Kagoshima
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Kagoshima (鹿児島) is the capital of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
[edit] Understand
Kagoshima is a historical city watched over by the looming bulk of Sakurajima (桜島), an active volcano that regularly dumps ash over the city and erupts a bit every now and then to remind people it's still there. The home of near-mythical samurai hero Saigo Takamori (see History), it's full of sites related to the Satsuma Rebellion.
[edit] Get in
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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 the spring of 2011, 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.
[edit] Sleeper Trains
Because most overnight trains from Tokyo and Kansai to Kyushu have been discontinued, traveling overnight to Kagoshima is difficult, but it IS possible. If you're willing to constantly change trains, you will be rewarded as your journey will double as lodging.
[edit] From Tokyo
From Tokyo you will have to take FOUR trains: the 10 PM Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo overnight service to Okayama, the Shinkansen from Okayama to Hakata, the Relay Tsubame to Shin-Yatsushiro and finally the Kyushu Shinkansen. This route has you leaving Tokyo at 10 PM and getting to Kagoshima-Chuo at 11:30 AM the next morning. (13 1/2 hours)
Japan Rail Pass holders must pay the lodging charge on the Tokyo-Okayama segment; the rest of the trip is covered under the pass. Lodging charges currently range from ¥9450 for a B solo to ¥10500 for a B single, to ¥16500 for an A single deluxe. If you really want to travel on the cheap side, ¥3660 gets you your own floor space... literally, you sleep on the floor.
[edit] From Kansai
The second overnight option is best done from the Kansai area; this has you traveling the overnight segment along the eastern part of Kyushu.
You will need to travel to Kokura station during the evening on the San'yo Shinkansen. Once there, board the Dream Nichirin limited express train that travels down Kyushu to Miyazaki. Finally, after a one-hour layover in Miyazaki, take the Kirishima limited express, which travels across the south to Kagoshima-Chuo. As of March 2009, this routing has you leaving Shin-Osaka at 8:59 PM, arriving at Kagoshima-Chuo at 9:36 AM, for a traveling time of 12 1/2 hours.
This entire journey is fully covered under the rail pass. For a charge of ¥4000, ordinary Rail Pass holders can upgrade to a more comfortable Green Car seat on the Kokura-Miyazaki segment.
It is possible to start this option even from Tokyo, but you would have to leave Tokyo station on the Hikari service leaving at around 5:30 PM, then change to the Hikari Rail Star as described above. This results in a much longer travel time of 16 hours, but the good news is that the trip is covered 100% by the Japan Rail Pass.
[edit] 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 day buses from Kumamoto for about ¥3600; 3 1/2 hours.
[edit] By ferry
Kagoshima is one of Japan's most busy ferry terminals, with a plethora of ferries connecting mainland Japan to it's southern islands. For the Okinawan archipelago there's several routes towards Naha which stops on different islands along the way. Operators include Matrix Line [1] and A Line ferry [2] - expect the full journey towards Naha to take around 25 hours, although you can stop halfway through in the Amami Islands. Towards the world heritage site of Yakushima and the island of Tanegashima near Kyushu you can opt for either Orita Kisen [3] (4 hrs, yen 4000) or the Toppy [4] hydrofoils completing the journey in just under 2 hours (yen 7000). Finaly for the Tokara Islands, the municipality [5] operates 2 weekly ferries plying the route in around 7 hours (Yen 6000).
[edit] Get around
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.
[edit][add listing] See
- 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 harbor 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.
- Tsurumaru Castle. Once the castle of the Shimazu clan who governed the Satsuma domain till the Meiji Restoration, it was destroyed during the Satsuma Rebellion. The only parts remaining today are the wall and the moat. Since it's around so many sights and monument around Kagoshima, it's a nice sight to see and it contains the Reimeikan.
- Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture (Reimeikan)
Beautiful museum with nice expositions retracing the origin and evolution of the first habitants of the southern Kyushu area till the Meiji restoration. Generic information is available in english but for more details about the differents pieces contained in the exposition, a Japanese reading friend should be brought to fully enjoy all the information available.
- Sengan'en Garden
- Kagoshima City Aquarium (Io World)
- The Nanshu Cemetery
[edit][add listing] Do
[edit][add listing] Buy
Tenmonkan shopping arcade has a plethora of shops, where you can satisfy your consuming needs.
- Satsumaimo-no-Yakata, Tel: +81 (0)99-239-4865. Several hundred types of sweet potato products.
- Jelly Beans, Tel 099-216-8800. The only specialist English bookstore in the prefecture, with a nice second hand section as well. Take the No 1 Streetcar to Shinyashiki and hop off, you shouldn't have too many problems from there; just follow the signs. The shop is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, but if you call in advance and let them know you are coming they will try their best to open it up especially for you on Sundays and Mondays! The store is open 10am - 7pm
[edit][add listing] Eat
- See Kagoshima prefecture for listings of regional dishes.
[edit][add listing] Drink
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.
[edit][add listing] Sleep
[edit] 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.
- Nakazono Ryokan, 1-8 Yasuicho, ☎ 099-226-5125. Near the City Hall and close to the ferry terminals. A pleasant place to stay and has a helpful manager. ¥4200. edit
- Sakurajima Youth Hostel, 189 Yokoyama, Sakurajima-cho, ☎ +81 99 2932150. 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. Note, when I visited in June 2007 the bath was very much out of order. edit
- Moon GaramMasala Guest House. Also on Sakurajima, 5 minutes walk from the ferry terminal is this tiny guesthouse. Don't go for expecting anything else than a bed and two very friendly owners one of whom speaks perfect English. About ¥1500 for the night. edit
- Asahi Business Hotel, 中央町20－12, Chuō-machi 20-12 (2 minutes walk from Kagoshima-Chuō station), ☎ +81 99 2569158. Small and old-fashioned rooms but include TV and shower. Singles ¥3800, twins ¥7000. edit
- Kagoshima Little Asia Guest House, [6]. Around the corner from Kagoshima-Chuo station, ask for directions at the information booth at the station. Free internet and laundry, guest kitchen, TV, ￥280 dinner, weekly and monthly rental available at discount. Both owners speak very good English. Male/Female Dorm ￥1500, singles ￥2500, twins ￥2000 per person.. edit
[edit] Midrange
[edit] Splurge
[edit] Get out
| Routes through Kagoshima |
| Oita ← Kirishima ← | N  S
| → END |
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