SAGA: Yutoku Inari Shrine @ Kashima
Continue with my Japan trip, we started our real day tour out of Fukuoka after a relaxing eat-and-shop-day in Fukuoka. We got the JR Kyushu Rail Pass that covers 5 days Northern Kyushu Area and started our journey to Kashima, Yufuin, Mojiko and Tosu, mostly by day trip to all the outskirts areas.
First stop we went – Kashima City in Saga, because there is this special place in Kashima I always wanna visit and I even came here two times in a year, spring and autumn! I find autumn is even more stunning! I will let you know why soon… till when I blog about it.
For full itinerary, check out JAPAN TRIP 2023: 8D7N in Fukuoka, Kashima, Yufuin & Mojiko
Yutoku Inari Shrine 祐徳稲荷神社
Located in Kashima City, southern Saga Prefecture, Yutoku Inari Shrine 祐徳稲荷神社 is one of the three most famous shrines dedicated to Inari. This shrine has more than 300 years of history; gorgeously stand along at the steep hillside of the valley.
To get here from Fukuoka, we activated our JR Kyushu Rail Pass that covers 5 days Northern Kyushu Area, boarded the 10.19am limited express Kasasagi 103 from Hakata Station. The journey took about 60 minutes to reach at Hizen-Kashima Station. Do note that the limited express Kasasagi run only 3 to 4 times a day. You must check the departure time if you wish to take this direct limited express ride. Alternatively, you may take the other limited express and make a transfer on local train to Hizen-Kashima.
After arriving at Hizen-Kashima Station, we hopped on a taxi that takes us all the way to Yutoku Inari Shrine. The journey takes about 10minutes from the station and it cost about ¥ 1,850 .
Or, you can hop on the bus from Hizen-Kashima Station that takes you to the Yutokujinja-mae stop which is just opposite the Shrine. It costs about ¥ 330 yen per person. The bus runs 1 to 2 trips every hour.
It is a very peaceful and scenic place. There wasn’t too much crowd during my visit, at time it was end of the ume season, one of the weekdays in early March 2023. We took our own sweet time to stroll around the place, climbed up the staircases to the main hall’s terrace. If you have extra time to explore more, there is a walking trail that leads further away up from the main hall, into the hill behind the shrine.
Happy that we still get some ume blooming here.
There is this Ume tree in front of the building. One of the shrine handler (? I think) told me about the name of this ume but I forgot, and he told us a short history of this shrine. Gorgeous!
The Japanese garden that nestled within the ground of Yutoku Inari Shrine offers a harmonious landscape, where visitors (at a fee) can wander through the paths and enjoy the serene of the garden and the seasonal blooms over here.
From Yutoku Inari Shrine, there is this 400-meter stretch of shopping street – Yutoku Monzen Shopping Street Yutoku Monzen Shopping Street. It houses more than 30 souvenirs shops and restaurants where you can walk over, take some snacks bites and fill up your stomach and get small souvenirs of Kashima and Saga Prefecture.
If you are here during the cherry blossoms season, you will get a stunning view of cherry blossoms blooming lines up the way to the shrine. We were a month before the season (early March), so there were not too much of crowds around. Some of the shops and restaurants were not open too. I believe this place will be very happening during the big festivals.
The flower buds, blooming soon…
We still managed to spot the early blooms as we walked further down from the street. Very scenic and beautiful!
