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Kagoshima

The southernmost big city on Japan's main islands, sunny Kagoshima (鹿児島) has a personality to match its climate and has been voted Japan's friendliest city nationwide. It's proud of its past as capital of the feudal Satsuma province, which holds an outsize place in Japanese history. Kagoshima's backdrop/deity is Sakurajima, a very active volcano just across the bay. Locals raise their umbrellas against the mountain's recurrent eruptions, when fine ash coats the landscape like snow and obscures the sun like fog – mystical and captivating.

Explore Kagoshima

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Sengan-en
In 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out his pleasure garden on this hilly, rambling bayside property of groves, hillside trails and one of Japan's most…
M
Museum of the Meiji Restoration
This museum offers insights into the unique social system of education, samurai loyalty and sword techniques that made Satsuma one of Japan's leading…
N
Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin
The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…
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Shōko Shūseikan
Adjacent to Sengan-en, this 1850s building, a Unesco World Heritage site as Japan's first modern factory, has been converted into a museum. Historical…
R
Reimeikan
The Reimeikan has extensive displays on Satsuma history and ancient sword-making. It's inside the site of Kagoshima's castle, Tsurumaru-jō (1602); the…
T
Terukuni-jinja
This famous shrine is in memory of Shimazu Nariakira (1809–58), celebrated 11th leader of the Satsuma clan in the late Edo period. He is credited with…
K
Kagoshima City Museum of Art
The Kagoshima City Museum of Art has a small permanent collection of works by modern-day Kagoshima painters, as well as some 16th-century porcelains and…
S
Satsuma Students Statue
This statue and landmark commemorates the students from Satsuma (the feudal name for Kagoshima) who went to study Western technology in the UK in 1865…
S
Saigō Takamori Statue
Kagoshima's most famous historical figure, Saigō Takamori has been called the 'last samurai' and was known as both a loyalist and a rebel. His statue is…

S
Sengan-en
In 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out his pleasure garden on this hilly, rambling bayside property of groves, hillside trails and one of Japan's most…
M
Museum of the Meiji Restoration
This museum offers insights into the unique social system of education, samurai loyalty and sword techniques that made Satsuma one of Japan's leading…
N
Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin
The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…
S
Shōko Shūseikan
Adjacent to Sengan-en, this 1850s building, a Unesco World Heritage site as Japan's first modern factory, has been converted into a museum. Historical…
R
Reimeikan
The Reimeikan has extensive displays on Satsuma history and ancient sword-making. It's inside the site of Kagoshima's castle, Tsurumaru-jō (1602); the…
T
Terukuni-jinja
This famous shrine is in memory of Shimazu Nariakira (1809–58), celebrated 11th leader of the Satsuma clan in the late Edo period. He is credited with…
K
Kagoshima City Museum of Art
The Kagoshima City Museum of Art has a small permanent collection of works by modern-day Kagoshima painters, as well as some 16th-century porcelains and…
S
Satsuma Students Statue
This statue and landmark commemorates the students from Satsuma (the feudal name for Kagoshima) who went to study Western technology in the UK in 1865…
S
Saigō Takamori Statue
Kagoshima's most famous historical figure, Saigō Takamori has been called the 'last samurai' and was known as both a loyalist and a rebel. His statue is…

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kagoshima.

See
Sengan-en
In 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out his pleasure garden on this hilly, rambling bayside property of groves, hillside trails and one of Japan's most…
See
Museum of the Meiji Restoration
This museum offers insights into the unique social system of education, samurai loyalty and sword techniques that made Satsuma one of Japan's leading…
See
Nishi Hongan-ji Kagoshima Betsuin
The current building of this large Buddhist temple near Tenmonkan dates from 1982 and was renovated in 2013. Inside, it's unlike most temples you may have…
See
Shōko Shūseikan
Adjacent to Sengan-en, this 1850s building, a Unesco World Heritage site as Japan's first modern factory, has been converted into a museum. Historical…
See
Reimeikan
The Reimeikan has extensive displays on Satsuma history and ancient sword-making. It's inside the site of Kagoshima's castle, Tsurumaru-jō (1602); the…
See
Terukuni-jinja
This famous shrine is in memory of Shimazu Nariakira (1809–58), celebrated 11th leader of the Satsuma clan in the late Edo period. He is credited with…
See
Kagoshima City Museum of Art
The Kagoshima City Museum of Art has a small permanent collection of works by modern-day Kagoshima painters, as well as some 16th-century porcelains and…
See
Satsuma Students Statue
This statue and landmark commemorates the students from Satsuma (the feudal name for Kagoshima) who went to study Western technology in the UK in 1865…
See
Saigō Takamori Statue
Kagoshima's most famous historical figure, Saigō Takamori has been called the 'last samurai' and was known as both a loyalist and a rebel. His statue is…

Guidebooks

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