Fukuoka Attractions | A must-see in Fukuoka: Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine + Omotesando one-day tour

#fukuokatravel Attraction: Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine 📍Address: 4-7-1, Zaifu, Dazaifu City 🕰️Business hours: The shrine usually opens at 6:30 (the earliest opening of the year is 6:00). It closes at 18:30 in winter (from December to March), at 19:30 in summer (from June to August), and at 19:00 at other times. As for the museum inside the shrine, last admission is at 16:00. 💞Recommended reasons: A must-visit attraction in Fukuoka, Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine attracts more than 10 million visitors every year. It is a shrine dedicated to the god of learning "Sugawara Michizane". It is the main shrine of 12,000 Tenmangu Shrines in Japan and is the largest shrine in Kyushu. Transportation strategy: Take the No. 11 "Traveller" bus from Hakata Bus Terminal. It is the most convenient and does not require transfers and has many buses. From JR Hakata Station, take the Kagoshima Main Line to Futukaichi Station, walk to Nishitetsu Futukaichi Station, and transfer to the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line to Dazaifu Station. From Tenjin "Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station", take the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta Line directly to "Dazaifu" Station. Some trains require you to get off at "Futakaichi" and transfer. As soon as you exit the station, you can reach the Tenmangu Shrine, starting from Dazaifu Station, and there are various shops and restaurants along the way. You can buy Umee mochi at small coffee shops and sweet vendors along the path. Almost everyone has a must-eat plum cake. Have a cup of coffee at the Starbucks designed by Kengo Kuma, buy a Fukuoka strawberry kudzu popsicle on the sidewalk to cool down, and buy a skewer that looks like beef skewers but is actually soy sauce-flavored wet rice crackers, which tastes a bit like Taiwanese fried bean buns. The shopping street is full of delicious food and souvenir shops, and I'm full before I even reach Tenmangu Shrine. It is recommended that you come to Tenmangu Shrine earlier to pay homage, and on your way back around 11 o'clock, you can do some shopping and have lunch before returning to Fukuoka. It is suitable to visit all year round. You can enjoy cherry blossoms in spring, towering ancient plum trees and nan trees in summer, maple trees in autumn, and it is so romantic to enjoy snow in winter. After passing the torii gate, you will soon see the sacred cow. You can pat the cow's head to pray for wisdom. Before entering the main hall, you will pass by the heart-shaped pond and the red bridges representing "past", "present" and "future" respectively. The bridge in the middle, representing "now", is flat, making it impossible to see the scenery ahead. The two arched Taiko Bridges at the front and back represent the past and the future. In Shinto, water represents "purity" and "purification." You have to cross the water before you can set foot on the Holy Land. After passing through the spectacular double-story door, you officially enter the Gohonden. This is the final resting place of the respected scholar Sugawara Michizane, who is regarded as a god. The Gohonden building is majestic, with extremely steep eaves, colorful colors, and fine carvings, reflecting the gorgeous and vivid style of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. There is also the Tenmangu Shrine Treasure Hall, which contains nearly 50,000 historical relics and treasures and is worth visiting. Walking further inside, located on a small hill, is dedicated to the god who represents business prosperity and good luck-Tenkai Inari Shrine. At the end of winter, 6,000 plum blossoms bloom freely, exuding a delicate fragrance that permeates the entire shrine. Sugawara Michizane was very fond of plum blossoms and had many plum blossom-related stories. From the end of January to the beginning of March, he visited Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine to enjoy the plum blossoms in full bloom. It is one of the most beautiful spots for plum blossom appreciation in Japan.