Sakurai Futamigaura is the image that put Itoshima on the map: two rocks rising from the sea about 150 metres offshore, bound together by a thick straw rope, with a tall white torii gate standing on the sand in front of them. The pair are known as Meoto Iwa, the “married rocks” — the larger, male rock is about 11.8 metres high and the female rock about 11.2 metres.
The rocks are a sacred site of nearby Sakurai Shrine. The rope that joins them, a shimenawa around 30 metres long and said to weigh about a tonne, is replaced every year in a ceremony at a spring low tide, usually in late April or early May. Japan has a more famous pair of married rocks at Ise, known for sunrise; this one faces north-west and is known for sunset. Around the summer solstice in late June the sun goes down into the sea almost exactly between the two rocks.
The beach has been chosen as one of Japan’s 100 best sunsets and one of its 100 best beaches, and it is a designated scenic spot of Fukuoka Prefecture. There is no gate, no ticket and no closing time.
Top things to do: Sakurai Futamigaura
Photograph the torii and the rocks
The classic frame lines up the white torii with the two rocks behind it. Walk down the steps onto the sand for the low angle; at low tide you can get closer to the gate. In the middle of a sunny day the sea turns a vivid turquoise and the scene is at its brightest; at dusk it becomes a silhouette.
Stay for the sunset
The sun sets over the sea here for most of the year. From roughly mid-June to early July it sets close to the gap between the rocks — the most sought-after photograph in Itoshima, and the busiest evenings of the year. In winter the sun sets further to the south-west, behind the headland, but the light is often clearer.
Linger in the cafés across the road
The beach is the start of the Sunset Road. The Palm Beach complex and its neighbours face the rocks across the coast road, with terraces, an angel-wing wall for photos and seafood, burgers and gelato to go with the view.
Walk up to Sakurai Shrine
The married rocks belong to Sakurai Shrine, about two kilometres inland. If you have a car or bicycle, visit both: the shrine among its tall trees is as quiet as the beach is lively.
How to get there
- By car: about 40–50 minutes from central Fukuoka via the urban expressway and the coast road. There is a pay car park beside the beach and cafés with their own parking; on fine weekends and at sunset in June the road backs up, so arrive early.
- By train and bus: take the subway/JR Chikuhi Line to Kyudai-Gakkentoshi Station and change to the Showa Bus Nishinoura line, which stops at Futamigaura. Buses are infrequent — check the current timetable and the time of the last bus back before you go.
- By bicycle: around 14 km each way from Chikuzen-Maebaru Station; an e-bike makes the hills easy. See getting to Itoshima.
- By tour: nearly every Itoshima day tour from Fukuoka stops here, usually for 20–40 minutes.
Insider tips
- Check the sunset time before you set out, and arrive 30–45 minutes ahead; the colour often peaks after the sun has gone.
- The torii stands on a sacred site. Do not climb on it or hang things from it, and do not try to wade or swim out to the rocks.
- There is little shade on the beach in summer and a cold sea wind in winter — bring a hat or a windproof layer accordingly.
- Strictly speaking the beach lies on the boundary with Fukuoka’s Nishi Ward, so some addresses nearby say “Fukuoka” rather than “Itoshima”. It is the same place.
Best tours & tickets: Sakurai Futamigaura
These top-rated experiences are the easiest way to see Sakurai Futamigaura and the rest of Itoshima:
Bus day trip from US$44 Fukuoka: Itoshima Shiraito Falls, Meoto Iwa & Fukuoka Tower
The best-value way to see Itoshima without a car. A coach leaves Fukuoka in the morning, climbs to the 24-metre Shiraito Falls and Raizan Sennyoji temple, then drops to the coast for the palm-tree swing and the white torii and married rocks of Sakurai Futamigaura, finishing at Fukuoka Tower.
- Shiraito Falls and Raizan Sennyoji temple in the hills
- The white torii and married rocks at Sakurai Futamigaura
- The palm-tree swing on the coast, then Fukuoka Tower
Private tour from US$95 Customized Itoshima Photogenic Tour
A six-hour private tour that you shape with the guide: choose the coast, nature spots or local food and skip what does not interest you. With pickup available and one of the highest ratings of any Itoshima product, it is the flexible alternative to the fixed coach routes.
- A private guide and a route built around your interests
- Nature spots and local food stops
- Pickup available
Combo day trip from US$50 Fukuoka: Itoshima, Shiraito Falls, Dazaifu & Yanagawa Town
For visitors with a single day for everything around Fukuoka: the Itoshima coast and the married rocks, a ramen stop, and Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine. You see less of Itoshima than on a dedicated tour, but tick off the region’s two most popular day trips at once.
- Itoshima’s beach and the married rocks
- A ramen lunch stop
- Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine
