Other Sightseeing Spots in Kagoshima Area

  • Sengan-en
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    4.5
    1295 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Yoshinochou 9700-1
    "This residence and Sengan-en Garden of the Shimazu Clan was built in 1658, by Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the 19th head of the clan. It was well-loved by Shimazu Nariakira, the 28th head of the clan, and visitors to this beautiful garden where Atsu-hime and Saigo Takamori also visited can enjoy the same magnificent views of Kinko Bay and Mt. Sakurajima as they enjoyed. The garden is approximately five hectares in size, with different flowers blooming with the changing of the seasons and various festivities which take place conveying the traditions of the samurai to the present. There are also a wide range of restaurants and shops where visitors can enjoy Satsuma's local cuisine while sightseeing. The entire garden was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site and named a ""Site of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution"" in 2015 and was also a filming location of the 2018 drama series, Segodon."

    Only stayed in Kagoshima for a day but the garden is beautifully crafted and also provides an unobstructive view of the Sakurajima volcano. When you are there do grab lunch at their restaurant as it...

  • Yunohira Observation Point
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    4.0
    300 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Sakurajimakoikechou 1025
    A viewing site called the closest to the caldera located at the fourth station on Sakurajima 373 meters above sea level. Depending on the activity of the volcano, visitors can see smoke billowing out, as well as the Taisho Lava Field spreading out before their eyes. The observation point is the highest point on Sakurajima which general visitors may enter and can be traveled to by car. The viewing area is open any time and is a popular spot to visit at night when a great panorama of Kagoshima’s nightscape is visible. Approximately 15 minutes by car from Sakurajima Port.

    A must experience when here . The view is spectacular and not only is the volcano site awesome it’s blowing smoke continuously. And the city view is also amazing. Easy access and not typically...

  • Seibu Rindo Forest Path
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    4.5
    211 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Kumage-gun Yakushimacho
    This roughly 20-kilometer road connects to the communities of Kurio and Nagata on western Yakushima Island. It runs through along the coast through one of the largest evergreen forests in Japan with little or no human sign of human presence. The Yakushima macaques, Yakushima deer, and other wildlife that inhabit the area can frequently be spotted along the road. The roughly 15-kilometer-long section from the Segiri Ohashi Bridge to about a kilometer before the entrance to the Yakushima Lighthouse is part of the Yakushima World Natural Heritage site. This portion of the road runs through virgin forests untouched by human hands.

    Deer and macaque haven. Another harrowing drive but so worth it. The macaques do not move off as you approach so you have to drive around them. Stunning views all around. One of the best experiences...

  • Arimura Lava Observatory
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    4.0
    164 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Arimurachou 952
    An observatory located right next to the “Yogan Tenbojo” bus stop built on the Taisho Lava Field in the Arimura area. Situated on top of lava rock which flowed during the 1914 Taisho Eruption, a one-kilometer long walking path makes it possible for visitors to view smoke emerging from the crater up close. The restaurant adjoining the observatory was remodeled in 2016 and now has multipurpose toilets and a nursing room. The shop near the parking area sells gifts and souvenirs from Sakurajima.

    Clean and perfectly organized as in Japan, worth a visit. Best way is to rent a car, the transfer by ferry is convenient and the ride is scenic

  • Kochiyama Observatory
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    4.0
    44 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Oshimagunsetouchichou Yui
    This observatory is located at an altitude of approximately 415 meters. From it, visitors can see various scenery, such as the cityscape of Koniya below, as well as Oshima Strait and Kakeromajima Island. It is also famous for its beautiful sunset views and many tourists visit in the evenings. There is a parking lot available, as well as a path surrounded by lush nature that leads up to the observatory.

    古仁屋の街並みを見下ろす展望台です。国道58号から外れ、車で15分ほど山道を登っていくと着きます。展望台からは大島海峡や加計呂麻島、請島や与路島まで眺めあることができます。まさに多島美を実感できる場所です。そして、この展望台は夕日スポットとして有名です。訪れた日は雲がかかっていて完璧な夕日を見ることができませんでした。それでも、夕日に照らされた奄美諸島を眺めることができて満足です!

  • Gamozaki Kanko Park
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    4.0
    9 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Amami-shi Kasaricho Yani 1551
    This scenic park on Amami Oshima's Cape Gamo features an observatory that offers park-goers a view of the East China Sea beyond Kasari Bay. It is also known for one of the best places in the prefecture to watch a sunset. According to legend passed down on the island, a watchtower was built here on the cape long ago by the Taira Clan to watch for pursuers after their disastrous defeat at the Battle of Dannoura. Cape Gamo is said to have been so-named because a Taira vassal named Gamo Saemon stood watch here.

