◆Day 3 [Fukuoka]: A tour around Kyushu's sacred sites! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Immersive visit to the sacred sites of "Onimusha no Kabuto"!

An immersive hit on the sacred ground of Ghostbusters!

After a night's stay in Kumamoto and a delicious breakfast, we were off to Fukuoka Prefecture on the Kyushu Shinkansen.
It takes about 40 minutes from Kumamoto Station to Hakata Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen.

The destination of this Fukuoka Prefecture sacred site tour was Zoumen Shrine.
The word “Zaomon” in the name of Zaomon Shrine is also the last name of the main character of the popular manga "Onigiri no Kabuto", Zaomon Tanjiro!

Ghostbusters Blade is a Japanese manga created by Gokutoge Hushiharu. The cumulative circulation of its one-shots (23 volumes in total) has surpassed 150 million copies (as of February 2021), and the animated film of the same name, which begins in 2019, has been well received by Fosse.

In addition, due to the following similarities, this place is widely known as the holy land of "Ghostbusters" and attracts many manga fans to visit:
Zoumen Shrine was built to seal the oni gate, which is in line with the theme of "Onimusha no Kabuto", which is to destroy demons;
Ichimatsu Matsuri (Ichimatsu Pattern), a chevron pattern in two colors, is used for the clothing of Shinto priests, and is the same as the pattern on the outer coat of Charajiro;
It is said that the author of "Onigiri no Kabuto", Gokuji Huseharu, is from Fukuoka.

In Fukuoka Prefecture, there are two shrines named after Zaomon: “Mizoguchi Zaomon Shrine” and “Homan Zaomon Shrine”.
In addition to these two shrines, we also hit up the sacred site of Natsume Tomonenki in Fukuoka City.

The route for this Holy Land tour is as follows!

1. Mizoguchi Zoumen Shrine
2. Homanzomon Shrine
3. Karonouron
4. Jiromaru Station

 

The immersive painted horse (wishing sign)! “Mizoguchi Zoumen Shrine”

First of all, we will go to “Mizoguchi Zoumen Shrine” in Tsukigo-shi, which is about 1 hour's drive from Hakata Station.
If you choose to take the train, you can take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Chikugo Funaya Station (about a 30-minute ride) and then take a cab for about 10 minutes.

When visiting the shrine, many fans hand-draw “Onigiri no Kabuto” on wishing cards called "Eimasu," which are then enshrined in the shrine. Just looking at the painted horses is breathtaking.

It may not be clear from this photo, but it is said that the patterns painted on the windows of the main hall of Zoumen Shrine in Gouguchi are very similar to the ripples of the sword art “Breath of Water” performed by Hajiro Tanuki.

Mizoguchi Zoumen Shrine
Address: 1553 Mizoguchi, Tchikugo-shi, Fukuoka 833-0012, Japan

Homanzomon Shrine

An hour's drive from Goukou Zoumen Shrine will bring you to Homan Zoumen Shrine. “Homanzomon Shrine is located in Dazaifu City, which is famous for Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine.
The shrine is only about 5 minutes by car from Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, so you can also visit Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine on the way.

Mt. Homan still has practitioners practicing here. This is reminiscent of the mountain where Charcoal Jirou practiced.

Homanzomon Shrine
Address: 818-0115, Uchiyama, Dazaifu-shi, Fukuoka-ken
Official Website: https://kamadojinja.or.jp/

Memory of Junior Natsume at “Karonouron” and “Jiromaru Station”

After finishing our tour of the sacred sites of Onimusha no Kagemusha, we will return to Hakata Station and then head to the sacred sites of Natsume Tomonen no Kagemusha.
Kumamoto Prefecture, the hometown of author Yukari Midorikawa, is featured several times in Natsume Tomodachi.
However, what appears in the scene where the main character Takashi Natsume goes to his relative's house is a street scene in Fukuoka City. (Season 4, Episode 12 - 13)
We started our tour at the station where Takashi Natsume got off.
Jiromaru Station is about 30 minutes by Fukuoka City Limousine Nanakuma Line from Hakata Station.

There is also Tadano udon ya san, an udon store that Natsume visits on his way to his relative's house.
This store is modeled after “Karonouron” in Jyuan.
“Karono” means “corner” and “uron” means “udon”. This is a unique Hakata accent.

As the name suggests, this is a corner udon store!
It is close to Hakata Station and Kushida Shrine Station on the Nanakuma Line of the Fukuoka Municipal Subway.
This store is on the same route as the aforementioned Jiro Maru Station, so it's very convenient to visit!

5 minutes walk from Gion Station of Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line.

Staying at “THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier”

Today we will stay at “THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier”.
It is a 7-minute walk from Hakata Station and a 5-minute walk from Canal City Hakata, a popular commercial facility.
It's only a 7-minute walk from the aforementioned “Karonouron”! Very convenient!

The hotel has a “Starbucks”, a restaurant and a cafe on the 1st and 2nd floors, making it very convenient for dining or just taking a break.

About “THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier”, we recommend “HAKATA LOUNGE”, which is open only to the guests of “HAKATA Floor” on the top floor. "HAKATA LOUNGE

Here you can enjoy the night view of Fukuoka City while having a quiet and cozy time.

The rooms are also very cozy and spacious. (The picture is of Hakata's Deluxe Double Room)

The hotel also has a large comfortable bath!
You can stretch your limbs and relax in the spacious bathtub.

The next day's breakfast is a buffet of Japanese and Western dishes made with carefully selected Kyushu ingredients.

The sunlight pours in through the window, warm and dazzling～!
A bright and open space to energize for the day!

The waiter cut the freshly baked pork roast for us on the spot!
Enjoy luxurious flavors from the morning ~~!

the bossom hakata premier
Address: 8-12, Hakata-ekimae 2-chome, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka, 812-0011, Japan
tel: 092-431-8702
Official Website: https://www.jrk-hotels.co.jp/Hakata_premier/

If convenience near the station is more important to you, there are two other hotels to choose from:

“JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Hakata Chuo”：
It is a 2-minute walk from the Hakata-guchi exit of JR Hakata Station.

“JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Fukuoka”：
It is also just a 2-minute walk from the Tsukishi-guchi exit of JR Hakata Station, and has a rustic and charming appearance.

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Hakata-chuo
Address：2-2-11, Hakata-ekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-0011
tel: 092-477-8739
Official Website: https://www.jrk-hotels.co.jp/Hakatachuo/

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Fukuoka
Address：2-2-4, Hakata-eki Higashi, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 812-0013
Tel: 092-413-8787
Official Website: https://www.jrk-hotels.co.jp/Fukuoka/

Attack on Titans Oita Prefecture Holy Land Tour

The final stop on our tour around Kyushu's sacred sites is just around the corner!
This time, we are going to start a trip to Oita Prefecture～!

Attack on Titan's Holy Land Tour! Launching ~~~!

Kagoshima] Kyushu Holy Land Tour! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Seed Island Pilgrimage!
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/huuzm1ko/

◆The second day of the tour [Kumamoto]: A tour around the Kyushu Holy Land! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! A Pilgrimage to Natsume's Friend's Book and One Piece's King of Thieves
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/xbyqur8t/

◆Day 4 [Oita Chapter] Kyushu Sacred Sites Tour! A five-day, four-night guide to popular anime attractions! Enjoy the hot springs in the "Attack on Titan" mecca!
https://joyjapan.tokyo/area/lyfobw2h/