Overzicht
Sakurajima erupts small amounts of ash regularly, sometimes dusting the city — locals put collected ash in special yellow bags. It's monitored closely, and visitors can safely visit designated areas, but entry near the summit is prohibited. Check the Japan Meteorological Agency's alert level before visiting.
Kagoshima was the base of the Satsuma domain, whose samurai — including Saigo Takamori — helped bring about the Meiji Restoration. The city makes a great end point for a Kyushu trip via the Kyushu Shinkansen.
Wat te Zien & Doen
- Sakurajima: Ferries run around the clock, take about 15 minutes and are cheap. On the island: the Visitor Centre, lava trails, Yunohira and Arimura observatories, and free foot baths.
- Sengan-en: A traditional garden of the Shimazu lords that 'borrows' Sakurajima as scenery, beside a museum on Japan's early industrialisation (part of a UNESCO site).
- Shiroyama Observatory: The best city-and-volcano viewpoint, especially at sunset.
- Museum of the Meiji Restoration: Explains Satsuma's role in Japan's modernisation.
- Terukuni Shrine & Tsurumaru Castle ruins: Historic sites at the foot of Shiroyama, including stone walls still showing bullet marks from the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion.
Lokale Keuken & Specialiteiten
- Kurobuta (Berkshire black pork): Tonkatsu and shabu-shabu made with prized local black pork.
- Shirokuma: Shaved ice with condensed milk and fruit, arranged to look like a polar bear's face.
- Shochu: Kagoshima is Japan's sweet-potato shochu heartland; bars stock hundreds of labels.
- Kibinago & satsuma-age: Silver-striped herring sashimi with vinegared miso, and fried fish cakes.
Bereikbaarheid & Openbaar Vervoer
The Kyushu Shinkansen runs from Hakata (Fukuoka) to Kagoshima-Chuo in about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes, and through-trains continue from Shin-Osaka. Kagoshima Airport has domestic flights and some international routes; airport buses take about 40 minutes to the city. JR Pass and JR Kyushu passes cover the Shinkansen.
Trams and the City View sightseeing bus serve the main sights; one-day transport passes cover trams, city buses and the Sakurajima ferry. Rent a car or join a tour to reach Kirishima and Chiran easily.
Waar te Verblijven
- Budget: Business hotels near Kagoshima-Chuo and in Tenmonkan are good value.
- Middenklasse: Chain hotels with volcano-view rooms on higher floors.
- Luxe & Ryokan: Hotels on Shiroyama with volcano views and onsen; ryokan in Kirishima or Ibusuki.