Festival: In Autumn, the Ichiya Castle is lit up at night. On one day in the beginning of November, there are fireworks and candle art held at the castle as well!
- 弥栄神楽座 (いやさかかぐらざ) Iyasaka Kagura-za Event: The Idebiki Shrine holds many events, but this one is by far my favorite. Held in early May, it is a theater performance about stories from the Kojiki, specifically the story of the goddess Amaterasu shutting herself in the cave. If you are interested in Japanese mythology I highly recommend it! The costumes are intricate and the dances are beautiful.
Other Activities:
- Masutomi Castle (also known as the One Night Castle): If you are interested in the Warring States period of Japan, this is a great site to check out! In 1587, Toyotomi Hideyoshi brought an army to Masutomi Castle as part of his quest to conquer Kyushu. At the time, Akizuki Tanezane was the lord in charge of the castle. He didn't think that Hideyoshi could win, until one night he saw Hideyoshi's army on fire with a castle that miraculously appeared behind them in one night! He surrendered immediately. As it turns out, the fire was bonfires that Hideyoshi's army had lit, and the castle was quickly assembled from door boards, tatami mats, etc. As he had built the makeship castle in one night, the site has coined the name One Night Castle. It has a super interesting history, so check it out!
- Outdoor Activities: Due to Kama City's work towards outdoor tourism, there are tons of outdoor activities to do! If you are interested in camping, waterfalls, hiking, etc, check out Kama City!
- Hiroki Oda Museum of Art: Named after and made by the painter Hiroki Oda, this art museum holds many interesting exhibitions with local art! Hiroki Oda was a local painter who painted mainly melancholy female figures (after his bedridden wife) and landscapes until he passed away in 2012. If you are interested in local art its a good place to check out!
Tagawa
History:
Mascot:
Shrines and Temples (Just the most popular, you can get stamps at these!):
- 春日神社 (かすがじんじゃ) Kasuga Shrine
- 風治八幡宮神社 (ふうじはちまんぐうじんじゃ) Fuji Hachiman Shrine
- 三井寺（平等寺) (みついでら(びょうどうじ)) Mitsuidera Temple (Byodo-ji Temple)
- 白鳥神社 (しらとりじんじゃ) Shiratori Shrine
- 成道寺 (じょうどうじ) Jodo Temple
- 西福寺 (さいふくじ) Saifuku Temple
- 天愼寺 (てんしんじ) Tenshin Temple
- 位登八幡神社 (いとはちまんじんじゃ) Itohachiman Shrine
Local Festivals and Traditions:
- 伊加利人形芝居(いかりにんぎょうしばい) Ikari Puppet Theater: Held on New Years Day at Iwagame Hachiman Shrine, this puppet theater began at the end of the Edo period (1865) as a dedication to the village diety Benzaiten. After a plague spread to Ikari Village, killing many infants, the villagers prayed to this god and he told them to dedicate this puppet show to him in order to delight the children.
- 丸山公園花まつり (まるやまこうえんはなまつり) Maruyama Park Flower Festival: Cherry blossom viewing held in late March to early April in Maruyama Park, which contains about 1,000 of these beautiful trees. At night, the trees are illuminated and there are also food stalls around the park.
- 風治八幡宮川渡り神幸祭 (ふうじはちまんぐうかわわたりじんこうさい) Fuji Hachimangu River Crossing Festival: One of the five major festivals in Fukuoka Prefecture, this River Crossing Festival is held on the third Saturday and Sunday of May every year. On Saturday morning, a lion dance is held before 11 Yamakasa (parade floats) and 2 Mikoshi (portable shrines) gather in front of Fuji Hachimagu Shrine and make their way to Hikosan River, where they play out a battle scene and then rest on the other side of the river overnight. The next day, following another lion dance, the Yamakasa and Mikoshi make their way back over the river with more battle scenes along the way. This festival began over 450 years ago as a dedication to the village god Fuji Hachimangu for ending a horrible plague. It's a huge festival and a lot of fun, so I highly recommend it!
- 春日神社岩戸神楽 (かすがじんじゃいわとかぐら) Kasuga Shrine Iwato Kagura: This dance is held by Kasuga Shrine Iwato Kagura preservation Society during three small festivals: the Shinko Festival in May, the Nagoshisai Festival in August, and the Kanmachisai Festival in October. One of the demon masks worn during this festival has an inscription from the year 1834 and can be said to be one of the oldest existing Kagura masks in Buzen. It has been designated as an important intangible cultural property of the country. Children held by these demons are said to grow up healthy and strong.
- 炭坑節まつり(たんこうぶしまつり) Coal Mining Festival: A festival held in Tagawa City Coal Memorial Park on the first Sunday of November (and the day before, even if it falls in October) each year. It celebrates the towns coal mining history with the Coal Mine Festival General Dance, along with performances by locals and a night event of lighting 20,000 candles. You can try charcoal ice cream and ride a miniature coal powered train!
Other activities:
- Tagawa Coal Mining Museum: Holds Sakubei Yamamoto's famous paintings, with English translations of his writings! Also has other displays about Japanese History and Chikuhos coal mining history, although these are not translated. It is right next to the Coal Mine Park, so check it out!
- Iwaya Limestone Cave: If you are into nature, check out Tagawa's limestone caves! The first cave is designated as a natural monument of Fukuoka Prefecture.
- Tirol Chocolate Outlet Shop: Do you like chocolate? There is a special outlet shop in Tagawa just for the brand Tirol chocolate, where you can buy the usual flavors along with some special flavors only sold here!
- Tagawa Public Art: Around Tagawa, you can find various art displays including a heart shaped statue next to the smoke stacks and art known as "trick art", which are 3D images that you can pretend to be a part of for pictures!