Anisa’s inaka

After every post, Anisa tells me she didn’t do anything. And yes, she didn’t do much at all, but she was a great host who made me feel very welcome and that’s what counts. If she had tried really hard to make my stay great, then I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. But … Continue reading →

The tumultous journey to Hagi

In Japan, there are two option to travel cheap: night buses and local trains. I’ve talked about my disappointing experience with the night bus option before, so this time I decided to leave Fukuoka by local train and return by night bus (instead of arriving exhausted at my destination). I left the share house in … Continue reading →

Nanzoin temple (part VI)

Nanzoin Temple houses an incredible collection of stone statues. Look at these small ones, all with a different facial expression. Aren’t they amazing? And how about the huge Manekineko statue? With this post, I finally finish my Nanzoin Temple posts. It’s also the last post about Fukuoka, because a few days later, I left for a bit … Continue reading →

Nanzoin temple (part V)

The second to last part of this Nanzoin temple blog post series. 😉 A collection of a few more sightings around the temple complex. Let me introduce you to Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru. Also known as the ‘Three wise monkeys’ or ‘Sanbiki no saru’. In the first picture, they look like frogs to me, but … Continue reading →

Nanzoin temple (part IV)

Finally, we arrive at the huge statue of the reclining Buddha! And when I say huge, I mean ‘probably the biggest bronze statue in the world’ huge. Known as Nehanzo or Shaka Nehan (nehan meaning Nirvana), the statue is 41 meters long, 11 meters high, and weighs almost 300 tons. It shows Buddha at the … Continue reading →

Nanzoin temple (part III)

After going through the amazing tunnel, I found a charming little pond with next to it this bright red gate. I followed the stairs up, and found a small shrine. We’re getting close to the giant Buddha statue! But first, let us take in the beautiful countryside view… I love these! Why is everything so … Continue reading →

Nanzoin temple (part II)

Once I found out where to go at the Nanzoin temple complex to find the Buddha statue, I passed through this impressive tunnel called Shichifukujin (or Seven Lucky Gods) Tunnel. Isn’t it enchanting? I’ve never seen such a large amount of Buddha images together… And on top of that they’re adorable too!

Nanzoin Temple (part I)

It was the first day of May. A lot of rain had fallen the past few days, and I really needed a change of scenery, so I finally decided to go to the big reclining Buddha at Nanzoin. I’d known about it for the past 3 years, but never took the time to visit. From … Continue reading →

Hakata Illuminated (part two)

After seeing the lights in the ‘densest’ area, we took quite a while to find the next lit-up shrine. We went from temples to shrines, and met up with an acquaintance I met in Himeji for dinner. As I said in my previous post, this was the only outing during my last week. I spent … Continue reading →

Hakata Illuminated (part one)

When I returned to Fukuoka, I spent one more week in Sharely Style Hakata (Sharely for short). I was incredibly glad to be back, because after 3 weeks of ‘alone adventures’ I really needed some company. I’d stayed in this share house twice before, so returning there was only natural. I spent a great time … Continue reading →