A 10.8-metre Buddha, a 13-metre festival float and the head shrine of around 12,000 Tenmangu shrines, with Yufuin as a day trip. Up to six people, by subway, train, bus and on foot.
The Hakata tours start at Gion Station, a minute from Tocho-ji. The temple is said to have been founded in 806 by Kobo Daishi on his return from China. Its Buddha is 10.8 metres tall and took from 1988 to 1992 to carve.
Six minutes' walk from Gion Station, Kushida Shrine has a decorated Yamakasa festival float about 13 metres high on display all year except June. There's a ginkgo tree there said to be 1,000 years old.
In Dazaifu, Tenmangu is five minutes' walk from the station and honours Sugawara no Michizane. On the approach we eat umegae mochi. Despite the name, there's no plum in it, just rice-cake dough around sweet red bean paste.
Yufuin is a day trip from Hakata. The Yufuin no Mori limited express takes about 2 hours 14 minutes from Hakata. From JR Yufuin Station it's about 10 minutes' walk to Yunotsubo Kaido, the main street. It runs for about 800 metres past shops, cafes, museums and workshops, with Mt Yufu in view. Kinrinko Lake is at the far end.
Highlights
Dazaifu: the shrine and the national museum.
We finish at Dazaifu Station.
Hakata in the morning and Dazaifu in the afternoon, or a day trip to Yufuin.
If you'd rather stay in the city, the afternoon can go to Ohori Park and the Fukuoka Castle ruins in Maizuru Park. The path around Ohori Park's pond is about 2 km.
For Yufuin, we take the Yufuin no Mori from Hakata (about 2 hours 14 minutes), then walk Yunotsubo Kaido to Kinrinko Lake. The Yufuin-go bus from Tenjin is the other option and takes about 2 hours 25 minutes.
Fukuoka on day one, Yufuin on day two.
Fukuoka had 103 licensed yatai at the end of January 2024, about 90% of all the street stalls in Japan. We go for the food.
In January 2011, in my last year of junior high, I left Japan for Brisbane. I stayed until I'd finished university in March 2020. That's nine years of Australian school, uni and part-time jobs.
I speak English and Japanese without any trouble, and I don't get shy around people from other cultures. What I care about most on the day is simple: that you're having a good time.
I'm based in Yokohama. I've been photographing planes since 2009. Since moving back to Japan in 2020, photography has taken me to airports and towns all over the country. Every area I guide is somewhere I've been myself.
I have a serious kiwi fruit allergy (anaphylaxis) and react to some fruit in the rose family. So I check our food stops with the restaurants before the day. If there's anything you can't eat, tell me when you first get in touch.
Quotes are provided in USD, CAD, AUD, NZD, GBP or EUR, so you can skip the hassle of currency conversion. Other currencies are quoted in USD. Each quote covers your whole group of up to six people. When you send an enquiry, please include your preferred dates and the kinds of experiences you'd like.
None. The name comes from a story: after Michizane was sent to Dazaifu, an old woman brought him mochi skewered on a plum branch.
No. We go to a yatai for the food, not a bar crawl.
No. The train from Hakata takes about 2 hours 14 minutes, so Yufuin needs a full day, or the second day of a two-day tour.
No, you buy your own tickets. Seats go on sale at 10 am one month before departure, and I'll tell you which train we're taking once we've planned the day.
Tell me your dates, group size and anything you can't eat. I'll send a route and a free quote.
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