OVERVIEW

Take a soothing “bath” in the steaming volcanic sand at Ibusuki Beach and then soak in the natural beauty of the surrounding countryside. The sand will cover all but your head and a thin robe will protect your skin from becoming overheated. The experience will be much like being in a sauna, as your pores will quickly open in the hot sand. Expect to emerge relaxed, refreshed and perhaps even reap therapeutic benefits such as improved blood circulation and relief from aches and pains. Another pleasurable experience awaits you at Cape Nagasakibana at the southern end of Satsuma Peninsula. During free time there, you can stroll about and enjoy the views of Mt. Kaimon. It is often compared to Mt. Fuji because it too features a nearly perfect conical-shaped top. Nearby, you will pause for photos of Lake Ikeda, a crater lake that formed in a collapsed volcano. A Loch Ness-type monster named Isshi supposedly lives there.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience the rejuvenating effects of being buried up to your neck in steaming black sand.
• Drive through immensely picturesque Satsuma Peninsula, taking in the panoramas.
• Behold the beauty of Mt. Kaimon, which looks remarkably similar to famed Mt. Fuji.
• See the island’s largest volcanic lake, supposedly the home of a Loch Ness-type monster.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Bask in the beauty of a breathtaking waterfall and enjoy the spiritual ambiance of a Shinto shrine founded in the 12th century. Both settings appear almost exactly as they did ages ago as does Tatsumonjikaza Street, the main artery in the Aira District. It has been meticulously preserved to reflect the atmosphere of traditional Old Japan. Seeing the street, where time seems to have stood still, will prepare you for what lies ahead, starting with the Ryumon-no-taki cascade. Artists have captured the beauty of this two-tiered waterfall for centuries and its natural allure endures today. Kamo Hachiman shrine is enthralling for its spiritual aura and for some of its furnishings. It holds more ancient bronze mirrors than any other shrine in the Kagoshima Prefecture. Still, few sights are more breathtaking than the massive camphor tree that lords over the grounds. Deemed an official Special Natural National Treasure, it is estimated to be 1,500 years old.

