The cruise ended yesterday, and early this morning we disembarked in the city of Fukuoka, Japan’s 6th largest city. We only really have one day here, so set about packing a lot into the day. Too many pics, sorry, but there’s a lot happening here.

After checking into our hotel, we followed the Temple walk, an official map that takes you to several significant and historic Buddhist temples in the old part of the city.

Engakuji Temple was built in 1246 to mark the arrival of Buddhist monk Lanxi Daolong from China. However, all of the temple buildings were burnt down during the war-torn period. In 1636, its base was moved to the grounds of Shofukuji Temple and was rebuilt, becoming a monastery for the temple.
The wisdom of the Nampo-Roku, a book of secret teachings of the tea master Sen no Rikyu, is one of the most sacred texts in Japanese tea culture, which was passed down at Engakuji. Sen no Rikyu was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the Japanese tea ceremony.

Tochoji Temple was established in 806, but relocated to the current site after burning down in the 1500s. The temple’s pagoda is one of the newest additions to the temple. Constructed in a traditional method without the use of nails, it was completed in 2011. Tochoji has the largest seated wooden buddha in Japan, at 10 metres high and weighing 30 tons. It was constructed in 1988.

Shofukuji Temple was the first Zen temple built in Japan, constructed in 1195. The buildings are not open to visitors, but the grounds are lovely.

Kushida-jinja is a Shinto Shrine which features huge floats used in the annual festival, covered in figures and landscapes representing historical or mythological stories. The floats are up to 10 metres tall, and are carried through the city once a year during the Hakata Gion Yamasaka.

Then we visited a modern “shrine”, the Canal City shopping mall, which has a huge internal atrium complete with canal, fountains and greenery. We had lunch at a restaurant featuring a sushi train – something we didn’t see often in Japan. There’s also a sewerage museum – yes, you read that right. The Fukuoka City Sewerage Museum “is a sewerage public relations facility where you can enjoy learning about the mechanism and role of sewerage, which you cannot usually see.”

 

Christmas Displays

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here. There are trees and lights and Santas everywhere (I even found a couple of Aussie Santas), & several Christmas markets.

We happened to be in town for the Fukukoi Asia Dance Festival 2025. Dancers in stunning costumes performed on several stages and were quite fabulous to watch.

A few more pics around Fukuoka

We walked everywhere we went in Fukuoka, and passed lots of interesting sights. Here is a somewhat random selection of photos.