Saga Travel Guide

Saga Prefecture is famous for producing top-quality, beautiful ceramics and porcelain, particularly in Imari and Arita. It has a prosperous rice farming culture that dates back thousands of years and the Hamanoura Rice Terraces are a famous attraction, a collection of almost 300 terraces that are a striking image when flooded in May. Saga is the smallest prefecture in Kyushu and the perfect place to get away from the busier populated nearby areas of Fukuoka and Nagasaki. Its proximity to mainland Asia has resulted in it being an important gateway for the passing of culture and trade throughout Japanese history. Travel through time at the Yoshinogari Ruins which is the best archaeological site about the Yayoi Period that dates back to around 300 BC, and visit Yutoku Inari Shrine, one of the three largest Inari shrines in Japan. Saga Prefecture is also known for hosting quirky festivals and events such as the Kashima Gatalympics in May and June, involving playing a variety of sports on the mudflats of the Ariake Sea; and the Saga International Balloon Fiesta in November, which is one of the biggest hot air balloon competitions in the world. There is also a substantial food culture with one local Saga dish being Saga Gyu (Saga beef), which is a type of Japanese black beef known for its fine lines of marbled fat that creates a tender texture. It’s often graded at the A4-A5 level, which is some of the highest grades of Japanese wagyu beef. Seafood is also vastly popular, and the produce caught in the Ariake Sea is beloved by locals. There is an abundance of variety and some of the favorites include gazami (crab), mutsugoro mudskipper), mantis shrimp, and seabass. A popular, tasty dish is hamayaki which is fresh seafood such as turban shells and oysters that are chargrilled in their shells. Like most places in Japan, this prefecture is not short of onsens and there’s a local delicacy of boiled tofu, cooked in the hot spring water.