The first Chinese style temple in Nagasaki. Shortly after the construction of Kofukuji Temple, Chinese traders asked the Nagasaki governor for permission to built Chinese temples according to their home provinces. It is recorded that this temple was built in 1629 by people  who came from Fuzhou in Fujian Province. It is designated as a National Treasure.       The existing main hall ( called Daiyuhoden ) was first prefabricated in China, then transported by Chinese ship and constructed in 1646. As the oldest existing structure to retain the Obaku style of the end of the Ming Dynasty, the temple’s hall is highly evaluated.    

Sofukuji Temple…の続きを読む

  Yanagawa Sagemon Festival is one of the most beautiful and very unique Japanese traditional Festival in Kyushu.  The festival is held from February 11 through April 3 in Yanagawa.  Hina dolls are displayed by families with girls to pray for safe growth of  their children, in Yanagawa, in addition to Hina dolls, colourful “Sagemon” are displayed.     Sagemon Meguri was started in order to showcase beautiful “Sagemon” to visitors. Each display of “ Sagemon” represents parents’ wishes for their girls to grow into beautiful, strong, and proud women.      

Yanagawa Sagemon Festival…の続きを読む

                                                                                                                                        HOME    A large commercial facility along Murasaki river and next to Kokura Castle. It was opened as part of the Kitakyushu Renaissance Scheme in 2003, and possesses many colorful and originally-designed buildings. It consists of a specialty store area where you can enjoy shopping; the commercial zone with a cinema complex; the cultural zone mainly comprising a theater and an art museum and a media zone which includes the offices of a newspaper publishing company.         Furthermore, an interesting spot is “FOOD PAO”, offers a varied selection of inexpensive restaurants where you can enjoy lunch or dinner.    Location of Kitakyushu-city       General information   Address 1-1-1 Muromachi, Kokura-kita, Kitakyushu-city, Fukuoka-prefecture Access 15 minutes walk from JR Kokura Station 70 minutes by a vehicle from Fukuoka-city 100 minutes by a vehicle from Beppu 100 minutes by a vehicle from Yufuin   Contact us  Should you need further information please feel free to contact us. Your equiry can be sent by selecting the Enquiry Form link below. Enquiry Form You can also contact us by e-mail at  info@japan-kyushu-tourist.com And we would love to chat about your travel plans on the phone as well, please ring our office a call in English    Tel : +81-93-521-8897      HOME    About us   Our Services    Terms and Conditions    

River Walk Kitakyushu…の続きを読む

  Such a disastrous war must never be repeated. At 11:02 a.m. on August 9, 1945, a plutonium atomic bomb detonated approximately 500 meters above the central monument. Most of Nagasaki was destroyed, and a tremendous number of lives were lost; about 70,000 out of Nagasaki’s 240,000 residents died instantly, and up to 60,000 others were injured.   The radius of total destruction was approximately 1.6 kilometers, with subsequent fires spreading across the northern part of the city and extending up to 3.2 kilometers south of the hypocenter.        

Ground Zero…の続きを読む

  Have you tried Foot bath before? Foot bath is called Ashiyu in Japanese and is a public bath in which people can bath their feet. Ashiyu in Beppu set up at Kannawa Onsen near the Hell tour spots.     You can easily enjoy it without having to remove all your clothing, only the feet and leg up to the knee are immersed. The Foot bath can still warm the entire body because of the large veins that run through the leg.    

Foot bath…の続きを読む

  Fukuoka Castle was built by feudal lord Nagamasa Kuroda in Fukuoka-city in 1601 and was called Maizuru castle.  Part of stone wall and canal, and the Tamon tower are still left intact as they were back then.     There is also a nice view of the city from the former main citadel. Parts of the castle’s former moats were used to construct nearby Ohori koen Park, a pleasant and picturesque public city park.     At the present, the area around the ruins of Castle is also part of Maizuru park. The place is famous for its beautiful plum and cherry blossoms.      

