5 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Kanzaki That You Shouldn't Miss

Reviewed By hfot2 - Vermont, United States

When you are in Fukuoka/Hakata in autumn, be sure to visit the villa at Kunanen Garden if the timing is right. The garden and villa are open only 9 days in the autumn so you have to check online to be sure it is open if you are planning a visit. Right next to it is Niiyama Shrine and you can visit both at the same time. Plan to arrive early in the day. Take a train to JR Kanzaki Station, then a bus to the garden. Be sure to take a photo or get a copy of the return bus schedule. When you get off the bus, follow the crowd of visitors who get with you and who know where to go. The villa and garden offer a limited number of tickets each day. Purchase your numbered ticket at the stall in the parking lot near the bus stop. The stall is surrounded by stalls selling local goods. Take a photo of your ticket as a souvenir. After you get your ticket, begin the walk uphill past more food stalls to the villa. These stalls are useful to grab a bite to eat on your way out of the complex. The villa is reminiscent of a large traditional Japanese teahouse. The route though the garden takes you around the house to the back garden and out. Since you must follow the route and there is no no option to return once you leave, you need to take everything very slowly and be sure to get all the photos you want. We spent a fair amount of time walking the route, waiting for the crowds to break up - a long wait - to be able to get the photos we wanted. We were able to go back a little ways over the path we had already walked, as long as we didn’t walk out the exit gateway. The garden is not that large so it doesn’t take that much time to visit even going slowly. Once you leave, head up the hill to Niiyama Shrine (Niiyamajinja). The garden and villa, and shrine make for an excellent day trip from Hakata on peak foliage days.