2018.05.24
nakamura

A One-day Itinerary to See Dazaifu Tenmangu and Other Famous Spots in Fukuoka

Fukuoka is a city that is wonderful for sightseeing, with many wonderful places to visit as well as an array of great food. Here is an itinerary that includes the area around Dazaifu Tenmangu, which sees more than 8 million visitors each year, and other popular tourist destinations.

Index

Around 10:00 am: Pay Your Respects at Dazaifu Tenmangu
11:15 am: Lunch at Okura
1:30 pm: Enjoy the Ohori Park Japanese Garden
3:20 pm: Shopping at CANAL CITY HAKATA
5:30 pm: Dinner & drinks at the stalls in Nakasu

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Around 9:30 am: Transfer: Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station → Dazaifu Station

Take the rapid train on the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line for about 18 minutes from Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station to Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station, at which point the train will become the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line. Ride 8 more minutes and alight at Dazaifu Station.

Around 9:30 am: Transfer: Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station → Dazaifu Station

2-11-2 Tenjin, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka

Around 10:00 am: Pay Your Respects at Dazaifu Tenmangu

Walk 5 minutes from Dazaifu Station

Begin your day by paying your respects at Dazaifu Tenmangu, which is one of Fukuoka's most famous landmarks. It is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, revered as a deity of scholars, sincerity and warding off evil. There are many must-see spots here, such as the main shrine that is more than 400 years old and is designated as a national important cultural property, a sacred plum tree, and a statue of a sacred bull that is said to make you wise if you stroke its head.

Jakub Hałun/Wikimedia Commons

Around 10:00 am: Pay Your Respects at Dazaifu Tenmangu

Detail

To the Path Leading up to Dazaifu Tenmangu

Once you've paid homage at the shrine, go to the path lined with eateries and souvenir shops to take a break and enjoy a bit of shopping.

*Approximate duration for visiting the shrine and path*
1 hour

To the Path Leading up to Dazaifu Tenmangu

4-7-1 Saifu, Dazaifu-shi, Fukuoka

Transfer: Dazaifu Station → Tofuro-Mae Station

Ride approximately 7 minutes on Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line and change to Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line at Nishitetu Futsukaichi Station. Ride 1 minute to Tofuro-Mae Station.

11:15 am: Lunch at Okura

Walk 5 minutes from Tofuro-Mae Station

Next, enjoy lunch at a popular restaurant for Japanese cuisine. Okura is a restaurant that serves gorgeous and tasty Japanese cuisine made with an abundance of seasonal ingredients that you can savor by both sight and taste. The Hana-goyomi course (2,300 JPY (incl. tax)) is recommended, and starts with appetizers, followed by a variety of other dishes such as sashimi, tempura and dessert.

*Approximate duration*
1 hour 15 minutes

ぐるなび

11:15 am: Lunch at Okura

1-12-3 Tonokoga, Dazaifu-shi, Fukuoka

Gurunavi
Map

Detail

Transfer: Tofuro-Mae Station → Ohorikoen Station

Ride approximately 14 minutes on Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line to Ohashi Station and transfer to the limited express train. Ride approximately 6 minutes and change to the Fukuoka City Subway Kuko Line at Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station. Ride 3 minutes to Ohorikoen Station.

1:30 pm: Enjoy the Ohori Park Japanese Garden

Walk 10 minutes from Ohorikoen Station

The next stop is a beautiful Japanese garden. It is in Ohori Park, which opened in 1984 on the site of the outer moat of Fukuoka Castle. The 3-acre grounds include a forest, ponds, and waterfalls and is perfect for a walk. There are also row boats on the pond that can be rented.

Sample boat rental fee: Row boat 600 JPY/30 minutes (incl. tax)

*Approximate duration*
1 hour 30 minutes

1:30 pm: Enjoy the Ohori Park Japanese Garden

1-7 Ohori Koen, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka

Transfer: Ohorikoen Station → Nakasu-Kawabata Station

Ride approximately 5 minutes on the Fukuoka City Subway Kuko Line from Ohorikoen Station and alight at Nakasu-Kawabata Station

Next page: 3:20 pm: Shopping at CANAL CITY HAKATA

3:20 pm: Shopping at CANAL CITY HAKATA

Walk 10 minutes from Nakasu-Kawabata Station

Enjoy shopping at the popular CANAL CITY HAKATA until dinnertime. CANAL CITY HAKATA is a multi-use complex with 285 shops, including those selling fashion items, as well as restaurants, cinema, theater, amusement facilities and hotel.
The Canal Tourist Lounge there has a variety of services for tourists, including sightseeing information and carefully-selected souvenirs. There are staff who speak English, Chinese and Korean.

*Approximate duration*
2 hours

coloredby/Flickr

3:20 pm: Shopping at CANAL CITY HAKATA

1-2 Sumiyoshi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka

5:30 pm: Dinner & drinks at the stalls in Nakasu

Walk 4 minutes from CANAL CITY HAKATA

As the sun sets, "yatai" food stalls, a Fukuoka specialty, turn their lights on at various locations along the road. A wide range of people, from locals on their way home from work to tourists, gather at these stalls to enjoy food and drinks. The stalls offer a variety of items including oden hot pots and yakitori. It is common in Fukuoka to have drinks then finish off with ramen, but you need not order drinks to enjoy the yatai. The yatai are a great finale to a day in Fukuoka.

*Approximate duration*
1 hour 30 minutes

5:30 pm: Dinner & drinks at the stalls in Nakasu

Crossroad Fukuoka Official Homepage

Getting Back

Once you've enjoyed your dinner and drinks, return to Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station, which is about a 15 minute walk from the yatai area of Nakasu.

We've created a suggested itinerary suitable for tourists, including those visiting Fukuoka for the first time. We hope it will help you spend a fantastic day in Fukuoka.

*Please note that the information in this article is from the time of writing or publication and may differ from the latest information.