Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [569]
Continuing anticlockwise around the island, you’ll reach the Furusato Kankō hotel and its special rotemburo (211-3111; admission ¥1050, rental locker & towel ¥410; for hotel guests 6am-10pm, onsen-only visitors 8am-8pm, closed Mon & Thu morning), nestled among rocks by the sea. As it is also a shrine, you’ll be given a yukata (cotton kimono) to wear in the water, allowing both men and women to bathe here. Continuing your circumnavigation you’ll come to the Arimura Lava Observatory, one of the best places to observe the smoky cape of Minami-dake and the lava flow. Further on, only the top third of a 3m-high torii emerges from the volcanic ash at Kurokami Buried Torii. On the north coast you can soak in the hot, earthy brown waters of Shirahama Onsen Centre (293-4126; admission ¥300; 10am-9pm), where you can also see a good accumulation of ashfall, most of the year.
Tours
Sightseeing bus tours of Sakurajima leave from JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station at 8.50am (adult/child ¥4000/2000, six hours). Tours are conducted in Japanese, but an English transcription is available. It’s the only way to see the island if you don’t have a car and are pressed for time.
Sleeping
If you’re in Kagoshima for a few days, it’s nice to spend a night on Sakurajima. Aside from the options below, there’s a simple, seasonal camping ground opposite the visitors centre.
Sakurajima Youth Hostel (/fax 293-2150; dm with/without 2 meals ¥3870/2650; ) Less than 500m from the ferry terminal, this cheery hostel has an onsen for both men and women (just flip the English sign by the door to indicate your gender and it’s all yours). Catch the 9pm ferry from Kagoshima to arrive before reception closes.
Rainbow Sakurajima Hotel (293-2323; www.rainbow-sakurajima.com, in Japanese; per person d & tw with 2 meals from ¥10,185) Adjacent to the ferry terminal, this lovely property faces the puffing volcano in one direction, and Kagoshima city across the bay, in the other. Most rooms are Western style and water facing. There’s also an onsen open to the public (¥300; 8am to 8pm) and a bayside beer garden over summer.
Furusato Kankō Hotel (221-3111; www.furukan.co.jp, in Japanese; r per person with 2 meals from ¥10,150) This wonderful old seaside hotel is slowly being refurbished and some of the pricier new rooms with private rotemburo on the balcony are truly special. The older ocean-fronted rooms are more affordable. This is a unique waterfront property beneath an active volcano – not something you find everyday.
Getting There & Around
A 24-hour passenger and car ferry service shuttles frequently between Kagoshima and Sakurajima (¥150, 15 minutes). The ferry terminal is a short bus ride from JR Kagoshima-Chūō Station. Take the City View Bus or any bus bound for the aquarium and get off at Suizokukan-mae (¥180, half-hourly).
Getting around Sakurajima without your own transport can be difficult. Bicycles can be rented from Sakurajima Renta Car (293-2162; 1/2hr ¥400/600) near the ferry. Cars are available as well (per two hours ¥6500).
Local buses operate regularly on the island until about 8pm. JR buses from the ferry terminal pass Furusato Onsen (¥290) and run up to the Arimura Lava Observatory. Otherwise, the Furusato Kankō Hotel offers a limited free shuttle service to and from the port, departing roughly every half-hour except during lunchtime and when the onsen is closed.
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SATSUMA PENINSULA
The peninsula south of Kagoshima city has fine rural scenery, the pretty and contemplative town of Chiran, and Ibusuki with its sand baths. On the other side of Kinkō-wan (Kagoshima Bay) is Cape Sata, the southernmost point of the Japanese mainland.
Exploring the peninsula by train and bus is time-consuming. The JR Ibusuki-Makurazaki line operates south from Kagoshima to Ibusuki and then turns west to Makurazaki, from where you can make your way by local bus back to Kagoshima. Renting a car from Kagoshima is a smart move (Click here). The stretch of the Ibusuki Skyline road south