Hakata Old Town is a historic area where our hotel is located. What a contrast! The ability to merge a busy and modern area around Hakata Station and business district with a great place for a peaceful stroll consisting of old buildings, ancient temples, narrow alleyways, and hideaway food places (if you blink, you already miss the entrances of eateries—often, you don’t even notice it is there). We will let the photos speak for themselves with a few captions here and there.
Entrance to Mangyoji Temple
Inside the walls of Jyoten-ji Temple, a Buddhist temple dating to the 13th century, with a sand garden and Chinese style architecture. The monuments (3 on the left) commemorate the introduction of three now very popular foods from China by the the temple founder in the 1200s: manju (dumplings); yokan (sweet bean paste); noodles—udon and soba.
One of the sand features (Jyoten-ji Temple)
Hakata Sennen-no-Mon Gate (the Thousand Year Gate), a welcome gateway to Hakata’s temples and shrines, leading to Jotenji-dori Avenue
Jotenji-dori Avenue, a symbol of hope for Hakata’s future prosperity
Amid the modern buildings, one never knows what are behind a gate or in a narrow alley. We enjoy exploring nearby neighborhoods and often find good surprises where quiet time can be found in a busy area.
Hidden in an alley, one finds sanctuary like the Shofukuji Temple and its walled gardens, gates, and shrines.
Inside the ground of Shofukuji Temple, the oldest Zen temple in Japan (founded in 1195 by the priest Eisai). The temple is surrounded by smaller temples and narrow walled lanes between them (such as the Genjuan Temple and Seshin-in Temple).
Plum blossom season
Entrance to Tochoji Temple, the family temple of the Kuroda family
Five-story pagoda inside the ground of Tochoji Temple
