Nishi Park is set up at a very scenic spot which used to be called Aratsu Mountain in the Man-yo era. In the park is Koun Shrine, which is dedicated to Kuroda Josui and Kuroda Nagamasa, the statues of Mori Tomonobu and Hirano Kuniomi, a soldier of the late Edo period who contributed to the Meiji Restoration, and also the poetic monuments of Kato Shisho, Tokutomi Soho and of other poets from ancient Man-yo era. From the observatory here, the Fukuoka cityscape to the East, Hakata Bay and Uminonakamichi Island and Nokonoshima Islandto to the North give you a fantastic view. 1300 cherry trees are planted in the park and they attract a lot of people in the flowering season of spring.