5 Photogenic Power Spots of Saga | Recommended Instagrammable Shrines and Temples

Saga Prefecture is dotted with spectacular power spots that will make you want to point your camera. Mystical torii gates, moss-covered cobblestones, fantastical light. We introduce Saga's "photogenic" spots that make a picture wherever you crop them!

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1. Yutoku Inari Shrine (Kashima City) | "Kyushu's Ise" with Its Stunning Vermilion Romon Gate

Yutoku Inari Shrine, counted among Japan's three great Inari shrines, has a stunning beauty in its vivid vermilion romon gate and the shrine buildings strung along the mountainside. In spring the contrast between the cherry blossoms in full bloom and the vermilion reaches its climax, and a breathtaking scene spreads out.

Photogenic point: Shooting in vertical orientation from the front of the romon gate makes for a shot with depth, as if continuing up toward the heavens. Shooting in the soft early-morning light makes the vermilion stand out all the more vividly.

Best time and season: Early morning to late morning / spring (cherry-blossom season), autumn foliage

Access: About 8 minutes by Yutoku Bus from "Hizen-Kashima Station" on the JR Nagasaki Main Line

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2. Takeo Shrine (Takeo City) | The Mystery Dwelling in a 3,000-Year-Old Great Camphor

The great camphor tree about 3,000 years old standing in the precincts of Takeo Shrine has an overwhelming scale that makes you feel the presence of the gods just by looking up at it. The trunk extending from the moss-covered roots toward the sky is like an entrance to another world.

Photogenic point: Shooting from a low angle looking up from the roots of the great camphor lets you aim for a fantastical cut with sunlight filtering through the leaves. Early summer, when the green gradations are beautiful, is especially recommended.

Best time and season: The morning, during the time of filtering sunlight / fresh greenery of May to June

Access: About a 20-minute walk or taxi from "Takeo-Onsen Station" on the JR Sasebo Line

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3. Kawakami Shrine (Kanzaki City) | An Approach of Cedar Trees Full of an Otherworldly Feel

The approach to Kawakami Shrine, located on the mid-slope of Mt. Sefuri, is a mystical path lined with cedar trees soaring high into the sky. The cedar trees overhanging from both sides create a spectacular view like a tunnel.

Photogenic point: Standing in the center of the approach and making the figure a silhouette with a minimalist composition is recommended. The early morning when mist hangs low is especially fantastical, and a shot you can take only here is complete.

Best time and season: The early morning when mist hangs / autumn to winter

Access: About 25 minutes by car from "Kanzaki Station" on the JR Nagasaki Main Line

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4. Kunenan (Kanzaki City) | Autumn-Only Foliage and a Moss Garden of Dreamlike Beauty

Kunenan, built as a villa by a Meiji-era businessman, is a phantom spot you can enter only during the special autumn opening period once a year. The contrast between the bright red maples and the lush green moss is truly a miraculous color scheme.

Photogenic point: Shooting from a low angle against the backdrop of the zone where the green of the moss and the red of the foliage coexist makes the deep colors stand out. Shooting in vertical orientation makes a shot perfect for your Instagram feed.

Best time and season: The morning of a cloudy day (the light is even and the colors vivid) / the special opening period in mid-November

Access: About 15 minutes by car from "Kanzaki Station" on the JR Nagasaki Main Line

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5. Mifuneyama Rakuen (Takeo City) | A Spectacular View Played by the Cliff-Faced Rocky Mountain and the Flowers of the Four Seasons

The garden spreading against the backdrop of Mt. Mifune, Takeo City's symbol formed 1.7 million years ago, is dramatically beautiful in every season. In spring with azaleas, in summer collaborating with teamLab's digital art, it is the finest photogenic spot not only as photography but as an experience.

Photogenic point: A reflection shot of Mt. Mifune mirrored on the pond is the standard. In the early morning the water's surface is calm, and you can aim for a fantastical inverted Mt. Mifune.

Best time and season: The windless time of early morning / the azalea season of spring, the foliage season of autumn

Access: About 5 minutes by taxi from "Takeo-Onsen Station" on the JR Sasebo Line

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Saga is a treasure house of "known to those in the know" photogenic spots. Be sure to take your camera and set out to search for your own one-of-a-kind shot ✨

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`#SagaTrip` `#SagaSightseeing` `#SagaShrine` `#YutokuInariShrine` `#TakeoShrine` `#MifuneyamaRakuen` `#Kunenan` `#KawakamiShrine` `#PowerSpotTour` `#InstagrammableShrine` `#KyushuTrip` `#ConnectWithShrineLovers` `#Photogenic` `#TravelPhoto` `#TabitabiJAPAN`