Koi and Coins at Dazaifu

Down in the humid and lush south of Japan, on the island of Kyushu, lies the city of Fukuoka. Yes, it is an amusing name, but just outside of town stands Dazaifu, one of my must-stop places whenever I'm in Japan. During a walk through Dazaifu two years ago with a couple of very dear friends, I snapped this photo of one of the many koi ponds.

Here is a brief history of the shrine at Dazaifu, courtesy of Wikipedia: Dazaifu (大宰府), the imperial office governing Kyūshū, corresponding to Tagajō in Tōhoku, was moved from present-day Fukuoka after 663. Dazaifu hosted foreign embassies from China and Korea. Kōrokan, a guesthouse for foreign embassies, was also established. From the Nara period through the Heian period and until the Kamakura period, Dazaifu was one of the military and administrative centers of Japan. In the Heian period, Dazaifu was a place ofexile for high-ranking courtiers. Nobles exiled there include Sugawara no Michizane, who was later deified, and upon whose grave the Dazaifu Tenman-gū shrine stands.