After staying a night in Kumamoto and enjoying a delicious breakfast, we will take the Kyushu Shinkansen to Fukuoka Prefecture. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Kumamoto Station to Hakata Station on the Kyushu Shinkansen.

The destination of this Fukuoka Prefecture pilgrimage is Kamado Shrine. The characters "Kamado" in Kamado Shrine are also the surname of Tanjiro Kamado, the protagonist of the popular manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba! Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is a Japanese manga series created by Koyoharu Gotouge. Its collected volumes (23 in total) have surpassed 150 million copies in cumulative circulation, and the anime adaptation of the same name, which began airing in 2019, is also immensely popular with the public.

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:

Fukuoka Prefecture has two shrines named after "Kamado," namely "Mizoguchi Kamado Shrine" and "Homan Kamado Shrine." In addition to these two shrines, we also visited the pilgrimage sites of "Natsume's Book of Friends" in Fukuoka City.

🗺️ Fukuoka Anime Pilgrimage Route

⛩️ An immersive ema wall! "Mizoguchi Kamado Shrine"

First, we will head to Mizoguchi Kamado Shrine in Chikugo City, which is about a 1-hour drive from Hakata Station. If you choose to take the train, you can take the Kyushu Shinkansen from Hakata Station to Chikugo-Funagoya Station (about a 30-minute ride), and then take a taxi for about 10 minutes to arrive.

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 is said that the patterns painted on the lattice windows of the main hall of Mizoguchi Kamado Shrine bear a striking resemblance to the waves of the "Water Breathing" swordsmanship used by Tanjiro.

⛰️ The Sacred Mountain of Ascetics: "Kamado Shrine"

From Kamatoguchi Kamado Shrine, it is a one-hour drive to "Homan Kamado Shrine." Homan Kamado Shrine is located in Dazaifu City, which is famous for Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine. Since the shrine is only about a five-minute drive from Dazaifu Tenmangu, you can easily visit both together.

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

🍜 Recalling teenage Natsume at "Karonouron" and "Jiromaru Station"

After finishing the anime pilgrimage for Demon Slayer, we will head back to Hakata Station and then go visit the sacred sites of Natsume's Book of Friends. In Natsume's Book of Friends, Kumamoto Prefecture, the hometown of the author Yuki Midorikawa, has appeared many times. However, the streetscapes of Fukuoka City actually appear in the scenes where the protagonist, Takashi Natsume, travels to his relatives' house (Season 4, Episodes 12-13).

First, let's start our tour from the station where Natsume Takashi gets off. From Hakata Station, you can reach Jiromaru Station in about 30 minutes by taking the Fukuoka City Subway Nakuma Line.

In addition, there is the udon shop "Tadano udon ya san" that appears on Natsume's way to his relatives' house. This shop is modeled after "Karonouron" in Gion. "karo" means "corner," and "uron" refers to "udon." This is a dialect specific to Hakata.

As the name implies, this is a udon shop located right on the street corner! It is very close to Hakata Station and right next to Kushida Shrine Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Nanakuma Line. This shop is on the same line as the aforementioned Jiramaru Station, making it very convenient to visit! It is a 5-minute walk from Gion Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line.

🏨 Check in to "THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier"

Today we will be staying at THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier. It is about a 7-minute walk from Hakata Station and very close to the popular commercial facility Canal City Hakata, just a 5-minute walk away. It is also only a 7-minute walk from the aforementioned "Karonouron"! It's very convenient!

Starbucks, restaurants, and cafes are located on the 1st and 2nd floors of the hotel, making it very convenient for dining or taking a short break.

Regarding "THE BLOSSOM HAKATA Premier," we recommend the "HAKATA LOUNGE," which is exclusively open to guests staying on the top "HAKATA Floor"!

Here, you can enjoy a quiet and pleasant time while taking in the night view of Fukuoka City. The guest rooms are also cozy and spacious. (The photo shows the Deluxe Double Room at HAKATA)

The hotel also features a comfortable large public bath! You can stretch out your limbs and relax to your heart's content in the spacious bath.

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

Sunlight streams in through the window, warm and dazzling~! In this bright and open space, fully recharge your energy for the new day!

The server carved the freshly baked roast pork right in front of us! Enjoying a luxurious and delicious treat starting from the morning~~!

Super close to the holy site! If you want to go on a pilgrimage early in the morning, it's recommended to book a room here first. You can check the current room rates and availability on the website below:

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

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Hakata ChuoIt is a 2-minute walk from the Hakata-guchi exit of JR Hakata Station.
JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom FukuokaIt 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

JR Kyushu Hotel Blossom Fukuoka

⚔️ Next stop: Attack on Titan pilgrimage to sacred sites in Oita Prefecture

Our Round-Kyushu anime pilgrimage tour is about to reach its final stop! This time, we're kicking off the Oita Prefecture trip—the pilgrimage to the sacred sites of Attack on Titan! Let's go~~!!

Press Release Source:PR TIMES / Fukuoka Prefecture Tourist Association / Edited by JoyJapan Editorial Department