Monday 16 February - Dazaifu
A leisurely breakfast and then on the road and thanks to the SatNav we made our way to Dazaifu and the temple complex. It is in fact only about 20 kms for Fukuoka on the highway but in need of a coffee we stopped at the Cafe Kano on the way into town. Run by a couple of housewives the coffee was drip and quite excellent - not to mention the apple pie.
The Tenjin temple complex itself was busy although not hectic and surprisingly large. At the entrance was a series of gardens and ponds with typical Japanese bridges and beyond that the temple complex itself. It seems this is the shrine for culture and scholars as the founder Tenman-gu, himself a scholar had been exiled from the Kyoto court.
Back at base we set off for dinner and our ryokan was in a small street of restaurants. We found a lively one and settled on Horsemeat sashimi - a local speciality. Needless to say the vegetarians amongst us declined
A leisurely breakfast and then on the road and thanks to the SatNav we made our way to Dazaifu and the temple complex. It is in fact only about 20 kms for Fukuoka on the highway but in need of a coffee we stopped at the Cafe Kano on the way into town. Run by a couple of housewives the coffee was drip and quite excellent - not to mention the apple pie.
The Tenjin temple complex itself was busy although not hectic and surprisingly large. At the entrance was a series of gardens and ponds with typical Japanese bridges and beyond that the temple complex itself. It seems this is the shrine for culture and scholars as the founder Tenman-gu, himself a scholar had been exiled from the Kyoto court.
Back at base we set off for dinner and our ryokan was in a small street of restaurants. We found a lively one and settled on Horsemeat sashimi - a local speciality. Needless to say the vegetarians amongst us declined