【Fukuoka Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine】An unexpected surprise trip

#福妳光 【Fukuoka Dazaifu Tenmangu】The place blessed by the god of learning, an unexpected surprise trip ⛩️ Dazaifu was not originally on our self-driving itinerary in Fukuoka. But because of a temporary episode, we saw this place on the map and found out that it was the "god of learning" in Japan. We decided to take a temporary detour and visit this shrine with a profound status in Japanese history. This episode full of cultural atmosphere and natural landscape became a meaningful stop in our family's trip to Fukuoka. Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine: A sacred place for worshipping the god of learning 📚🌸 Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine (だざいふてんまんぐう) was built to commemorate the scholar Sugawara Michizane (すがわらのみちざね) of the Heian period in Japan. It is one of the head shrines of Tenmangu Shrines nationwide. Michizane was revered as the "god of learning" by later generations, and attracts countless students and parents to pray for smooth studies and passing exams every year. Before entering the main gate of the shrine, we first crossed the vermilion "Taiko Bridge", a small bridge across the sacred pond, which is said to symbolize the triple meaning of the past, present and future. Children especially like to walk on such a curved bridge, as if crossing a time tunnel, ready to welcome the sacred blessing. Shrine architecture and atmosphere: solemn and full of vitality ⛩️🍃 The main hall of Dazaifu Tenmangu has been rebuilt many times. The current structure was built in 1591 and has the elegant style of Momoyama period architecture. The beautiful eaves and gold decorations interweave with the surrounding green trees to create a picture of ancient and natural blending. Even if you are not a believer, you can feel the ancient sacred atmosphere when standing in front of the main hall. While worshiping, we learned the way of worship in Japan: coin insertion, two bows, two claps, one bow. For us, this is not just a tourist attraction, but a living cultural experience class. Amulets and prayers: the embodiment of the mind 🎁🙏 When visiting Dazaifu Tenmangu, how can you not bring home an amulet that symbolizes hope? The shrine sells a variety of cute and meaningful amulets, including academic amulets, traffic safety, family safety, etc. Our family each chose amulets that suited them, and the two children specially chose the "qualified amulets" embroidered with plum blossoms, hoping that their future learning journey would be smooth. There is also an "ema" hanging area in the shrine, and we also wrote down our wishes and hung them on a wooden frame. Looking at the prayer languages ​​from all over the world, I felt that faith silently connected every traveler here. Plum blossoms and nature: beautiful landscape paintings in all seasons 🌸🍁 Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine is also known as the "Plum Blossom Shrine". There are more than 6,000 plum trees planted in the territory. The most famous one is an ancient tree called "Flying Plum". It is said that it flew from Kyoto with Michizane, and it is still lush today. When we visited, it was the new green season. Although we missed the plum blossoms in full bloom, the green garden and the breeze made people feel comfortable. There is also a quiet bamboo forest path next to the shrine, which is the favorite corner of the children. They explore and take pictures here, and the laughter blends perfectly with nature. Dazaifu sando: an extended journey of eating, drinking and having fun 🍦 Before leaving the shrine, we strolled along the "Dazaifu sando", an ancient shopping street with various souvenirs and authentic snacks on both sides. The most not to be missed is the "umegae mochi", which is crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, and has a fragrant aroma. It is a classic dessert of Dazaifu. There is also an ice cream that is exactly the same as the photo, and the taste is also quite rich! We also walked into several art shops and stationery stores and bought some cultural and creative products and postcards to bring this temporary episode to a perfect end. This trip to visit Dazaifu Tenmangu was originally just a temporary decision, but it became one of the most cherished memories of our family. The shrine is not only beautiful and solemn, but also allows us to experience the Japanese respect for knowledge, faith and nature. For children, this is a sowing of cultural seeds; for us parents, it is a journey of listening attentively and impromptu exploration. I think the beauty of traveling is not just about visiting many places, but about those unexpected touching moments.