Kagoshima (鹿児島) is the capital of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.

Get in

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By plane
Kagoshima's Airport is one hour away from Kagoshima's main train station by Bus (¥1200). JAL and ANA offer flights into Kagoshima from several major cities in Japan. Kagoshima Airport is also the starting point for many flights to Okinawa and the surrounding islands.

By train
Rail travel into Kagoshima changed dramatically in March of 2004, with the opening of a 126-kilometer stretch of the Kyushu Shinkansen as far north as Shin-Yatsushiro station. To reflect with this opening, the Japan Railways station at Nishi-Kagoshima was renamed to Kagoshima-Chuō (鹿児島中央), and is now Kagoshima's main rail station.

The Kyushu Shinkansen will eventually extend all the way north to Hakata station in Fukuoka in 2012, but in the meantime, to reach Kagoshima from Fukuoka, you can take a Relay Tsubame limited express train to Shin-Yatsushiro, then change there to the Kyushu Shinkansen Tsubame train. The Relay Tsubame trains follow a newly-built spur directly to the Shinkansen platform. All you have to do is walk across the platform to take the bullet train, which is timed to depart about 3 minutes after the arrival of the Relay Tsubame.

It takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to go from Fukuoka to Kagoshima by train, at a cost of ¥10050. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can take these trains at no charge.

Two overnight sleeper services run as far as Kumamoto: the Naha from Shin-Osaka, and the Hayabusa from Tokyo. You will have to switch to the Relay Tsubame, then switch again to the Shinkansen, to reach Kagoshima. From Kumamoto, the train to Kagoshima costs 6,300 yen.

By bus
Various overnight bus services are available to Kagoshima from Osaka and Kobe (~¥10000 one way; ~¥21000 round-trip). Daytime and nighttime buses also run from Fukuoka (yen 5400 one way; 4 hours)and Oita. There are no buses from Kumamoto, so take the train instead.

Get around

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Streetcars are a convenient way to get around Kagoshima city. Both lines 1 and 2 can be boarded at the Kagoshima station; only line 1 runs by Kagoshima-chuo. Board the tram from the back door, and pay the ¥160 per ride fee when exiting the front door. If you don't have exact change, the fare machine can make change, but it is polite to get your change during the ride, so as to not hold people up when at your final stop. Streetcar signage varies by the age of the streetcar; some have electronic signs that indicate the stop, but many do not. Streetcar information and a route map are available from www.synapse.ne.jp.

The ferry between volcanic island of Sakurajima and Kagoshima harbor operates frequently and around the clock. The boat ride will take about fifteen minutes.

Given Kagoshima's relatively small size and straighforward layout, buses (¥150) are less confusing than in larger Japanese cities.

If you plan to make Kagoshima a base for multiple trips, or make Kagoshima a stop on a trip throughout Kyushu, then a 5-day Kyushu rail pass may be the best option. If you are travelling from Tokyo or farther via train, then a 7-day Japan Rail pass is about the same price as a one-way shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Kagoshima. Both of these passes have extensive limitations; be sure to review terms and purchase your pass before entering Japan.

See

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Sakurajima, Kagoshima's temperamental (and active) volcano can be reached by ferry in a matter of minutes. Face your fear and get up close and personal - just don't wear too much white, as the ash will leave you looking slightly grey. Yunohira Lookout is a two hours hike or 15 minutes drive from Sakurajima harbor and gives you a good view both to Kagoshima harbour and Sakurajima volcano.

There are also a couple of other lookout points, where you can take a closer look at the volcano. Because Sakurajima is essentially an active volcano, remember that tourists are forbidden to go within 2 km of the crater.

Buy

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Tenmonkan shopping arcade has a plethora of shops, where you can satisfy your consuming needs.

In Tenmonkan, Satsumaimo-no-Yakata has several hundred types of sweet potato products. Tel: +81 (0)99-239-4865.

English Bookstore:
Kagoshima also has the only English Specialist Bookstore in the Prefecture. Jelly Beans Educational English Bookstore is the place to go for all your english needs and they also have a nice Second Hand Book Section as well. Tel 81-99-216-8800 Take the No 1 Streetcar to Shinyashiki and hop of, you shouldn't have too many problems from there ...just follow the signs.

Eat

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Kagoshima is an agricultural area, known for numerous products:

Black pork (kurobuta, 黒豚) is a from a variant of Berkshire hogs, and is the most highly prized pork in Japan. It is named for the color of the hogs, not the meat.

Potatoes (imo, 芋), particularly sweet potatoes, are used in a variety of dishes and snacks, as well as in making shochu. Purple sweet-potato ice cream is available in various shops.

Black beef (Kagoshima Kuroushi) is the well marbled local beef.

