Sengan-en (Iso-teien)

Starting in 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out this hilly, rambling bayside garden, incorporating one of Japan's most impressive pieces of 'borrowed scenery': the fuming peak of Sakurajima. It was also a strategically important lookout for ships entering Kinkō-wan. Poetry parties took place along the stream in the Kyokusui Garden – participants had to compose a poem before the next cup of sake floated by. Allow at least 30 minutes for a leisurely stroll, more if you visit the Shimazu-ke villa, once a second home of the Shimazu clan. Kimono-clad women guide you through the villa, followed by traditional tea and sweet service. Other teashops around the garden sell jambo-mochi (pounded rice cakes on a stick, in soy and miso flavours).

The adjacent Shōko Shūseikan museum once housed Japan's first factory (1850s). Exhibits relate to the Shimazu family and early Japanese industrial history, with over 10,000 items and precious heirlooms, including scrolls, military goods, Satsuma-yaki pottery, and Japan's earliest cannons, steam engines and cut glass.

is about 2km north of the city centre. Nearby is Iso-hama, the city's popular, kid-friendly swimming beach.