Visit Kyushu
The Official Kyushu Travel Guide

Dazaifu Tenmangu is a large Shinto shrine set in beautiful grounds in the historic town of Dazaifu, less than an hour from Fukuoka's city center. The shrine has on-site museums, teahouses, landscaped gardens and a program of art installations. Although the shrine was established here over 1,000 years ago, it has a thriving contemporary art program, inviting top international artists to create new pieces on-site. The gardens at the shrine are beautiful in all seasons, with cherry blossoms in spring, irises in summer and colorful leaves in autumn. Dazaifu Tenmangu is famed for plum blossoms, and around 6,000 plum trees bloom in late winter. There are festivals throughout the year at Dazaifu Tenmangu, from a dramatic fire festival in January, to poetry composition under the plum blossoms in March, to grand parades across the city in September. The shrine is popular with students, who come here to pray for good exam results. Dazaifu Tenmangu enshrines Sugawara Michizane, a ninth century figure deified as Tenjin, the deity of learning, culture, and the arts. The Kyushu National Museum, a short walk from Dazaifu Tenmangu, is a striking modern edifice, with exhibitions focused on Kyushu's history and interactions with Asia and Europe.