Kagoshima Highlights Private Tour, Sakurajima Volcano and more

Sakurajima Nagisa Foot Bath Park

One of the largest footbaths in Japan with a length of 100 meters. It uses natural hot springs with a source temperature of 42 degrees that gush out from 1,000 meters underground. When you soak in the reddish-brown footbath, your body will be warmed up and relaxed. Take a break while looking out at Kagoshima Bay spreading out in front of you or Sakurajima towering behind you.

Buried Shrine Gate

The roughly 3-meter (10-foot) torii gate of Kurokami Shrine was buried, with only its top beam still visible. Rather than excavate the gate, the village elder chose to leave it buried as a testament to the eruption's menace for future generations. Standing quietly next to the gate, as if nestling against it, is an old Japanese sea fig tree that miraculously survived the eruption.

A peaceful little port where you can see the changes in vegetation on lava from 1,300 years ago and 80 years ago.

Arimura Lava Lookout

This observation point is located on a small hill in the lava field that flowed out in the great explosion of 1946. It is located in the middle of the 1km-long lava promenade, and offers a view of the imposing, world-famous active volcano, Sakurajima, and Kinko Bay as if they were right in front of you. Sakurajima viewed from here has a different appearance than other points. With its steep triangular shape and the nearby crater of Minami-dake, which is currently active, on some days you can hear the rumbling sounds and explosions associated with eruptions, allowing you to experience a different side of Sakurajima.

Yunohira Lookout

Climb Sakurajima Volcano to its highest point, 373 meters above sea level, and enjoy views of the dynamic volcanic rock face and the peninsula on the other side across Kagoshima Bay.

Tenmonkan

Lunch at the attractive shopping area, Tenmonkan. You can choose anything you like, including Wagyu Beef, Black Pork, Ramen, etc.

Kagoshima St. Xavier's Cathedral

In 1549, Spanish missionary Francis Xavier landed in Gion-no-su, Kagoshima. Xavier spent about a year in Kagoshima, introducing Christianity and other foreign cultures to Japan. Father Laguet, who created Japan's first French-Japanese dictionary during the Meiji period, built Xavier Church in honor of Xavier's achievements. It was burned down during World War II, but part of the old stone church and a bust of Xavier remain in Xavier Park. In 1949, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Xavier's arrival in Japan, the church was rebuilt in modern Gothic style with a donation from the Pope, and in 1999, life-size statues of Xavier, Satsuma man Yajiro, and Bernardo were created by Morikazu Mizoguchi. To commemorate the 450th anniversary of Xavier's arrival, the Kagoshima Cathedral Xavier Memorial Church was newly built in 1999. The new cathedral is a three-story building made of reinforced concrete. The exterior is modeled after a trading ship from the Age of Discovery.

Terukuni Shrine

This shrine enshrines Shimazu Nariakira, the 28th head of the Shimazu clan. As the largest shrine in Kagoshima City, it is visited by many worshippers. In 1863, the emperor bestowed the divine title of "Lighting up the country" on Nariakira, and the following year, a shrine building was built on the site of Nansen-in Temple, and the shrine became Terukuni Shrine. The shrine building and treasures were burned down during the Satsuma rebellion, and although it was rebuilt in 1882, it was burned down again in war damage in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1958, and is now made of reinforced concrete. There is a museum with free admission, and a bronze statue of Nariakira on the grounds. The prefecture's largest summer festival, Rokugatsu-to, is held every year on July 15th and 16th, and the grounds are decorated with colorful lanterns, attracting many people. In addition, various events are held throughout the year, such as the "New Year's Good Luck First Market."

Saigo Takamori Statue

Saigo Takamori made the greatest contributions to the Meiji Restoration, including the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle and the establishment of the new Meiji government, but suddenly quit his job and returned to Kagoshima. He later fought against the new government forces in the Seinan War, was defeated, and committed suicide on Shiroyama. This statue was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death by Kagoshima-born sculptor Ando Teru, who also created the Shibuya "Loyal Dog Hachiko," and was completed in 1937. It is an imposing 8m-tall monument of Saigo, dressed in the uniform of Japan's first army general, standing with his legs apart against the backdrop of Shiroyama. (Main body 5.76m, base 1.21m, artificial hill 7.27m) There is a photo spot across the road, where you can take photos with the statue of his beloved dog.

Kagoshima (Tsurumaru) Castle Ruins & Goromon

Kagoshima Castle was the residence of the Shimazu clan, whose construction began around 1601 by Iehisa, who would later become the 18th head of the Shimazu clan and their first feudal lord. It consists of a mountain castle at the rear and a residence at the foot of the mountain. In the center of the front of the residence is the imposing Goromon Gate. Goromon was destroyed by fire in 1873, but was restored in 2020 as the largest castle gate in Japan. Goromon and the stone walls are lit up in a way that changes according to the time and season. Hours: Sunset to 10:00 p.m. (daily)

Former Kagoshima Bosekijogishikan

This is the lodgings for British engineers who were invited by the 29th head of the Shimazu clan, Tadayoshi, when he built Japan's first Western-style spinning mill. The building is a mix of Japanese and Western architecture, with a colonial-style veranda and a design based on Japanese measurements, and is preserved as a valuable heritage that shows the progress of Western-style architecture at the end of the Edo period. In July 2015, it was registered as a World Heritage Site as one of the constituent assets of the "Meiji Industrial Revolution Heritage Sites: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding, and Coal Mining." Many photographs and documents that tell the story of the time are on display inside the building. It is also close to Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan.

Sengan-en

12 acres of calming traditional gardens built in 1658, 350 years ago. Discover peaceful ponds, bubbling streams, mysterious shrines, a bamboo grove, and a mountain hiking trail with a panoramic view of Kagoshima Bay and the volcano beyond. Visit the house lived in and loved by generations of the Shimadzu family, using flawless Yakushima cedar cut from trees over 1,000 years old, and features a fascinating mix of Japanese, Chinese, and Western influences. Also be amazed by the history of Japan's first feudal domain that strived for modernization and take a look at Kagoshima's sophisticated crystal cut glass craftsmanship. Admission is not included.

Shoko Shuseikan Museum

Former Shuseikan Machine Factory is a historic museum opened in 1923. The main building was built in 1865 as the "Shuseikan Machine Factory," for metal processing of ships and other items, and is the oldest existing Western-style factory building in Japan. In 2015, it was registered as a World Heritage Site as a component asset of the "Meiji Industrial Revolution Heritage Sites of Japan." It is also known as "Stone Home" that uses welded tuff formed by the volcanic ejecta instead of bricks. The museum introduces the history of the Shimazu clan and its modernization efforts, and houses and exhibits approximately 10,000 items, mainly documents handed down by the Shimazu clan, such as Satsuma Kiriko glass made in the Edo period, the oldest daguerreotype photograph taken by a Japanese person (a replica), and machinery from when the company was in operation as a factory.

Iso Kogeikan

Christal Satsuma cut glass factory started in 1851 and revived 100 year after the factory was closed in 1877. Cuts are made in thick layer of colored glass toreveal the clear glass below. The gentle gradation between the colored layer and the transparent glass below is called bokashi, and is the defining characteristic of Satsuma Kiriko.