Naritasan Jibo Kannon Temple - Giant Buddhist pagoda and Kannon statue in Kurume, Fukuoka
When Christianity was outlawed and repressed in Japan in the early 17th century during the Edo Period, many Japanese Christians, mostly in Kyushu, substituted a statue of Kannon with a child for the Virgin Mary and Jesus and were, therefore, able to publicly continue to practice their faith. One of these statues is the Jibo Kannon Statue, which lies within the grounds of Naritasan Temple. The concrete Kannon Statue is 62 meters tall, and visitors can pay a small fee to go inside the statue and climb stairs to the top for a good if cramped view. Be sure to head to the basement of the statue when you're done, where you can see an animatronic Buddhist hell which is not to be missed.
The Daihonzan Naritasan Kurume Temple was founded in 1958 as part of the spiritual embodiment from the Daihonzan Naritasan Shinshoji Temple in Chiba prefecture was given to the temple. It is famous for housing the Fudo Myo, or the Buddhist Vicarious Protector.
Naritasan Homepage
A golden opportunity for games in at the Hard Off in Kurume Zendoji
Although one of the smaller Hard Offs in Kyushu, the Hard Off at Zendoji in Kurume had a delightful selection of consoles and other treasures for the Japanese video game collector.