I love walking long distances! Introduce interesting places along the walking course!

I would like to introduce the walking route that I enjoyed to various people. It’s a challenge to introduce it well so that foreigners can enjoy it! I wonder if I can continue (;^_^A

Especially when you go outside and take a walk (rather than using equipment such as a room run), the various scenery that you see from your eyes stimulates your brain, and if the weather is nice, your body will be exposed to the sunlight it needs. Also, the wind and air will give good stimulation to the skin and the nerves of the nostrils.

I feel that the act of walking is actually good for all parts of the body, including the brain.

I want people of all ages who use wheelchairs or canes to enjoy part of this course

This is the course I would like to introduce, but I want people in wheelchairs and walking with canes to enjoy it, so I am checking if it is an easy route for them. For example, large bumps, bumps, road surface conditions, etc. are introduced with photos.

However, I am no expert and have never used it in a wheelchair. I don’t know if there are manners. I only have the experience of pushing a wheelchair for a walk. In addition, the controlling conditions are different for electric wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs, and I think that the physical strength varies from person to person.

Therefore, please use this information only as a reference.

If there are people who have tried this coerce and felt that “this section was tough” walking with a wheelchair or a cane, even if it’s only part of this course, I would be happy if you could leave a comment here (via the contact form on my profile page)! We will post it on this page. Comments such as “It was fun!” are also very welcome.

Fukuoka City is a decree city with the largest population (1.63 million people) in Fukuoka Prefecture and Kyushu (Fukuoka Prefecture, Oita Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kagoshima Prefecture).

The number of foreign tourists visiting Fukuoka City was 2,148 in 2019 before COVID-19. In 2023, immigration restrictions for foreigners will be eased, and a V-shaped recovery is expected.

Many tourists from South Korea, China and other Asian countries are visiting. You can’t really tell if they’re foreigners by their appearance, but when you walk around town, you can hear foreign languages flying around. I feel that Fukuoka is popular with Asian people. I want such travelers to enjoy this route, so we will introduce it in an easy-to-understand manner.

Trivia about Fukuoka City

“Fukuoka City” is a city with a population that continues to grow and urban development is progressing, but I would like to briefly explain where in Japan the city is located, even for foreigners. Fukuoka City is located in Fukuoka Prefecture, which is located at the northernmost tip of the island of Kyushu in the southwestern part of Japan.

What kind of place is Fukuoka? Fukuoka’s food is good, there are many beautiful women and handsome men, and Fukuoka Hakata’s specialties such as Mentaiko and Tonkotsu (pork bone) Ramen are famous. The birthplace of Udon is actually Fukuoka (there are various theories). Recently, Fukuoka has become famous place for its environment for doing business, as it is easy for start-up companies to grow.

Fukuoka City has No. 1 things

Fukuoka City has many prides. For example, Fukuoka ranks first in the list of cities in Japan where people want to live, and Fukuoka ranks first in terms of the rate of business openings in Japan, and is ranked first in the list of “sports-prosperous cities.”

There are more….
Fukuoka ranks first in terms of the number of preserved trees (among ordinance-designated cities). Fukuoka has the highest growth rate of foreign residents. The number of sweets shops and price (cheapness) is also No. 1 in Fukuoka, and there are still many things in Fukuoka that are No.1. Check here if you are interested! (Fukuoka Facts)

Hakata Station has the most users as the land gateway of Kyushu, and the number of users is about 400,000 including the subway. Tenjin Station, located in Tenjin, the busiest city in Fukuoka, has about 102,000 people. Tenjin Station is located in the center of Tenjin Underground Shopping Center, which boasts the largest scale in western Japan, but Hakata Station has four times as many.

Exit Hakata Gate West to the station square and you will see the Fukuoka Center Building in front of you. This building was built in 1972, but it is a target building of the redevelopment project “Hakata Connected“.

There is a signboard of “Rakuten” on the building and it stands out. The Fukuoka branch office of Rakuten Group Co., Ltd. is on the 12th floor.

About Rakuten

A simple explanation of Rakuten to foreigners is that Rakuten is a Japanese version of Amazon. Starting with an online store and mall (Rakuten Ichiba), they are now a diversified company that uses IT to develop various industries such as travel, finance, real estate, communication, and baseball team management.

