Without a doubt the best and most popular Shrine in Fukuoka Prefecture is the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. It is dedicated to the God of Learning and as such is busy all through the year with many student visitors coming here to pray for upcoming success in their educational endeavors, especially during examination time at various periods during the year. 6000 or so Plum Trees have been planted on the site and they begin to bloom around early February to early March. Of course the Cherry Blossoms are also unique to the area and it must be added that during Autumn the leaf changing season of the incredible beautiful Japanese Maple Trees are exceptional and worth a to visit the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine in mid to late November. The entrance to the shrine is a long street lined with small stalls filled with local specialities, a variety of food and drinks and of course many different types of souvenirs that one can take back home after their travels in Japan.

Nanzoin Temple

Situated in the remote countryside on the outskirts of Fukuoka City, is one of the most remarkable places you will find called Nanzoin Temple. I have been to hundreds of ho hum temples all over Japan but without a doubt this location has been absolutely the most amazing place you could hope to visit. The Nanzoin Temple is home to the largest reclining buddha in Japan and possibly the world. The actual dimensions of the statue are 41 metres long by 11 metres in height and it weighs in at 300 tons, so as you can see, it isn't small! A Reclining Buddha is a relatively rare site in Japan as most are sitting or standing. Sitting indicates that the Buddha is meditating whilst the reclining pose represents the fact that the Buddha is just about to die and enter the state of Nirvana. This state is much more common in South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Laos, so we have discovered a rare find here in the rural confines of Fukuoka.