Fukuoka Castle Ruins…の続きを読む

  After the Tokugawa Shogunate banned Christianity, non-Christian Chinese merchants  began making port at Nagasaki around 1600. Chinese people soon started living in Nagasaki and etitioned the Nagasaki government to let them built a Chinese temple to pray for safe navigation and console of the deceased. Permission was granted for the construction of  first Chinese temple.     Kofukuji Temple was completed in 1620, and Chinese traders then planned to invite a high-ranking priest from China as the temple’s chief abbot. The Kofukuji Temple’s present main hall was built in  1883 by Chinese experts who were invited to Japan mainly by residents in Nagasaki hailing from Nanjin. It was designated as an Important Cultural Asset.    

Kofukuji Temple…の続きを読む

  Home to the largest seated wooden Buddha in Japan, Tochoji Temple was founded in 806 by Kobo-daishi Kukai, making it the oldest Shingon sect temple in the country. Also known as “Tocho-mitsuji Temple,” it is said that Kobo-daishi founded it upon his return to Hakata after his Buddhist training in Tang China. He built the temple to pray for the eastward dissemination and perpetuation of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism.   Completed in 1993, the Fukuoka Daibutsu (Great Buddha of Fukuoka) stands 10.8 meters tall and is the largest seated wooden Buddha in Japan. On the 28th of each month, the doors of the Rokkakudo temple on the premises are opened, allowing visitors to view its six Buddhist statues. The main hall houses a wooden statue of the Thousand-armed Kannon (Avalokiteshvara), which is designated as an Important Cultural Property.    

Tochoji temple…の続きを読む

  This Tourist information is created by Japan KYUSHU Tourist for enjoyment of your travel. We are a Travel Agent in Fukuoka specializing in Kyushu. When you have an idea or a plan for traveling in Kyushu, Japan, please contact us by sending an Enquiry.                                                   Kanmonkyo Bridge is the suspended bridge crossing the Kanmon Straits, a stretch of water separating two of Japan’s four main islands. On the Honshu side of the bridge is Shimonoseki and on the Kyushu side is Kitakyushu-city.  The Kanmonkyo bridge was opened to vehicles in 1973 and connected the Kyushu Expressway in 1984. It is the 34th largest suspension bridge in the world with a central span of 712 meters.     Kanmon Strait The Kanmon Straits, separating Honshu and Kyushu, is a very busy waterway with as many as 700 small and large ships a day passing through it. There are a total of seven ways to cross the straits such as the 1,068-meter-lomg “Kanmon-kyo Bridge”, the “Shin-Kanmon Tunnel” , the “Kanmon Pedestrian Tunnel”, to cross on foot, the “ferries”, and the like.     Konamon Pedestrian tunnel Only the place in the world !   You can cross the strait on foot. The Kanmon Strait, separating Honshu and Kyushu, is a very beautiful and busy waterway with as many as 700 small and  …

Kanmonkyo bridge…の続きを読む

  Explore Glover Garden in Nagasaki   Located on Minami-Yamate Hill, Glover Garden offers a captivating look into Nagasaki’s history from the late Edo to the Meiji period. The park features nine traditional Western-style buildings with unique Japanese roof tiles, where foreign merchants once lived. Among these, the Glover, Alt, and Ringer Residences are over 150 years old and stand as invaluable historic treasures. Beyond its rich history, the garden boasts a stunning panoramic view of Nagasaki Port, with the iconic Mt. Inasa serving as a beautiful backdrop.       The Glover Residence: A UNESCO World Heritage Site Built in 1863, the Glover Residence is Japan’s oldest wooden Western-style building and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. It was the home of Thomas Glover, an enterprising Scotsman who arrived in Nagasaki in 1859. He played a massive role in modernizing Japan by operating coal mines, founding Japan’s first modern shipyard, supplying weapons to the Satsuma clan, and helping establish the famous Kirin Brewery. Today, this beautiful historic house offers a captivating glimpse into 19th-century Western culture overlooking Nagasaki Bay.       The Inspiration for Madame Butterfly The Glover Residence is widely believed to be the setting for Puccini’s famous opera, Madame Butterfly. Inside the park, you can see a life-size statue of Tamaki Miura, …

Glover Garden…の続きを読む