Walk along Hakata Ekimae St., which runs vertically in front of Hakata Exit, and head for Canal City. The distance is about 650m and it takes about 9 minutes. The sidewalk is straight and the road surface is clean, so it is easy to walk.

There are convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Lawson, and 2 Starbucks until you arrive at Canal City Hakata. It might be good for people who want to drink coffee and start slowly.

The building where Starbucks Coffee The Blossom Hakata Premier Store is located is a building with a characteristic triangle-like corner, and it is the hotel “THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier” operated by JR Kyushu Hotels Co., Ltd. A luxury hotel with 238 guest rooms, which opened in September 2019.

The exterior of the hotel is inspired by Hakata-ori textiles, and the walls are decorated with tiles such as “Hakata-bei,” and artworks that display traditional crafts related to Kyushu are also impressive.

Canal City Hakata is a multi-purpose facility with a shopping mall, movie theater, theater, amusement facility, two hotels, showrooms, offices, etc. on a site of approximately 43,500 square meters. It opened on April 20, 1996 as part of a redevelopment project in Fukuoka City.

In the center of the facility, which is lined with curved and colorful buildings, there is a canal of about 180m, and a dynamic fountain show is held. Events and live music performances by performers are held on the waterside stage, making it a bustling tourist spot where you can gather and relax.

Lt’s keep walking! If you walk about 450m from Hakata Station Square along “Hakata Ekimae St.”, you will find the “Hakata Ward Office South Exit” intersection. At this point, Canal City Hakata can be seen about 130m ahead.

In the photo of the intersection below, the red mark is part of the East Building of Canal City Hakata (covered in green). Let’s head to the entrance of the East Building!

After crossing Nakasu-Shinbashi, walk about 3 blocks and you will come to the Haruyoshibashi Higashi intersection, where you will meet Haruyoshibashi.

The current Haruyoshi Bridge was built when the National Road was constructed, and there is an old bridge called Nakasu Kakehashi on the right side of that bridge. In fact, it was the old Haruyoshi Bridge, and it was given a new name in 1948 when the new bridge (now Haruyoshi Bridge) was built.

The Nakasu Suspension Bridge (former Haruyoshi Bridge) seems to have existed in 1737, and the old and new bridges spanning the Naka River are somewhat loving.

I learned later that the new Haruyoshi Bridge has a bridge name board with calligraphy by Mr. Kazuyoshi Morita (Entertainer: Tamori). The reason is that he is from Fukuoka and the name “Harukichi” is the same name as Tamori’s father. For more details, please click here. I did not know. . . I missed it.

In fact, when the new bridge was built, the old bridge was supposed to be demolished, but the locals and people with connections who regretted the historic old bridge objected, so it was left as a pedestrian bridge.
That’s right, they’re right to leave! Click here for the history of Haruyoshi Bridge.

In the Haruyoshi area, the rows of houses from before the war still remain and you can feel the atmosphere of a downtown area full of humanity. A business district is formed around Watanabe-dori, and at night there are many restaurants with neon lights adjacent to Nakasu.

It is a town that has been showing excitement in recent years, such as holding night markets instead of morning markets and bar-hopping events around restaurants.

Tenjin is the busiest city in Kyushu. Further development under the urban redevelopment project “Tenjin Big Bang”.

“Tenjin” is Kyushu’s largest downtown and business district, with department stores, fashion buildings, banks, trading companies, news organizations, etc., and is always bustling with businessmen, travelers, and shoppers.

In addition, the 6th largest underground mall in Japan (total floor area: 53,300m²/length: 600m), Tenjin Chikagai (nickname: Tenchika), is located between the Tenjinbashiguchi intersection and the Watanabe-dori 4-chome intersection. The city hall is in Tenjin, Chuo Ward, and the prefectural office is in Hakata Ward.

Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station, the largest terminal station of Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu)

Nishitetsu Fukuoka (Tenjin) Station is the largest terminal station of Nishi-Nippon Railroad (Nishitetsu), next to Hakata Station, the largest terminal station representing Kyushu and Fukuoka. The Nishitetsu Tenjin Highway Bus Terminal is located in the station building “Solaria Terminal Building”, and serves as a hub for highway buses that arrive and depart within the city.