Tropical fruits, grown both on the main Kyushu island and neighboring smaller islands, are available inexpensively at fruit markets around town.

Local fish and shellfish are also common.

Special dishes in Kagoshima cuisine include:

Tonkatsu. Unlike the majority of Japan, "tonkatsu" in Kagoshima generally refers to a pork stew rather than a fried pork cutlet. The meat is marinated in shochu and slow cooked; the bones turn into gelatin and are eaten as part of the dish.

Satsuma-age. This is a kind of fried fish cake. Different shapes have different flavors, e.g. the large rectangular ones have carrot in the middle, the small round ones have sweet-potato flavor, and so on.

Kibinago sashimi. Kibinago is a kind of small fish, similar in size to a sardine. The fillets are served raw, with a white miso sauce for dipping.

Chicken sashimi. Sliced raw chicken and chicken hearts are common.

Drink

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Kagoshima is known throughout Japan for its sweet potato shochu, or imo-jochu (芋焼酎). While shochu is often compared to vodka, it first goes through a fermentation process. In Kagoshima, almost all restaurants have imo-jochu, and some have hundreds of different brands. Even the Shinkansen platforms at Kagoshima-chuo station have a bar/shop with 100+ varieties of shochu.

In Kagoshima, the most common way to drink shochu is mixed with hot water, or oyu-wari. This releases the fragrance of the shochu, and also reduces the alcohol content to be on-par with wine. Because Kagoshima is the center of manufacture, many factories offer tours and have small shops for tasting and purchasing the locally made shochu.

Sleep

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Budget
If you're looking for inexpensive accommodation, the tourist information in the Kagoshima station can hand you a leaflet, where they have listed all the inexpensive options in Kagoshima. They can also check availability and book the accommodation for you.

Near the City Hall and close to the ferry terminals. A pleasant place to stay and has a helpful manager.

If you want to stay overnight on the Sakurajima island, the youth hostel is practically your only budget option. A bed in the dorm will cost you ¥2650 and includes the usage of the hot bath they have downstairs.

Small and old-fashioned rooms but include TV and shower.

Midrange

Splurge


is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwest tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefrecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the 'Naples of Eastern world', for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate and impressive stratovolcano, Sakurajima.

As of 1 January 2005, the city has an estimated population of 605,650 and the density of 1,107.81 persons per km². The total area is 546.71 km².

In 2003, the city had an estimated population of only 554,136 and density of 1,911.41 persons per km². The total area was 289.91 km². The reason the city's total area was nearly doubled between 2003 and 2005 is that five towns --- Kooriyama, Matsumoto, Kiire, Sakurajima, and Yoshida --- were merged into Kagoshima City on 1 November 2004.

Kagoshima is approximately 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, and the city features large shopping districts and malls, is served by trams, and has many restaurants featuring Satsuma regional cuisine: kibi (a kind of tiny fish), tonkatsu (caramelised pork, as opposed to the breaded version encountered elsewhere in Japan), smoked eel, and karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed sweet potatoes and rice flour). A large, modern aquarium has been installed on the old docks overlooking the volcano. The Senganen (Isoteien) Japanese garden is just outside the city.

The St. Xavier church is a reminder of the first Christian who came to Japan.

One of the best places to see the city (and the active volcano across the bay) is from the ferris wheel on top of 'Amu Plaza' - the new shopping centre attached to Kagoshima Central Train Station. The wheel has two completely transparent gondola which give a 360 degree view from 91m above the ground.

History

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Kagoshima was bombarded by the British Royal Navy in 1863 to punish the Satsuma daimyo for the murder of Charles Richardson on the Tōkaidō highway the previous year, and the refusal to pay an indemnity in compensation. (See 'Bombardment of Kagoshima').

Kagoshima was the birthplace and scene of the last stand of Saigō Takamori, a legendary figure in Meiji Japan in 1877 at the end of the Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan Senso).

Japan's industrial revolution may be said to have started here, stimulated by the young students train station. Seventeen young men of Satsuma broke the Tokugawa ban on foreign travel to travel and return to share the benefits of the best of Western science and technology.

The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889.

Kagoshima was also the birthplace of Togo Heihachiro. After naval studies in England between 1871 and 1878, Togo's role as Chief Admiral of the Grand Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War made him a legend in Japanese military history, and earned him the nickname 'Nelson of the Orient' in Britain. He led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failed revolution in Russia in 1905.

Shinkansen (bullet train) service opened on March 13, 2004 between Kagoshima-chuo and Shin-Yatsushiro.

Sadomitsu Sakoguchi, the renowned Japanese diplomat, revolutionized Kagoshima's environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution and orange harvesting.