Plum Trees and Old Prayers at Dazaifu

Dazaifu Tenmangu is about 30 minutes from Fukuoka city. It is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar and government official who was sent away from the capital about 1,100 years ago and died here.

Because he was a great scholar, people now come to pray for success in study. In February and March the shrine is full of students before their exams.

The plum trees

Michizane loved plum blossom. There are now around 6,000 plum trees in the grounds. I went in the first week of March and most of them were open — white and light pink, and the smell is much stronger than cherry blossom.

There is one tree in front of the main hall called Tobiume, the "flying plum tree". The story says it flew from Kyoto to Dazaifu to follow him. It is always the first tree in the grounds to flower.

The path to the shrine

From the station to the shrine is a short street full of shops. Almost all of them sell the same thing: umegae mochi, a small round rice cake with red bean inside, grilled until the outside is crisp. They cost 130 yen and are best eaten immediately, while still hot. I ate two.

Something I did not expect

Behind the shrine there is a very modern Starbucks designed by the architect Kengo Kuma. The whole front is built from thousands of thin wooden sticks crossing each other. It looks strange next to an old shrine, but somehow it works.

A note on writing your wish

You buy a small wooden board called an ema for 500 yen, write your wish, and hang it up. I read a few while I was there. Most were about university entrance exams. One said only "please let my mother get better".