13 best things TO do in SAGA, JAPAN
It was Gerald Anderson and Julia Barretto who introduced Saga to me. In the film between Maybes, this humble, little-known prefecture became the setting of an unlikely romance. While Saga’s rustic charm sure feels cinematic, there is definitely more to this unassuming destination than what can be captured on cam.
Saga is one of the seven prefectures that make up Kyushu Island. located in the northwestern side of the island and situated next to Fukuoka, it is easily accessible. However, most tourists coming from Fukuoka, considered the primary gateway to Kyushu, breeze past this often overlooked destination in favor of Nagasaki. but there are many reasons to stop and take your time in Saga. Aqui estão alguns deles.
O que é coberto neste guia?
Mifuneyama Rakuen
Yutoku Inari Shrine
Saga Prefectural government Office
Zombie Land Saga
Saga Balloon Fiesta
Saga Balloon Museum
Sagajoka Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival)
Ōuo Shrine (Floating Torii Gates)
Saga Beef
Sicilian Rice
Ureshino Tea
Ureshino Onsen
Tosu premium Outlets
How to get to Saga
How to get to Fukuoka
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Mifuneyama Rakuen
This was our most unforgettable stop in Saga. We visited in late November, so the entire site was clad in the fiery colors of fall.
Mifuneyama Rakuen is a picturesque garden in the shadows of Mt. Mifuneyama, a postcard-worthy mountain that looks like the hull of a ship. completed in 1845, this was originally built as the holiday home of Shigeyoshi Nabeshima, a feudal lord. Spanning 50 hectares, this sprawling park takes pride in its walking trails that will take you around the site including a still pond that mirrors its breathtaking surroundings perfectly.
The best time to visit is spring, when the cherry blossom trees — all 5000 of them — reach the peak of their bloom. aside from the sakura season, autumn is also a great time as the trees paint the site red and orange.
Entrance fee: ¥600
Hours open: 8am-5pm (may change on certain dates)
Nearest station: Takeo-Onsen Station.
Yutoku Inari Shrine
Welcoming over three million visitors annually, Yutoku Inari Shrine is undoubtedly one of the three most popular Inari shrines; the other two are Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Shrine and Aichi’s Toyokawa Inari Shrine. most visitors flock to the Shinto shrine to ask for good family fortune, good business, traffic safety, and a huge catch. The whole complex is stunning. It has a gate, a bridge, a garden, small ponds, the main building, a museum, the numerous dark orange (or red) torii gates, and other beautiful buildings.
Admission Fee: FREE; For the Yutoku Museum: ¥300 (Adult) / ¥200 (Students) / ¥100 (7-15 y/o); For the Garden: ¥200
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Location: 1855, Furueda, Kashima City, Saga Prefecture
Nearest Station: JR Hizen-Kashima Station. travel time from JR Hakata station to JR Hizen-Kashima station is about an hour via limited express Train Kamome for around ¥3200. From the station, take the bus to Yutoku Inari Shrine. The bus fare is ¥320.
Saga Prefectural government Office
What will you be doing at a government office, you ask? The Saga Prefectural government office offers a 360-degree, unobstructed view from its observation floor (called Saga 360). To manage your expectations, it isn’t that tall. It stands only 50 meters, but it is the tallest building in the city. If the weather cooperates, you can even see Mt. Unzen, an active volcano in Nagasaki Prefecture.
If you can, visit at around sunset when the city is bathed in golden light. After admiring the vista, have a taste of Saga’s rich, delectable cuisine at Shino, a restaurant on the same floor. You can dig into some tender, juicy Saga beef and delicious sashimi.
If you visit at night, you can also enjoy a projection mapping show! more about that in the next section.
Observation Hall operating Hours: Weekdays, 8:30am-10pm; Saturdays, 10am-10pm; Sundays, 10am-9pm
Nearest train station: JR Saga Station. From here, you can take the bus from nearby Bus center to Kencho-mae bus stop. It’s a short walk from there. You can also walk straight from Saga Station, but it’s gonna take at least 20 minutes.
Zombie Land Saga
Over the past few years, one of the anime shows that made the biggest waves in Japan is Zombie Land Saga, which tells the story of Sakura Minamoto, a high school student who met an untimely death on the way to an audition. Years later, she was resurrected together with other zombies to form a 7-piece singing group called Franchouchou and promote Saga Prefecture.
That’s a very odd story concept — outrageous, even — but I have to admit that it’s very interesting. Obviously, this is fiction (duh), but the great thing about it is, Saga Prefecture embraced it!
In fact, at the observation deck of the Saga Prefectural government office building, you can enjoy a projection mapping show featuring Zombie Land Saga. It culminates in an exclusive animated concert. Mas isso éDe jeito nenhum.
