Today we ventured a little further afield, heading out of Fukuoka to see one of the region’s best known sites at Dazaifu Tenmangu, as well as one of its quirkiest.

Dazaifu Tenmangu is one of Japan’s leading shrines, founded on the grave of a ninth century poet, scholar and politician who is now considered a deity of “learning, culture and the arts”. It was rather crowded (first crowds we’ve seen since Miyajima/Hiroshima) but we managed to find some quiet spots, especially in the surrounding forest. The street leading from the train station to the Shrine was crazy, but perhaps not as bad as this photo suggests.

We joined a queue of people lining up to rub the face of a statue of a bull, which is said to bring wisdom. Probably wisdom would suggest not standing in such a queue, but we did – not for wisdom but for the photo op, of course.

Once we entered the grounds of the shrine, we were surrounded by autumn colours, beautiful trees, lakes and bridges. The large plum trees are legendary, and some predate the construction of the buildings.

Within the grounds of Daizafu Tenmangu lies Tenkai Inari Daimyojin Shrine. We left the crowds behind and climbed the many steps, lined by many bright red torii gates. The shrine itself was small but the walk up through the forest was lovely.

Nyoirinji Frog Temple is possibly one of the strangest places I’ve ever visited. It was founded in 729, and features some significant religious icons, but what makes it unusual is the collection of frog statues – currently over 10,000 of them, big and small. Apparently, the chief priest brought back a Jade frog from a visit to China some 25 years ago and decided to start collecting frogs as a way of attracting visitors to the shrine. It was certainly a fun place to explore and spot all the frogs – even Kermit made an appearance.

We revisited a couple of Christmas markets to enjoy the lights, particularly around the train station.

Then finally it was time for dinner. We ate at a Yatai food stall – a local tradition. These are small pop-up stalls that seat 8-10 people and serve food cooked in tiny open-air kitchens.