Footage
- Food/Drink
NEW
Fukuoka Prefecture
The ramen in Fukuoka is special: a rich, white soup from pork marrow paired with thin noodles. Ramen shops and noodle stands can be found all over the city, it’s common to finish a night on the town with a bowl of ramen. Listen close, in the shops you’ll hear people ordering “Kae-dama”, a local custom that lets you get a second round of noodles for your soup.
- Architecture
- History
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Munakata-Taisha (Munakata Shrine)
Fukuoka Prefecture
Three sacred shrines for three daughters of the goddess of the sun and universe, Amaterasu. Munakata-taisha dates back to the 4th century, where sailors prayed for safe voyages across the seas. You’ll find national treasures like a golden ring and a bronze mirror that speak to ages past. So sacred only Shinto priests are allowed to enter, the island of Okinoshima, home to one of the three shrines, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Activity
2013 HAKATA GION YAMAKASA, Hashire! Yamakasa
Hakata Gion Yamakasa is the festival that signals the coming of summer in town, Fukuoka. With over 770 years of history, Hakata Gion Yamakasa is a Shinto ritual dedicated to Hakata's main tutelary deity Kushida Shrine, and designated as an important intangible folk asset of the country. When the gorgeous Kazariyama floats are displayed throughout the city on July 1, the town is awash in Yamakasa mood and the 15-day event begins, celebrated with two contrasting types of floats of stillness and movement. Loincloth-clad float carriers, splashed with water, pull and carry floats that weigh a ton. They run through the streets with tremendous speed, power and gallant cries. The festival climaxes on July 15 at 4:59am with the Oiyama race, and brings the hot summer to Fukuoka. KBC has broadcasted the Oiyama race every year. Witness the bustling festival of Hakata Gion Yamakasa filmed by 20 cameras covering full aspects of the Japanese traditional festival.