There may be some people who start and finish this walking route at this station instead of “Hakata Station”. The route will be approximately 14km walking distance.

Arrive at Kego Shrine! A power spot for praying for warding off evil, winning, and passing exams!

Although it is a passing point of 18km, we have arrived at Tenjin’s power spot “Kego Shrine”! It takes about 2.3km (31 minutes) to walk from Hakata Station where we started, but let’s get the power of this Kego Shrine to complete the remaining 15.7km!

And that’s all for now! Pictures and introductions of Kego Shrine will be continued in the next report. How was the route and my guidance so far? I would love to hear from you via my contact form!

Chiba Pref. Volunteer: Denim

Hello, I’m Denim. I live in Chiba Prefecture, but I have come to Fukuoka for business. So this time, I would like to introduce Fukuoka! I also report on “Yurugi Jizoson” and “Koppa Jizo”, which are cultural properties designated by Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. So please check it out!

This time, I will introduce “Yurugi Jizoson” in Iiyamamanmachi, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture and “Koppa Jizo” in Yakuendai, the same city.

“Yurugi” means to sway. “Koppa” means a trivial thing. Jizo is an object of Buddhism that is said to embrace people’s sufferings with great compassion and save them.

These two Jizo are two of Funabashi City’s 48 designated cultural properties (as of February 2022).

Appearance and Creator of Yurugi Jizo (Wooden Jizo Bodhisattva Seated Statue)

The Yurugi Jizo has 172cm tall in a sitting position, which is quite large, and the head seems to be two or three times larger than that of a human. Perhaps you can feel that from the warm and gentle expression of Jizo’s face. It is said to be made from a single pine tree, and was made by Kanshin, one of the wood-eating monks of the Edo period. It is said that this monk is a monk who has undergone training to eat only nuts and grass, avoiding fired foods and meat.

There are few materials about the creator Kanshin, and in the Katsushika Chronicle written in 1749, it is written about the Koutouan (place: Yakuendai, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture) that Kanshin opened.  It seems that there is a record in the book that he made the statue of Jizo Bodhisattva.  However, it seems that there are various theories, and there is a possibility that it was made by another professional Buddhist sculptor.

The origin of the name and the birth of Jizo

This wooden statue of Jizo Bodhisattva is called “Yurugi Jizoson” and its origin dates back to the Edo period. At that time, there was an old pine tree called “Yurugi no Matsu” in this place, and it is said that the branches of the pine tree were so big that they covered the valley. The base of the giant tree seems to float above the ground, and when people pass through the base, the trunk and branch tips sway, hence the name. “Yurugi” means to sway.

And unfortunately, the “Yurugino Matsu” withers and dies. The villagers who regretted it asked Kanshin, a wood-eating monk, to carve two large and small Jizo Bodhisattvas from dead pine trees, and one of them became this large “Yurugi Jizo”. It is said to have been built in 1723 (Kyoho 8).

The other smaller one is called ‘Koppa Jizo’ and is located in Kodoan (1-4-26 Yakuendai, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture), which was opened by Kanshin in Yakuendai, Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture. There is also the tomb of Kanshin, a designated historic site.

After visit the local Yurugi Jizoson

The area around Yurugi Jizoson’s temple is under construction, and the grove of trees behind the temple has disappeared, and the atmosphere seems to have changed a little compared to before. Also, the day I went this time was unfortunately cloudy and the photos weren’t good quality….so I haven’t posted a picture of the temple of Koppa Jizo.

I’ll go to take pictures again on a sunny day! Also, it will continue to update the information on this page. If you know the information about the stone monument next to the temple, please let me know from here!

In addition, in front of the temple of Yurugi Jizo, there was a “Benzaiten no Hokora” surrounded by trees. It’s so quiet that you might miss it if you don’t know its existence beforehand. If you know the details about this “Benzaiten no Hokora”, please let me know too.

Chiba Volunteer: Denim

Actually, I’m a Chiba beginner who doesn’t know anything about Chiba. Therefore, various things and places are very fresh, and I would like to introduce Chiba from an amateur’s point of view. Having said that, the scope of my activity is not so wide and I cannot go from corner to corner, but I would like to be able to distribute information with awareness of neighboring prefectures, other prefectures, and foreigners. My nickname is denim because I love denim X-). Thank you very much!