Saga

Our final day around Kyushu led us to the vast fields of Saga. The first stop was Yoshinogari Historical Park. I thought it would be something akin to the one we visited in Iwate, a small village to appreciate and explore for a bit. I didn't realize it was more than ten times the size of that. An archaeological park dedicated to the Yayoi dynasty. Here, we were able to explore the old huts and impressive buildings of the past civilization. It would have been jolly except for the fact that the sun was blistering hot and the area had no shade whatsoever. I was so glad that I brought an umbrella with me. Lisa and Chloe had to brave the sun's rays for most of the trip around the area.

Aside from the interesting architecture, some highlights were the burial jars and the excavation zone particularly because it was air-conditioned. On the walk back, we stopped by for some ice cream and some more time to rest inside the air-conditioned museum. I didn't expect to spend more than 2 hours in this location and before we knew it, it was time for lunch.

Lisa got to pick the restaurant this time around and coincidentally it was located in Hizen Hamashuku, where I had planned to stop by as well. This place was once and still is a traditional sake brewery town. It was a short street with not much people so we were able to appreciate the old atmosphere, including a retro arcade, in contemplative silence. Lunch was great too, with huge servings. I got the unagi set, and they gave us some ice cream after too. The second one for the day for me.

After lunch, we went to Oouo Shrine to see if the floating torii gates would be present. I thought they would be after a few hours but it seems like they weren't. Even the sea road was far from covered, much to my disappointment. They were still beautiful nevertheless.

We initially had some discussion on where to go next, whether to go towards Fukuoka to see the Wedded Rocks or Dazaifu Mantengu Shrine to be closer to the airport or to push forward to the initial plan: Yutoku Inari Shrine, one of the top 3 Inari shrines of Japan.

On the way, Lisa suggested that we do the Dazaifu Mantengu Shrine but I ended up just saying to do Yutoku Inari Shrine instead since we were already here. Glad to say that my hunch was right as the shrine was absolutely breathtaking! The shrine stood on wooden stilts and even had an elevator leading up, not many tourists too. We essentially had it to ourselves, once again. A striking feature of the main grounds were the hundreds if not thousands of wind chimes that functioned as a canopy covering the stairs leading up. We followed it up until we reached the mountain section where it was now time to hike through Inari's famed torii gates. The photos taken here were resplendent. I only had a single 10-yen coin on me so I was saving it for the shrine at the top. At the summit, we were rewarded with amazing views of the town, the surrounding mountains, and the Ariake sea. On the descent, we took a different path and still got to enjoy even more torii gates. I found the color and texture of the wood here much more immersive with its rugged wooden pillars and crimson paint. Before heading back, we got the last ice cream of the day just when it had started to rain.

Lisa drove me all the way to the airport where I said good bye to both of them. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed for 2 hours and I had to end up getting a taxi back to Tokyo, splitting it with 2 other Russian backpackers luckily, but it still cost a hefty sum.Læs mere