Como muitas das configurações da série foram baseadas em locais reais que existem em saga, esses lugares se tornaram instantaneamente locais turísticos como mais fãs de anime inundarem. Um deles é o antigo museu popular da cidade de Karatsu, que foi apresentado no show como Base inicial de Franchouchou. Outros pontos incluem Castelo de Karatsu e Drive-in Tori.
Festa de balão de saga.
Outra coisa que saga é famosa por? Baloons de ar quente!
Todos os anos nos últimos 40 anos, a Fiesta Balão Internacional da Saga é realizada em Saga City. Esta é a maior competição de balão de ar quente da Ásia, e pilotos de todo o mundo participam. Os visitantes se reúnem a esta parte de Kyushu para admirar os inúmeros balões de ar quente que decoram os céus. Isso acontece por cinco dias, geralmente em outubro ou novembro.
Museu do balão de saga.
Se o seu tempo estiver um pouco desligado, você pode fazer uma visita ao museu de balão de saga e aproveitar vídeos semelhantes à vida da festa de balão! Aberto ao público em 2016, este é o primeiro de seu tipo no Japão com simuladores de vôo e exibições narrando a história do balono em saga.
Taxa de entrada: 500 ienes
Horas abertas: 10 am-5pm
FECHADO: segundas-feiras e feriados de Ano Novo
Endereço: 2-27 2CHome, Matsubara, Saga City
Estação de trem mais próxima: Estação de Saga JR. A partir daqui, você pode pegar o ônibus do centro de ônibus nas proximidades para parada de ônibus kenchro-mae. É uma curta caminhada de lá. Você também pode andar direto da estação de saga, mas vai demorar pelo menos 20 minutos.
Sagajoka hinamatsuri (festival de boneca)
Outro evento anual que você deve tentar pegar é o Sagajoka Hinamatsuri (festival da boneca da cidade de Saga Castle), que acontece ao redor da área do Castelo de Saga, o Chokokan e Nagasaki Kaido.
Bonecas japonesas (tiro em Oita, não em saga)
Realizada de meados de fevereiro a meados de março, os usos do festival na temporada de primavera. Durante a celebração, centenas de bonecas tradicionais elegantes são colocadas em exibição, incluindo as da casa de Nabeshima, um dos mais poderosos clãs no dia, e acessórios de boneca de prata do clã de Kuroda de Fukuoka.
Santuário de ōuo (gates torii flutuantes)
Além de deliciosos frutos do mar frescos, a cidade de Tara é o lar do santuário de ōuo, mais conhecido por seus porta-gates de Vermilion Torii.
A lenda tem que nos anos 1700, um magistrado odiado foi abandonado em Okinoshima, uma ilha no meio do mar de Arike da costa da saga. Não vendo sinal de resgate, ele orou pela salvação. Um peixe gigante apareceu e salvou ele. Quando ele voltou para Tara, ele construiu o santuário de ōuo em honra do peixe. Ōuo significa “peixe grande”. Os portões de Torii são organizados de uma maneira que aponta para a ilha de Okinoshima, onde tudo começou, segundo a lenda, isto é.
O lugar é mais popularmente chamado de “portão de torii flutuante de oouo santuário” porque na maré alta, parecem estar flutuando quando a água sobe acima da base das estruturas. Mas na maré baixa, você pode andar pelos portões em terra seca.
Endereço: 1874-9 Tara Oaza, Tara, Tara-cho, Fujitsu-Gun, Saga Prefecture
Estação mais próxima: Estação de Tara
Carne de saga.
Quando se trata de Wagyu japonês, as primeiras coisas que viriam à mente são carne kobe ou carne matsusaka. Mas o Japão possui outras marcas que também são celebradas por sua alta qualidade. Um deles é a saga beef.
Como Kobe Beef, a Saga Beef vem do gado preto japonês levantado e alimentado no ambiente ideal do prefecture. Como as marcas de Wagyu de alta qualidade, é mais conhecida pelo belo margem de carne e gordura, sabor brilhante e concurso, quase derretem a textura da boca.
Arroz siciliano.
Outra delicadeza de saga que você deve tentar é o chamado arroz siciliano. Ninguém realmente sabe exatamente onde tem o nome ou como ele está relacionado com a ilha italiana no meio do mundo, mas tornou-se uma especialidade regional.
O arroz siciliano é bastante simples – arroz coberto com carne frita, salada de legumes e uma pitada de maionese. Cada restaurante que serve a sua própria versão, cobrindo-o com um curativo mais complexo ou mudando o tipo de carne. Mais estabelecimentos de alto teal servem com carne de vaca ou carne de javali selvagem, outros com carne ou frango regular. Alguns adicionam outros ingredientes. Mas em seu núcleo, é composto de arroz, carne e salada.
