Tochoji Temple (Fukuoka Daibutsu)

東長寺（福岡大仏）

A red five-storey pagoda and a wooden Buddha over 10 m tall

Hours

9am–4:45pm (per NAVITIME; confirm on site)

Tickets

Grounds free; the Buddha hall has a small fee (most sources say ¥100, a few say ¥50)

Address

2-4 Gokusho-machi, Hakata Ward, on Taihaku-dori

It sits right on a main road, but step through the gate and a red five-storey pagoda and tiled main hall stand in sudden quiet. The real reason to come is upstairs in the Buddha hall: a 10.8 m wooden seated Buddha against an enormous halo, and you'll find yourself craning your neck the moment you walk in. Beneath the statue a pitch-dark 'hell and paradise' passage lets you feel your way along by hand. It's a minute from Gion station, so if you're staying near Hakata Station it makes an easy morning walk.