Very close to the Hakata Machiya Folk Museum is Kushida Shrine. And again, I got lucky as there was a newly married couple at the Shrine who’d apparently just finished their rites, and were having their pictures taken.
Traditional wedding at Kushida Shrine.Before entering the shrine, visitors are required to follow a simple ritual ceremony of cleaning. Miwako walked me through the process of washing left and right hands, the mouth, and the handle of the ladle itself.The bridegroom was beaming, and the bride was demurring as they posed for pictures.Apart from the wedding party,, there were quite a few other visitors to the shrine in the mid-morning.Each item at the ceiling represents different weather elements: the paper craft as lightning, and the weaved ropes as waves.Went through a simple ceremony of making wishes at the shrine.The Kazari Yamakasa or large stationary festival floats. This one should be the portable one that’s carried around. This particular float is the one used during the Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, a summer event that’s in July in Fukuoka. Miwako explains that the float is rebuilt every year in July, then displayed at this shrine.Incredible attention to detail.The newly married couple posing for their team of photographers, all totting Canon DSLRs and L lenses.
The tour next went through Kawabata Shopping Avenue, which was lined on both sides with hundreds of small shops selling all types of goods, crafts, and groceries. Just beyond that was the Hakata Traditional Craft and Design Museum, which exhibits two traditional crafts of Fukuoka city, specifically Hakataori textile and Hakata dolls. The next few pictures were taken on the upper floor room, which focuses on these two types of crafts.
The last stop was the Hakata Traditional Craft Center. Miwako explained that it takes 37,000 cocoons to produce the amount of silk necessary to weave even a single item in the picture here. Most of the silk today though is no longer produced in Japan, but sourced from Brazil.Intricately crafted porcelain dolls. Photo-taking of these dolls aren’t actually allowed – something I only realized after taking these pictures.Technically, the only doll where you could take pictures.The last activity of the tour was Miwako showing me the traditional method of making a cup of green tea. Very exquisite. Especially when I compare it to how I do it at home normally haha.Kushida Shrine and the Hakata Traditional Craft Center.
Summary: About thirty minutes in each place, and easily part of the circuit in the walking tour.
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