Kokura Gion Daiko is a summer festivals in which the main attraction is the playing the drums. In 1958 the event was designated as an intangible folk cultural asset of Fukuoka prefecture. On July 1st the Kokura Gion Taiko Uchizome-shiki (the ceremony to inaugurate Taiko practice sessions) is held，and from that moment，Kokura’s exciting summer begins， with each town and company group striving to perfect its own Taiko performance ahead of the  Festival which is held from Friday of the third weel in July. A prominent feature of the festival are the dashi (decorated cart) parades through the town， carrying two drums，one at the front of the cart and one at the rear，with four drummers beating the Taiko in time to gongs called jangara, and reciting the phrase Yassa Yare Yare.  The highlights of the Festival which you should not miss are the Taiko Performing Contest held at Kokura Castle on July 16th; and the Taiko Performing Parade held at Komonji-dori street on Sunday of the third week in July.

Kokura Gion Daiko, in Kitakyushu-city…の続きを読む

  An annual festival in Nagasaki held on Chinese new year.  The festival has been started to celebrate a new year by Chinese who lived in Nagasaki, and it became the Nagasaki’s festival since 1994. More than 10 thousand lanterns are decorated at China town during the festival.

Nagasaki Lantern Festival…の続きを読む

  Sengan-en is the most famous garden in Kagoshima-ken, made by Shimazu lord in the 19th century at the beautiful bay side Kinko bay. The garden contains many historic artifact that tell of its long history.

Sengan-en, in Kagoshima…の続きを読む

  Kokua Castle Garden made at the former site of Shitayashiki (lord’s guest house) located next to Kokura Castle. This garden consists of a Japanese garden and a daimyo yashiki  (a lord’s house), a building of the Shoin-zukuri type (a style of Japanese domestic architecture). In this garden, not only can you see Japanese traditional architecture, but also enjoy the Tea Ceremony at the Experience Zone.  

Kokua Castle Garden, in Kitakyushu-city…の続きを読む

  Imitated the beautiful scenery of Japan. It is a refined circular garden of Momoyama period style and represents the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road including Mt. Fuji. The fresh springs in the garden release clean, cold water, which flows there from Mt. Aso via underground currents. In 1636, Tadatoshi, the third Lord of Hosokawa, began its construction as a tea retreat, and he also built the temple here for Priest Gentaku called Suizenji. This beautiful Momoyama style garden evolve during the reigns of the fourth and fifth Lords. In all it took about 80 years to complete.

Suizenji-koen park, in Kumamoto…の続きを読む

  Kitakyushu Manga Museum is located next to JR Kokura station. The museum is located on the 6th floor of Aru Aru City, a multi-floored shopping mall devoted to products and services for anime, manga, idol culture, and cosplay fans, a kind of Harajuku in miniature. The permanent exhibition area on the 6th floor concentrates on manga writers and artists who have a connection with Kitakyushu; and while more than thirty are listed, the best known is Reiji Matsumoto, who is also the honorary director of the museum. The rest of the Aru Aru City shopping mall is devoted to shops and services for Japan’s pop youth culture. There are lots of shops selling manga, anime DVDs, J-Pop CDs, computer games, trading cards, as well as related paraphernalia such posters and figurines. There are games arcades, an internet cafe, model car racetrack, a karaoke bar, and several cafes and bars serving alcohol, as well as a full maid cafe.

Kitakyushu Manga Museum, in Kitakyushu…の続きを読む

  Kawachi Wisteria Garden is a private garden at the Mountain foot of Sarakura in  Kitakyushu-city  and famous for its spectacularly presented, large numbers of  wisteria flowers. The garden is opened to the public seasonally during the wisteria season w hich usually peaks around late April to middle of May. The garden’s most prominent features are two, roughly 100 meter long tunnels made of wisteria trees of differing varieties and colors, ranging from white to dark purple.

Kawachi Wisteria Garden, in Kitakyushu-c…の続きを読む

  Kyushu National Museum was opened in 2005 in Dazaifu-city next to Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, as Japan’s fourth national museum after Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara. Dazaifu is the place where played important role as an administrative center and a center for trade with China and Korea since 1300 years ago, therefore the concept of the museum is decided “Interpreting the formation of Japanese culture from the perspective of Asian history”.  

Kyushu National Museum, in Dazaifu…の続きを読む

  One of the most popular hot spring for foreign tourists, located at the foot of Kuju mountain range in Oita-prefecture.  The hot spring is known as one of the world’s top carbonate spring.

Nagayu Onsen…の続きを読む

  The first-class civil construction heritage, the triggered the registration of World Cultural  Heritage of Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution  The Kawachi Reservoir was constructed for the industrial water supply to Yawata Steel Works. The dam was constructed at the Okura River and upper stream of the dam was expanded and making the 7milion cubic metre reservoir. In the construction of the dam, the unprecedented design in the world has been applied in order to harmonize with nature and to save the construction cost. The stones come out from the mountain when the river was expanded have been utilized for construction of the dam. All stones are cut into sizes and shapes by the stone technicians  according to the place of use.  The large size stone were used at the main construction of the dam and the small size stones  were used for other places as per size and shape. Construction was started in 1919 and was  completed in1927 by 900 thousand total number of workers.

Kawachi Reservoir, in Kitakyushu-city…の続きを読む