廖子香's Reviews

Sengan-en

Sengan-en is a Japanese garden made for the Shimadzu family estate by Mitsuhisa Shimadzu in 1658. The grounds boast a sprawling 50,000 square meters in total. The garden itself uses the “borrowed scenery” technique, incorporating Kagoshima’s coveted spots like the volcano Sakurajima and Kinko Bay as a natural backdrop.

• Kagoshima
• Parks & Gardens

Mameda Town

Hita City, neighboring Fukuoka and Kumamoto, was a prosperous “Tenryo (directly ruled by the Shogunate)” merchant town in Edo Period. The city is still dotted by classic buildings and earthen walls, which earned the nickname “Little Kyoto in Kyushu.” Roughly a 15-minute walk from Hita train station will take you to Mameda Town, where houses of merchants still remain who were providing goods to the Shogunate during the Tenryo Era.

• Oita
• Famous Places

Munakata Taisha Shrine

As one of the oldest shrines in Japan, it has also appeared in Japanese myths. With over 6200 affiliated shrines, this shrine worships the Amaterasu Okami (ancestral god of the Japanese emperor), the Three Munakata Goddesses, and the Shishi-gami.

• Fukuoka
• Shrines & Temples

Fukuoka Castle Ruins

The castle was built by Yoshitaka (Kanbei) Kuroda and his father Nagamasa over a seven-year period beginning in 1601. It is known as “Maizuru Castle,” the residence of the Kuroda clan of the Fukuoka domain, which reigned throughout the Edo period.

• Fukuoka
• Tourist Attractions

Kokura Castle

Hosokawa Tadaoki helped in the victory of the Battle of Sekigahara, entered the area and started building a castle in 1602. It took seven years to complete. Then, it was occupied by Lord Ogasawara, but all but the stone wall was burned down in 1866. After WWII, upon the citizens’ fervent request, the castle tower was rebuilt.

• Kitakyushu
• Tourist Attractions