Dazaifu
Dazaifu (大宰府) is a city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.
Get in
By train
Dazaifu is accessible via Futsukaichi (二日市) station on the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta Line.
From Tenjin station in Fukuoka there are at least a dozen trains per hour operating to Futsukaichi. The journey is 12 minutes by Limited Express or 25 minutes by Local train, and currently costs ¥390.
If you want to head from JR Hakata Station to Dazaifu, the best option is to take a local bus to Nishitetsu Yakuin Station (¥100) and there take Nishitetsu train to Dazaifu (transfer at Nishitetsu Futsukaichi). Some local buses are available from JR Futsukaichi station to Dazaifu too, but they are rather expensive and infrequent.
By car
Take the main road number 3 south out of Fukuoka, which passes through Dazaifu. This can be crushingly slow for such a short distance. A better option is to take the toll road south out of Fukuoka (you can access from various points around the city) and get off at the Dazaifu interchange, which will cost ¥600 as of May 2007.
Get around
Dazaifu has little of interest to the average tourist beyond Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine and the adjacent Kyushu National Museum, however, if you should want to explore the remaining ruins, you are advised to walk or bicycle.
See
- 1 Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (太宰府天満宮), 4-7-1 Saifu, ☏ +81 92-922-8225. A large and beautiful complex dedicated to Sugawara Michizane in the city of his exile from Kyoto. It is considered to be one of the Three Great Tenjin Shrines of Japan. This shrine is popular with students as it is dedicated to Sugawara-no-Michizane who was deified as Temman Tenjin or Kanko, the god of culture and scholars. The street leading to the shrine is famous for umegaimochi, a kind of sweet plum-filled rice cake.
- Komyozenji Temple. Just a hundred meters from bustling Tenmangu Shrine is a very peaceful Kamakura-era Buddhist temple hidden away in a quiet residential side street near the Tenmangu Shrine complex. A small Zen rock garden with a single maple tree marks the entrance to the temple, while at the back there is an elevated wooden walkway that provides a view of an exceptional moss garden designed in a 'sea garden' style.
- 2 Kyushu National Museum (within easy walking distance of the shrine). It's the newest National Museum following Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. Based on the concept "understand Japanese culture from the point of Asian view", they don't only exhibit but also preserve and investigate cultural assets, then prepare a variety of educational events to keep the museum fresh. The museum generally has interesting temporary exhibits, so check the website.
Do
There are a variety of festivals held at various shrines across the town throughout the year. If it is possible, try to attend the monthly flea market in the grounds of Tenmangu Shrine, where kimonos can be had for ¥1000 or less.
Buy
Simply put, travel to Fukuoka city for shopping. Dazaifu houses merely the usual Japanese stores: Nitori, Uniqlo, GooDay, and so on.
Eat
There are a huge number of restaurants serving typical Japanese fare in the immediate proximity of Tenmangu Shrine.
Drink
Again, travel to Fukuoka city for evening entertainment.
Sleep
Go next
Travel to Hakata via Futsukaichi, and from there to anywhere.
| Routes through Dazaifu |
| Kitakyushu ← Fukuoka ← | N  S |
→ Chikushino → Kumamoto |