Dazaifu Beyond the Shrine: A Quiet Walk to Kanzeonji, Kaidanin and the Ancient Government Ruins

This article covers the temples, the government office ruins and the museum of Dazaifu, with the routes in from Fukuoka, the walking times between the sites, and the fees and times gathered into short tables.

The shrine is the obvious reason to come to Dazaifu, but it need not be the whole visit. Here the shrine and the museum take the morning, and the walk then carries on to the temples and the government office ruins in the afternoon. The practical details sit in two short tables rather than in the text.

The sites can all be reached on foot from a nearby station, the liner bus stops cut the walking down to a few minutes, and a rented bicycle is another way to cover the ground between them. Which suits you depends on how much walking you want, and the first table sets the ways in side by side.

Getting to Dazaifu

From Tenjin, the train to Dazaifu Tenmangu takes about thirty minutes via the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line and the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line.

Route	Time
Train (subway, then Nishitetsu), Hakata Station to Dazaifu Tenmangu	About forty-five minutes
Train (subway, then Nishitetsu), Fukuoka Airport domestic terminal to Dazaifu Tenmangu	About fifty minutes
Tabito sightseeing bus, Hakata Bus Terminal to Dazaifu Station	About forty minutes
Tabito sightseeing bus, Fukuoka Airport international terminal to Dazaifu Station	About twenty-five minutes
Sightseeing train Tabito, Futsukaichi Station to Dazaifu Station	About six minutes

Inside Dazaifu, the community bus Mahoroba-go costs one hundred yen per ride. A one-day ticket for the same bus costs three hundred yen.

Bicycles are the other option. A regular bicycle rented at Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station costs six hundred and sixty yen per day. An electric-assist bicycle costs one thousand one hundred yen per day. Rental bicycles are available from nine in the morning until eight in the evening.

Tenmangu and the Kyushu National Museum

Gate times at the shrine shift with the season. The shrine grounds are about a five-minute walk from Dazaifu Station. From the spring equinox the shrine gate opens at six in the morning. From June to August the gate closes at half past seven in the evening. From December to March it closes at half past six in the evening.

The Kyushu National Museum is about a ten-minute walk from Dazaifu Station. It is closed on Mondays, or on the following day when Monday falls on a holiday, and at the year end. A combined ticket for Dazaifu Tenmangu and the Kyushu National Museum costs one thousand yen.

Kanzeonji

The afternoon walk starts at Kanzeonji. Kanzeonji is about a twenty-minute walk from Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station. From the Dazaifu City Hall bus stop on the Tabito liner bus, Kanzeonji is about a five-minute walk.

Admission to the Kanzeonji Treasure House is six hundred yen for adults. The temple is lit up on December thirty-first.

Kaidanin

Kaidanin has its own approach from the city, by way of Gojo. From Tenjin, a limited express or express on the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line reaches Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station in about fifteen minutes. From Nishitetsu Futsukaichi Station, the Nishitetsu Dazaifu Line takes about two minutes to Nishitetsu Gojo Station. Kaidanin is about a fifteen-minute walk from Nishitetsu Gojo Station.

From Nishitetsu Dazaifu Station, Kaidanin is about a twenty-minute walk. Coming by the Tabito liner bus, get off at the Dazaifu City Hall bus stop and Kaidanin is about a five-minute walk. If you stay on the bus to the Government Office Ruins stop, it is a five-minute walk from there to Kaidanin.

On New Year's Eve the temple bell at Kaidanin is rung one hundred and eight times around midnight. A zazen session is held on the first, third and fifth Sundays of each month from eight in the morning until a little after ten. Each session costs five hundred yen, and first-time participants pay one thousand yen for their first session.

The Dazaifu Government Office Ruins

The ruins come last on the walk. From Tofuromae Station, the exhibition hall at the ruins is about a fifteen-minute walk. By the Tabito liner bus, the ride from Hakata Bus Terminal to the Government Office Ruins stop takes thirty-four minutes.

The exhibition hall is closed on Mondays, or on the following day when Monday is a holiday, and over the year-end and New Year period from December twenty-eighth to January fourth.

Costs and Hours at a Glance

The figures that matter for planning are gathered here.

Item	Detail
Kyushu National Museum, permanent exhibition, general admission	Seven hundred yen
Kyushu National Museum, opening hours	Half past nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, last entry at half past four
Exhibition hall at the ruins, general admission	Four hundred yen
Exhibition hall at the ruins, opening hours	Nine in the morning to half past four in the afternoon
Kanzeonji Treasure House, adult admission	Six hundred yen
Dazaifu City Tourist Information Center, opening hours	Nine in the morning to five in the afternoon, every day of the year

If you would rather have the day arranged for you, look at guided tours around Dazaifu.