Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [564]
The central post office (Map) near JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station has an ATM.
Internet Café Aprecio (Map; 226-2077; 17-28 Nishisengoku-chō; per 30min ¥300; 24hr) In Tenmonkan.
Joy Road (Map; 253-2201; inside JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station; 10am-6pm) Can assist with domestic travel bookings.
Kagoshima International Exchange Plaza (Map; 221-6620; www.synapse.ne.jp/kia/e/index.htm; 14-50 Yamashita-chō; per 30min free; 9am-5pm, closed Mon) Near JR Kagoshima Station this great resource for foreigners has satellite TV, magazines and books for browsing.
Tourist information centre (Map; 253-2500; inside JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station; 8.30am-7pm) Has plenty of information in English and the handy Kagoshima visitor’s guide.
Sights
SENGAN-EN (ISO-TEIEN)
Starting in 1658, the 19th Shimazu lord laid out this tremendously beautiful bayside garden (off Map; 274-1551; 9700-1 Yoshinochō; admission with/without guided villa tour & tea ceremony ¥1500/1000; 8.30am-5.15pm), incorporating one of the most impressive pieces of ‘borrowed scenery’ to be found anywhere in Japan – the fuming peak of Sakurajima. Look for the stream where the 21st Shimazu lord once held poetry parties – the participants had to compose a poem before the next cup of sake floated by. The villa of Shimazu-ke was once a second home of the Shimazu clan. Kimono-clad women guide you through the villa, after which you are served traditional tea and sweets. Other teashops around the garden sell jambo (pounded rice cakes on a stick).
The museum of Shōko Shūseikan (; admission free with garden ticket; 8.30am-5.15pm), adjacent to Sengan-en, once housed Japan’s first factory, built in the 1850s. Exhibits relate to the Shimazu family. Most of the 10,000 items are precious heirlooms, including scrolls, military goods and pottery. The art of kiriko (cut glass) has been revived at an on-site workshop.
MUSEUMS
Museum of the Meiji Restoration (Map; 239-7700; 23-1 Kaijiya-chō; admission ¥300; 9am-6pm 15 Jul–31 Aug, to 5pm 1 Sep–14 Jul) has hourly performances by robotic Meiji reformers, including Saigō Takamori (see the boxed text, opposite). Exhibits and historical dioramas, labelled mostly in Japanese, remember Kagoshima Meiji-era firsts.
Kagoshima City Museum of Art (Map; 224-3400; 4-36 Shiroyama-chō; admission ¥200; 9.30am-6pm, closed Mon) has a small, permanent collection of works by modern-day Kagoshima painters, as well as some 16th-century porcelains and wood-block prints, and a wonderful collection of Sakurajima paintings.
Reimeikan (Kagoshima Prefectural Museum of Culture; Map; admission ¥300; 9am-4.30pm, closed Mon) is on the former site of Tsurumaru-jō. The walls and impressive moat are all that remain of the 1602 castle, and bullet holes in the stones are still visible. Inside you’ll find interesting exhibits on Satsuma history and ancient swordmaking displays.
OTHER SIGHTS
Kagoshima boasts no less than 50 public bathhouses. Nishida Onsen (Map; ; 255-6354; 12-17 Takasu; admission ¥360), just a few minutes’ walk from JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station, is a local favourite, but won’t hold much interest unless you are an onsen fanatic. Kagomma Onsen (Map; ; 226-2688; 3-28 Yasui-chō; admission ¥360; 10am-1am, closed 15th) is five minutes’ walk from the Sakurajima Port, and also offers accommodation for ¥4000 per night.
Kagoshima City Aquarium (Map; 226-2233; 3-1 Hon Minato Shinmachi; adult/child ¥1500/750; 9am-5pm) has some truly beautiful seascapes brimming with your favourite marine life. Nearby Iso-hama, the city’s popular, kid-friendly swimming beach, has Sakurajima in view.
It’s all hands-on at this science extravaganza, the Kagoshima Municipal Science Hall (Map; 250-8511; www.synapse.ne.jp/~kmsh-science/top.html, in Japanese; 2-31-18 Kamoike; with Planetarium adult/child ¥900/350; 9.30am-5.30pm), which expanded in 2007. Although most exhibits are in Japanese, it’s fun for both kids and adults to try and work out what’s going on! The IMAX planetarium theatre is really out