URESHINO TEA.
Muitas cidades no Japão reivindicam a origem do chá verde japonês. Uji em Kyoto e Hirado City em Nagasaki são ambos comercializados como berço dessa bebida bem amada. Mas a prefeitura de saga não pode ser descontada. Como os outros casos, a reivindicação da Saga está enraizada em Eisai, um monge creditado por trazer folhas de chá da China. Um dos lugares onde ele acredita ter plantado plantas de chá era Mt. Sefuri, localizado em Kanzaki, Saga. Mais tarde, derramou para a vizinha Uransino, que abraçou de todo o coração e levou para outro nível.
Hoje, há uma forte cultura de chá nesta parte da saga. Uransina tem as condições certas para o cultivo de chá de qualidade. Suas paisagens são dominadas por campos em terraços, cobertos de bosques.
O chá verde é servido na maioria dos estabelecimentos em Saga. Alguns até servem amostradores, comoKiHaKo of YOSHIDAYA Cafe, which will allow you to taste three types of local green tea.
Ureshino Onsen
Tea isn’t the only thing that keeps the town of Ureshino hot and steaming. It’s also famous for hot springs!
Ureshino Onsen is a hot springs town in southern Saga. like most onsen towns, it is great place to just take a dip, relax, and recharge. but Ureshino’s alkaline water is also believed to have great benefits to the skin. around 60 ryokan and other establishments dot the map of the town.
When using an onsen, always remember the following:
No bathing suit or underwear allowed. strip down to your birthday suit. The thought of going completely naked can be unsettling, but trust me, no one gives an eff.
Wash and shower before you take a dip. sit on the provided stool while you wash. You’ll find liquid soap and shampoo near every shower space.
No swimming, jumping, diving, or any other disturbing activity!
Don’t let your hair or towel touch the water.
No loud noises. fique quieto.
Dry yourself with a towel before heading back to the locker room.
In most public onsen, people with tattoo are not allowed, at least not those with the big ones.
You’ll also find foot bath facilities around town!
Tosu premium Outlets
Modeled after a southern California town, the site feels a bit out of place in Saga, but it is one of the most popular shopping stops in this part of Kyushu. This vast shopping destination houses 160 outlet stores featuring both Japan’s homegrown brands and international labels including Coach, Gap, Citizen, Kate Spade, Vans, Under Armour, Ralph Lauren, Seiko, and Takeo Kikuchi.
If you’re not that much of a shopaholic (like us), there’s a food court where you can stuff your face with ramen, takoyaki, and more!
Hours open: March-January 10am-8pm; February, 10am-7pm
Address: 8-1, Yayoigaoka, Tosu-shi, Saga, Japan
Nearest train station: Yayoigaoka Station. From here, you can take the bus to Tosu premium Outlets.
How to get to Saga
Saga has its own airport, Saga airport (HSG), but it serves a very limited number of flights, mostly to and from Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, and Incheon. If you’re coming from other cities overseas, you are most likely going to land in Fukuoka international airport (FUK).
From here, you need to get to Hakata Station. Here’s how.
Once you’re at Hakata Station, catch a train to Saga. If your destination is Saga City, the cheapest way is by boarding the limited express Kamome train.
Travel time: 40-50 minutes.
Fare: ¥1,130 (one way)
Seat Fee: ¥840 (unreserved)
Total cost: ¥1,970 (one-way)
To see the schedule, you can check Hyperdia.
If you’re traveling from Fukuoka to Saga or you plan to explore many parts of Saga Prefecture and other prefectures, consider getting a JR Kyushu Rail Pass to save a lot on fares! On our most recent trip, JR Kyushu shouldered our journeys by giving us a free JR Kyushu Rail Pass so we could use it first-hand and see for ourselves how far it could take us.
The JR Kyushu Rail Pass comes in three versions: Northern, Southern, and ALL Kyushu. but let’s focus on the two passes only: northern and ALL Kyushu.
If you’re interested to see Saga, Fukuoka, Nagasaki and the northern halves of Oita and Kumamoto prefectures, the JR northern KYUSHU area PASS should be enough.
– Can be used for: local trains, limited express trains, and Hakata-Kumamoto Shinkansen
– Price: ¥8660 (3 days); ¥10,190 (5 days)
– number of seat reservations allowed: 10 (for 3 days), 16 (for 5 days)
If you’re also going to Miyazaki and Kagoshima, consider getting the ALL KYUSHU area PASS instead.
– Can be used for: local trains, limited express trains, and Hakata-Kagoshima-chuo Shinkansen
– Price: ¥15,280 (3 days); ¥18,330 (5 days)
– number of seat reservations allowed: 10 (for 3 days), 16 (for 5 days)
To give you an idea on how much savings you can get, here’s an example. Let’s say that yo