Dazaifu was an important place in ancient times. It was like a head branch office of Company Japan in Kyushu. It was because the area of Dazaifu is the closest to the main continent.
But 1200 years ago, Sugawara Michizane was expelled to this place, and its significance was changed. Soon after his death, he was enshrined to this place and led to the construction of the shrine. Dazaihu often refers to Dazaihu Shrine.
More about Shinto Shrine , Click here.
More about Tenman Shrine , Click here.
1 Dazaifu Shrine
This is the most popular sightseeing spot in Fukuoka. It enshrines the God of Learning, Ten-man-sama, which is the spirit of Sugawara Michizane. In the precincts, you see ox statues, a Kirin statue, the iris pond and big camphor trees.It might be good to follow Japanese ways to visit the shrine, like washing hands and praying in the proper procedure. In the approaching way, there are a lot of snack shops and souvenir ones. The most distinctive things you see in walking are Umegae-mochi and a Starbucks coffee shop.
English Official Site : Dazaifu Shrine https://www.dazaifutenmangu.or.jp/en/

2 Michizane Sugawara
He lost his job due to the political scheme by his rival, he was expelled to Dazaifu, and he died here in great grief. Sometime after his death, several tragic deaths and disasters attacked Kyoto, the imperial town. The people there believed these were caused by the dead spirit of Sugawara Michizane, because they knew his tragic death and thought they had to appease his angry spirit. This led to the construction of the shrine.

3 Torii Gate
This means Shinto Shrine Gate. It literally meaning “where a bird is,” but why it is called so is not certain. It is made of stone or wood with two big pillars and two big cross bars on the top. It is considered to be the border marker between the sacred place and vulgar world. So, a lot of people bow their head before going through the gate on the way to the shrine and, after going under it on the way back, they turn around and bow again. Often it is painted red. The color red was thought as the color to keep away the evil because it was associated with the sun and fire, and it led to the color representing life.

4 Starbucks
You will see a Starbucks coffee shop along the visiting road. But this shop is designed by a famous architect Kuma Kengo. He has made the shop very Japanese styled with wooden ornaments.

5 Ukiddo with a modern art work
Ukidono is a Japanese style garden that looks like a hall floating on the water. It displays the modern art. This is what Guji, the present chief priest, has an interest in.

6 Ox Statues and Ox Cart
A carriage was drawn by an ox to carry an aristocrat in the Heian period. When Michizane Sugawara passed away in Dazaifu and one of his diciples drove an oxcart carrying his dead body, the ox stopped and lay down. He thought his dead master made it stop and that was where the body should be buried. Later, on this burial place, a shrine was built and later led to Dazaifu Shrine. In the precincts of this shrine, there are eleven ox statues. The first one you see in approaching the main hall is a black lying ox, and it is said that, if you stroke the head, you will be smarter.

7 Taikobashi Bridges
The pond under the bridges can look like the kanji “心.” Three bridges over the pond represent past, present, and future. The bridges purify our souls in these three periods. There is one belief. Don’t look back in crossing the first. Don’t stop in the second. Don’t trip in the third.

8 How to wash your hands
The Proper Ways to Pray in Shrines: There is a place for rinsing hands and mouth before visiting the shrines.
Anytime you visit a shrine or temple, you have to clean your body. But a bathroom is too large. So, it is simplified to a place of washing your hands and your mouth. Now hands only. If you are done, your purification is done. More about Cyozuba and Altars , Click here.

9 How to pray in front of the main pavilion
When you pray in front of the altar, please, do it in proper ways: throw a coin over. two bows, two claps, (pray in silence) one bow.
10 Jumped Plum Tree
Tobiume literally meaning “Jumped Plum Tree.” The legend has it that when Sugawara Michizane was expelled to Dazaifu, one plum tree of his love in his garden jumped over to Dazaifu to be with him. This tree is inside the main shrine in front of the praying place. Plum blossom is a symbol of this shrine, (you see a lot of plum blossom design and pattern) and the Fukuoka prefecture flower. More about Plum, Click here.

11 Fortune Telling Paper
A paper slip telling fortune. Almost every Shinto shrine and Buddhism temple has its own omikuji. Mostly 100 yen. You pick one paper from the box and read it. First you will see a big Kanji letter, which shows you the total luck, and other writings about many aspects such as money, health, love, and job. If you get a “大吉” kanji letters, it means Big Blessing, so you had better keep it with you. Otherwise, you should tie it around one of the designated strings or twigs close to the omikuji box.

12 Praying Board
It is a praying wooden board. People write their praying words and their names on the board and hang it in the designated place. The contents of the praying vary in according to the shrine, and here, the shrine for academic success, almost all of them, are, like please make me pass the entrance examination, or get me much better grades.

13 Hyotan Gourd
Hyotan is a gourd with two bulges. It is a lucky charm in Japan. The upper bulge is small, and the bottom bulge is large. Start from small to reach Big, this represents the big success.

14 Tall Camphor Trees
There are a lot of camphor trees in shrines and temples. Especially in warmer Western Japan, some have grown very big over a long time of several hundred years. These big trees tended to be worshipped as holy trees. One of the reasons for its holiness is the camphor extracted from the trees, which can drive away bugs and are then thought to drive away the evil. There is one big camphor tree in Dazaifu Shrine, which is 33 meters high, over 300 years and is designated as a national Natural Monument. More about Camphor , Click here.
