If you tell a Japanese person that you are going to Saga Prefecture, their response will probably be “...why?” Though Saga is relatively unknown outside of being the host of the Saga Balloon Festival, the prefecture has so much to offer!
In addition to getting (well and truly) off the beaten track, here are a few things you might want to travel to Saga for:
Hot Springs
Saga has some amazing hot springs, including Takeo Onsen and Furuyu Onsen. You can visit the hot springs for the day, but staying overnight lets you get the most out of the experience: kaiseki dinners are included, and you can visit the hot springs in the morning as well as the evening for some extra relaxation. For a how-to on visiting Japanese hot springs, check out my blog post here.
Furuyu Onsen is a very quiet onsen town and only accessible by car; Takeo Onsen has other sites, including an outdoor teamLab exhibit and the most stunning library I have ever seen.
Porcelain
If you like Japanese pottery and porcelain, you can’t do better than a visit to Arita. In addition to their huge Porcelain Festival held during Golden Week each year, there are a plethora of shops and kilns that are open year-round. Arita Sera is a large open-air mall with lots of smaller shops; for more of a small town feel, browse the shops near the iconic Sueyama Shrine. This shrine’s main torii gate is made of ceramic with designs in the regional blue.
Stopping at Kouraku Kiln is also a lot of fun! In addition to classes and workshops, you can spend a few hours doing their ‘treasure hunting’ - browsing through a huge barn filled with porcelain that was never sold. Most are mismatched, but colors and designs are similar.
The tiny town of Okawachiyama Village is also a fun town to wander and visit some porcelain shops if you have a rental car. Do note that opening hours here are more limited!
Balloons
If you like early mornings and hot air balloons, the Saga International Balloon Fiesta which takes place in early November each year, is an amazing sight!
Kid-Friendly Experiences
Pretty much everywhere outside of city centers in Japan is very kid-friendly, but rural places like Saga Prefecture definitely offer so much for families with kids. Spend a day zip-lining through the forest, learning about ancient history at an open-air museum (don’t miss the excellent playground inside the museum grounds), sliding down a hillside of flowers, or simply relaxing at one of the family-friendly hot springs hotels with kids-sized sleepwear and a playroom.
Coastal Drives
The Genkai area of Saga is a beautiful coastal area, with beaches, rice fields, and amazing fresh sushi and sashimi. I recommend starting your drive along the main route 204 which hugs the coast, and planning extra time to turn off the main road and explore!
Countryside Shrines and Temples
As in most rural places in Japan, there is no shortage of temples and shrines to explore. Arguably the best shrine to visit in Saga Prefecture is Yutoku Inari Shrine, an absolutely massive shrine complex in the middle of nowhere. This shrine is exceptionally pretty during cherry blossom season, and when autumn leaves are at their peak, as this highlights the bright red shrine structure. There is also an excellent New Years festival held here. However, this shrine is well worth the drive at any time of year!
Access
While some of Saga Prefecture is connected with regular train service, most places are more easily accessible by car. I would recommend renting a car in Fukuoka and driving from there - most places in Saga can be reached within 1-2 hours by car from Fukuoka’s main train station or airport. Toyota has a great rental car system in Japan, with an easy to use English website and information on driving in Japan and insurance in English when you pick up the vehicle. For more tips on driving in Japan, check out my Driving in Japan blog post.