HIGHLIGHTS

• View a street in the Aira District preserved to reflect the ambiance of Old Japan.
• Behold a two-tiered waterfall that cascades through an immensely picturesque setting.
• Browse a Shinto shrine founded in the 12th century.
• Walk around a 1,500-year-old camphor tree with the widest girth of any tree in Japan.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Create a painting using colorful ash from an active volcano and gaze out over a volcanic landscape left behind after a significant eruption. After a short ferry ride across Kagoshima Bay, you will travel on to Ougaku Tougei, a pottery shop near Mount Sakurajima, a towering volcano that constantly emits smoke and ash. An artisan will teach you to make a unique painting by gluing colored ash from Sakurajima onto a sketch in a process somewhat like painting by numbers. As inspiration, you will see other volcanic ash art on display and pottery made with ash from Sakurajima. From top of the nearby Arimura Lava Observation Deck, you will enjoy a sweeping view of a landscape that a volcanic eruption in 1946 left in its wake. Feel free to walk the trail that winds through the blackened lava field. Back in Kagoshima, you will enjoy leisure time in the bustling shopping district Tenmonkan.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Behold the still-active volcano Mount Sakurajima while riding a ferry across the bay.
• Join a hands-on workshop and paint a picture using colored ash from the Sakurajima volcano.
• Enjoy a close-up look at a barren volcanic landscape from a 1946 eruption.
• Spend free time shopping in Tenmonkan, the area’s largest shopping arcade.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Discover the natural beauty and flora surrounding Kagoshima with a special emphasis on the wonders of the active volcano Mount Sakurajima. The volcano constantly emits smoke and ash, at times thousands of feet into the air. You will enjoy an excellent view of the volcanic activity while riding a ferry across the bay to the Arimura Lava Observatory, where the view will be even more spectacular. The observatory sits atop a hilly lava field that a 1946 eruption created. Back in Kagoshima, you will pause at Sengan-en Garden, a botanical oasis built to complement the 17th-century residence of one of Japan’s most influential feudal lords. It couldn’t be lovelier, especially with majestic Mount Sakurajima towering in the background. For a glimpse into Kagoshima’s industrial history, you will browse the Shoko Shuseikan Museum, which holds a collection of items from one of Japan’s earliest machinery factories.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Admire the still-active volcano Mount Sakurajima while riding a ferry across the bay.
• Enjoy an even closer look at the volcano from an observatory on an old lava field.
• See the 17th-century home and garden of the powerful Shimazu clan.
• Browse museum exhibits that depict Kagoshima’s earliest efforts to industrialize.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Stroll through a historical neighborhood where samurais once lived and browse a museum that memorializes Japan’s World War II kamikaze pilots. Upon reaching the castle-town of Chiran, you will walk down a lane lined with stone walls, behind which lie a number of centuries-old samurai houses that recapture the essence of the Edo Period. Descendants of the samurai still inhabit some of the estates, although the gardens of other residences are open for browsing. The gardens are designed to maximize the views of the surrounding landscape. Chiran is also known for its wartime airbase where hundreds of kamikaze pilots trained for their suicide missions. While perusing the exhibits in the Chiran Peace Museum, you will see some of the pilots’ personal effects, which add a human dimension to their ultimate sacrifice and insight into their motivation. Outside, you will find a plane recovered from a seabed where a kamikaze pilot crashed.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stroll a lane in Chiran lined with beautifully maintained samurai residences and gardens.
• Notice how the gardens are designed to complement the surrounding landscape.
• Browse the Chiran Peace Museum, which tells the story of the kamikaze pilots that trained there.
• See a recovered kamikaze plane from World War II.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Discover the exquisite flora at Sengan-en Garden and delve in Kagoshima’s industrial history by browsing a museum with artifacts from one of Japan’s earliest machinery factories. Both attractions are so spectacular that UNESCO declared them World Heritage sites. The garden is a botanical oasis built to complement the 17th-century residence of one of Japan’s most influential feudal lords. It couldn’t be lovelier, especially with majestic Mount Sakurajima towering in the background. It surrounds the former villa of the powerful Shimazu clan. A few centuries later, a descendant of the clan built Japan’s first Western-style factory in Kagoshima to produce armaments, glass, ceramics and farm tools. You will see some of those artifacts at the Shoko Shuseikan Museum, including personal items from the Shimazu clan and fine Satsuma porcelain. Back in Kagoshima, you will enjoy leisure time in Tenmonkan, a large bustling shopping district with abundant boutiques, department stores and restaurants.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Stroll through a 17th-century botanical oasis that is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• See how the garden was built to complement the Shimazu clan’s 17th-century residence.
• Browse a museum with artifacts from a factory that a Shimazu clan descendant built.
• Spend free time shopping in Tenmonkan, the area’s largest shopping arcade.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Admire the natural beauty of volcanic Japan by cruising to Sakurajima, one of the country’s most active volcanoes and the beloved symbol of Kagoshima. As you cruise across Kinko Bay, you will be treated to a unique perspective of the volcano, which smokes and erupts almost daily, although fortunately not in a major way. However, an eruption in 1914 was so massive that when the lava flow hardened it bridged the bay, connecting an existing island to the Osumi Peninsula. Upon arriving at the port, you will visit the Arimura Lava Observatory, which sits atop a volcanic hill formed by another eruption in 1946. It is one of the few places in the world where you can safely view a highly active volcano. Other observation points offer different perspectives of smoldering Sakurajima. Several paths crisscross the landscape, so you can easily see the types of plants that grow in volcanic soil.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Cruise to a peninsula where you will behold one of Japan’s most active volcanoes up close.
• Expect to see the volcano belching smoke and perhaps even feel a minor eruption.
• Discover how past major eruptions have shaped the surrounding landscape.
• Enjoy several perspectives of the volcano from different observatory decks.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.