San José Costa Rica Temple
Adelaide Australia Temple
Fukuoka Japan Temple
88th dedicated temple in operation
© Edward C. Williams. All rights reserved.
Address
9-15 Hirao Johsui MachiChuo-ku
Fukuoka-shi, Fukuoka 810-0029
Japan
Telephone: (+81) 92-525-8255
Services
NO visitors' center open to the publicNO arrival center available
Patron housing available
NO distribution center on site (Store Locator)
Announcement:
7 May 1998Groundbreaking and Site Dedication:
20 March 1999 by L. Lionel KendrickPublic Open House:
1–3 June 2000Dedication:
11 June 2000 by Gordon B. HinckleySite:
1.25 acres | 0.5 hectaresExterior Finish:
Empress White and Majestic Grey granite from ChinaArchitectural Features:
Single attached spire with an angel Moroni statueOrdinance Rooms:
Two instruction rooms (two-stage progressive), two sealing rooms, and one baptistryTotal Floor Area:
10,700 square feet | 994 square metersElevation:
80 feet | 25 metersTemple Locale
Located on the southern island of Kyushu, the Fukuoka Japan Temple is built into a hillside where the nearby Fukuoka Municipal Zoo and Botanical Garden acts as a lush green backdrop. The temple proper—faced with white granite—occupies the upper story of the two-story building with its main entrance opening on the elevated side of the site. The lower story—faced with a darker grey granite—is accessed from the rear and houses a mission office, mission home, temple president apartment, and parking structure.
Temple History
The Fukuoka Japan Temple was the second temple built in Japan, following the Tokyo Japan Temple (1980).
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Fukuoka Japan Temple was held on the same day as the groundbreaking ceremonies for the Fresno California Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, and Tuxtla Gutiérrez Mexico Temple.
The site of the Fukuoka Japan Temple was acquired when the area was remote and accessible only by an unpaved road. A former restaurant on site served as meetinghouse, which was joined by a mission home a few years later. The buildings were razed to make way for the temple. A traditional meetinghouse now serves members just a few blocks away.
Construction of the Fukuoka Japan Temple rekindled activity among numerous inactive members of the Church in the area.
The gold-leafed angel Moroni statue was affixed to the spire of the Fukuoka Japan Temple on November 8, 1999.
The public open house of the Fukuoka Japan Temple lasted just three days and attracted more than 4,800 visitors.
President Gordon B. Hinckley, who oversaw Church affairs in Asia in the 1960s, was visibly emotional during the dedicatory services of the Fukuoka Japan Temple, noting that it would probably be his last time in Fukuoka.
The Fukuoka Japan Temple was the first of four temples dedicated by President Hinckley in a historic tour of Asia and the Pacific. The other temples dedicated were the Adelaide Australia Temple, Melbourne Australia Temple, and Suva Fiji Temple.
