They say that Dazaifu began its urban planning earlier than Heijō-kyō. With this rich history, there may still be unseen stories hidden beneath the road you journey on. In fact, new discoveries are being made one after another in Dazaifu, the most recent being the Kyakukan Guesthouse discovered in 2011. These are two huge buildings, both of which are of high social standings and resemble the style of the Dazaifu Government Office. It’s considered to be a lodging facility for foreign delegates visiting the Dazaifu Government Office, as high-quality tableware from Korea, China and Japan have been found here.

In Fukuoka City, the ruins of a guesthouse called the "Chikushikan" have also been found, and are assumed to have been used by foreign delegates planning to use the port. Delegates would set course for Nara from Fukuoka, but in the cases where they could not get to Nara, they would instead be welcomed in Dazaifu.

The guesthouse’s ruins are along the main street, Suzaku Avenue. I wonder-- How many people stayed at this guesthouse back then?