Asakura-Tachiarai Area Route

Known as the most abundantly flowing of all Fukuoka Prefecture hot springs, this onsen area is blessed with water that is said to improve skin condition and beautify. As it has both mildly alkaline simple spring water and also simple sulfur spring water, locals also call it "Double Bihada no Yu" (double effect of promoting beautiful skin).

Fujii Bee Farm was established in 1909. Following the seasonal blooms from Tanegashima in the south, all the way to Hokkaido in the north, the bee farm has approximately 2,000 hives all across Japan that they harvest honey from.

A red brick church standing in the middle of the countryside. The construction of the church was planned by Father Tamotsu Honda in 1908 and under the guidance of Yosuke Tetsukawa, who was a famous church builder of the time. The church was designed and constructed with the help of donations from various countries and the labor of local Christian volunteers and completed in 1913. It has twin towers at the main entrance and is built in a Romanesque style. The light coming in through the stained glass windows in the main sanctuary truly highlights this majestic church. Due to its beautiful design and a high degree of perfection, it was designated as an Important Cultural Property.

On sale at the Minami-no-Sato Farmers Market are local fresh fruits and vegetables, handmade foods and bakery items, and handicrafts. There's also an industrial kitchen where baked items made with the local rice and soybeans ("Fukuyutaka" and "Chikuzen Kurodamaru" varieties), and the tofu is very popular as well. In the restaurant, Chikuzen-ni stew is available, and free rice refills are on offer, cooked in old-style rice-cooking pots called "hagama". You can enjoy traditional Japanese cooking made with fresh local vegetables from the Farmers Market.

At this roadside station, in an area known for ceramics such as Koishiwara ware and Takatori ware for more than 350 years, works from more than 44 different potters are on sale in the potteries corner. Enjoy the restaurant and the farmers market, where you can buy a range of fresh local fruits and vegetables.