Matsuura Historical Museum

松浦史料博物館

The Matsuura Historical Museum (Tel: 0950 22 2236) in Hirado is located in the former residence of the Matsuura clan, who controlled the strategic island from the 11th-19th century.

This interesting museum displays artefacts and family treasures from the Matsuura clan including samurai arms and armor, calligraphy, documents, globes, Dutch ships' figureheads and a palanquin.

The museum also includes a lovely garden with many fine wooden buildings and a Japanese teahouse. Inside the main building of the museum is a cafe decorated with 17th century western furnishing and ceramics and a shop. The Matsuura Historical Museum is located up the hill behind the harbor in Hirado town and is a short walk from the grave of William Adams.

Matsuura Historical Museum
859-5152
Nagasaki-ken
Hirado-shi
Kagami-cho 12
Tel: 0950 22 2236
Admission: 500 yen

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Kuko Line Fukuoka Subway

空港線

The Kuko (Airport) Line is one of the three subway lines in Fukuoka, Kyushu's largest city.

The Kuko Line operates from Meinohama in Nishi Ward to Fukuokakuko (Fukuoka Airport) in Hakata Ward. The line is represented by an orange (or red) color on Fukuoka subway maps.

Known officially as Line 1, the Kuko Line connects with the JR Chikuhi Line for trains to Karatsu and has stops at Hakata Station (for shinkansen links) and Tenjin Station.

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Dance Performance at Shimbara Castle

島原城

In an attempt to draw in customers to the impressive Shimabara Castle staff are performing a funky dance routine outside the main entrance.

Dressed in Edo Period (1600-1868) costume, a ninja and samurai are among the cast of line dancers.

Shimabara Castle is the Kyushu port town's main attraction and well worth a visit.

The present Shimabara Castle is a 33m-tall, five storey, ferro-concrete structure re-built in the style of the original 17th century castle in 1964. Various yagura (towers) were restored at various times in the 1960s and 70s.

The castle has an excellent museum inside detailing the Shimabara Rebellion and exhibits from the areas's Kakure Kirishitan ("Hidden Christians") culture.


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Takachiho Yokagura

高千穂夜神楽

Takachiho Yokagura is performed nightly at Takachiho Shrine.

Usually four dances are performed in the hourly show which begins at 8pm (500 yen).

The evening we attended we saw the Dance of Tajikarao, the Dance of Ameno-Uzume and the Totori Dance featuring Tajikarao. In the first dance Tajikarao listens for sounds of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) hiding in Amano-Iwato cave. In the second dance Ameno-Uzume performs an "unusual" (read "bawdy" according to the ancient texts) dance that makes the other gods laugh, thus making Amaterau curious enough to peek outside her cave. In the third dance, Tajikarao, known for his great strength, gathers his energy and removes the stone blocking the cave, thus restoring the sun to the universe.

The dance shown in the video (above) is the comic Goshintai Dance and shows Izanagi and Izanami, the god and goddess who created Japan according to Japanese mythology, as they make and drink sake. These two gods are known for their long and loving marriage before the tragedy of Izanami's death in child-birth. This dance is also known as the "Creation of Japan" dance.


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Takachiho Station

高千穂駅

The Takachiho to Nobeoka Line in Kyushu, southern Japan was closed in 2005 following the powerful typhoon Nabi and subsequent flooding which washed away two bridges along the route. No funds were available from central government for rebuilding and the company went into liquidation in 2009.

Now Takachiho Station runs only a few toy "torokko" trains a couple of kilometers down the line for tourists. The station remains open as a travel information and tribute center to the former glories of the picturesque railway, which linked the tourist town of Takachiho to Nobeoka and from there to Oita, Fukuoka (via Kokura) and the rest of the country.

The 50km-long Takachiho Railway was one of the most scenic railways in Japan before the disaster with 14 daily trains in each direction.

Takachiho Amaterasu Rail Park
Tel: 0982 72 3216

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Canal Town Fukuoka

Canal City in Fukuoka takes the "city-within-a-city" theme that has been prevalent recently in Japan and combines it with a shopping complex to create what its creators call a "city theatre" in downtown Fukuoka.

Canal City is home to over 250 shops ranging from cosmetics to sporting goods and houses a movie theater and duty-free shops as well. There are also a number of restaurants featuring a wide variety of cuisines.

One of the main aesthetic features of the complex is the 180-meter long canal that runs through the middles of the site. There are also fountain shows which take place every 30 minutes. Shows at the top of the hour feature music while the others have no music.

Canal City is separated into five areas, Sea Court, Earth Walk, Sun Plaza Stage, and Moon Walk, each with its own specific design and colorization.

The complex is also dressed up with decorations from the various seasons, such as special Christmas designs in the winter and Halloween decor in autumn among others.

In addition to the multitude of ways to amuse oneself, live performances are held on the Sun Plaza Stage almost daily.

Canal City rests between Tenjin and Hakata stations and is easily accessed on foot or by public transport from both stations. Canal Town is also in the vicinity of other Fukuoka attractions such as the Kushida Shrine and Hakata Machiya Folk Museum.

© Jason Coskrey & JapanVisitor.com

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