Page 243 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Japan

K YUSHU  241

to the west, dates from the 8th
century and displays one of the
Yamakasa festival floats. Almost
opposite is the Hakata Machiya
Folk Museum, its exhibits and
dioramas within this traditional
building celebrating the
heritage of the area. It is also
possible to watch local artisans
at work here, including
demonstra tions of Hakata
silk weaving.
A huge and vibrant shop ping
mall in the center of town,
Canal City, features sleek shops
in a setting of hanging gardens
and exploding fountains, a
variety theater, and a 13-screen
cinema complex. The Asian Art A Shinto priest inside the shrine of Dazaifu Tenman-gu
Museum holds an interesting
collection of contemporary P Fukuoka City Museum Kyushu National Museum
Asian art. Tel (092) 845-5011. Open Tue–Sun. opened in 2005 and focuses on
South west of Hakata station, & the interaction of Japan with
Sumi yoshi Shrine, dotted with P Hakata Machiya Folk Museum other Asian countries. Exhibits
cedar and camphor trees, Tel (092) 281-7761.  Gion stn. include 75 hand-drawn Edo
contains a work ing Noh theater. Open daily. & period Um sum cards depicting
The city hosts a sumo tourna- Japanese and Chinese customs.
ment at the Fukuoka Kokusai P Asian Art Museum Visitors can also enjoy a stroll
Center in November. In the Tel (092) 263-1100.  Nakasu- around the stone, sand, and
southwest, Ohori Park is the Kawabata stn. Open Thu–Tue. & moss garden of the nearby
city’s most popular green space, temple, Komyo Zen-ji. Within
with delightful pathways, lake, 7 Dazaifu walking distance are the
pavilions, and islets connect ed Dazaifu Dazaifu Government Ruins,
by traditional bridges. an attractive and spacious park
Fukuoka is regarded as one of Fukuoka prefecture. * 68,000. £ with a scattering of medieval
the best places to eat in Japan n at Dazaifu stn (092) 925-1880. ruins from when the town was
_ Usokae (Bullfinch Exchange,
and is celebrated for its yatai. an administrative center.
These sit-down food stalls are Jan 24–25); Sentomyo Festival (Jul 25 Kanzeon-ji, a temple to the
and Sep 25).
legendary, with their colorful, southwest of the station, contains
lamp-lit stalls serving steaming Dazaifu was of military a great bell and a number of
bowls of buckwheat noodles impor tance under the Yamato highly prized statues, including an
and open-pot stews. govern ment (see p191) and an unusual horse-headed Kannon.
admin istrative center in the
later Nara period. Most visitors  Dazaifu Tenman-gu Shrine
come here today to visit the Tel (092) 922-8225. Open daily.
shrine of Dazaifu Tenman-gu. & (for Treasure House).
Located in a tranquil district P Kyushu National Museum
close to the station, the shrine Tel (092) 918-2807. Open Tue–Sun.
is dedicated to the calligrapher, &
scholar, and poet Sugawara
Michizane. The guardian of T Dazaifu Government Ruins
learning, Michizane, who died Tel (092) 921-2121. Open daily.
in AD 903, is also known by
his divine name of Tenjin.
The shrine is a site of pilgrimage
for students who pray for
success in their exams, writing
their wishes on small, votive
wooden boards (ema). The
Treasure House can be visited,
and just behind it a hall dis plays
curious tableaux of Hakata clay
A detail from the festival float at Kushida dolls representing scenes in Statue of a bull near the shrine of Dazaifu
Shrine, Fukuoka Michizane’s life. The nearby Tenman-gu
For hotels and restaurants see p306 and pp334–6

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