    国道から狭い道を登っていきます。笠利崎灯台方面から来ると、入口が分かりづらいので注意が必要です。展望台に上がると東シナ海や太平洋、笠利湾が見渡せる眺望ポイントがあります。訪れた日は雲がかかっていたため、夕日は見られませんでしたが、写真で見ると綺麗な夕焼けを眺めることができそうです。途中に蒲生神社があるので、そこでお参りをするのも良いでしょう。

  • Shiroyama Observatory
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Shiroyamachou
    An observatory located in the heart of the city. The observatory is situated on 107-meter-high Mt. Shiroyama and looks out over the sites of numerous ancient battlefields connected to the Satsuma Rebellion. Over 600 varieties of temperate and subtropical trees and plants grow thick on the small mountain, including giant camphor, ferns, and sweet viburnum, making it a popular destination among locals to relax and refresh themselves. The observatory offers a sweeping view of Sakurajima, Kinko Bay, and the streets of Kagoshima City, and, on clear days, visitors can enjoy a vast panorama extending all the way to the Kirishima Mountains and Kaimondake Volcano in Ibusuki. The observatory is also famous for its beautiful nightscape. This fantastic scenery has also been designated a National Historic Site and Natural Monument.
  • Mori Shigemitsu’s Garden
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    4.0
    7 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Minamikyushushi Chiranchoukori 13731-1
    The site of a former samurai residence located in Chiran-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. Amongst the group of samurai residences in Chiran, which frequently sport dry rock “waterfalls,” this garden is the only one which makes abundant use of water and which is built around a central pond. The pond forms a beautifully curving arc, while the garden’s foreground makes use of lanterns and stone to represent peninsulas and mountains. Further in, a stunningly formed boulder with a hole in its center is used to represent a cavern. Other intriguingly shaped rocks and greenery are arranged at the back of the pond to frame the beautiful mountains in the distance.

    知覧の武家屋敷の庭園群の最後に訪れたのが、こちらの西郷恵一郎邸庭園です。7ヶ所の庭園の中で一番西側に位置しています。 こちらの庭園は、奥の中心部に高さのある石組みがあり、それが迫力ある構成の要になっているように思えました。こちらの庭園が一番好きかも・・・

  • Shinonome no Sato
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    4.5
    6 Reviews
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Izumi-shi Kamiokawauchi 2881
    This vast garden covering more than 130,000 square meters was created deep in the mountains east from JR Izumi Station along National Route 447. Visitors can enjoy seasonal scenery such as spring cherry blossoms and hydrangea, autumn foliage, and winter snowscapes. The garden is best known for having one of Japan's biggest hydrangea gardens. Its 100,000 hydrangea, which represent 160 different varieties, come into full bloom every June. The garden also features gallery of pottery created by the garden's owner as well as a soba shop that offers cakes, coffees and other cafe fare. Visitors can enjoy spending time away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

    鹿児島県の出水市にあるネットで見つけた...

  • Cape Sata Observatory
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kimotsukigunminamiosumichou Satamagome 416
    An observatory located on the 31st parallel north on Cape Sata, the southernmost tip of Kyushu, a 60-minute drive from Nejime Port. The facility was newly remodeled in January 2018, and portions of it are open to the general public. A provided walking route leading from the park entrance to the observatory takes around 30 minutes (alternative routes available as of September 25, 2018). A parking area, rest area, and observatory are situated at the park entrance, and on clear days visitors can see all the way to the islands of Tanegashima and Yakushima.
  • Izumi-Fumoto Samurai Residences
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Izumishi Fumotochou 10-39 Fountain at the foot History Hall
    Approximately a five-minute drive from JR Izumi Station, these samurai residences cover an area of around 46 hectares in the central part of Izumi City. It is a nationally-designated important traditional architecture preservation district. One of the outer castles set up by the Satsuma clan in the Edo period (1603-1868), it was constructed first and was the largest because it was a major defensive location near the Higo Domain. Remnants such as the divisions resembling go board pieces and stone walls remain, and two of the restored samurai residences are now open to the general public. The Takezoe residence is used as for the location for historical dramas. In addition, services such as the Izumo ox carriages and kimono wearing experiences are also on offer.
  • Karasujima Observatory
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Sakurajimakamizuchou 3629-12
    An observatory built on the west side of Sakurajima. The observatory is encircled by a vast lava plain. Sakurajima is a volcano and used to be a separate island called “Karasujima”. During the great eruption of 1914, huge quantities of lava flowed into the ocean, joining the island to the mainland. This observatory was built to memorialize the fact that it was once an island. 100 years after the eruption, the once barren lava plain is now covered with black pines. Accordingly, the site is also used as a point from which to observe changes in the vegetation in the area.
  • Saigo Keiichiro’s Garden
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Minamikyushushi Chiranchoukori 13731-1
    This garden is located on the sight of an ancient samurai residence in Chiran-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. Today, visitors of the site can come in contact with the way of life and garden culture prevalent at the time it was built and used. The garden’s gate is a heavy, imposing structure made of wood. The garden itself consists of large stone arrangements, satsuki azaleas, and yew plum pines, resulting in a strange landscape which yet manages to harmonize these two disparate plants. The area around the residence similarly combines hedge and stone walls. The residence is decorated with colorful fittings and accoutrements which visitors can also enjoy the sight of.
  • Sata Naotada’s Garden
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Minamikyushushi Chiranchoukori 13731-1
    The site of a samurai residence located in Chiran-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. The garden was built around 1750. The garden, located on the grounds of a residence belonging to the Chiran Shimazu family, the primary branch of the family, is the most magnificent and largest of the family’s gardens. Past the garden’s imposing gate and cut stone designed to prevent visitors from seeing the garden too early, visitors are greeted by the garden’s vast grounds. The garden consists of groups of stones around a central dry waterfall created from large boulders and is planted with satsuki azaleas, yew plum pines, and other plants.
  • Hirayama Ryoichi’s Garden
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Minamikyushushi Chiranchoukori 13731-1
    The site of an old samurai residence located in Chiran-cho, Kagoshima Prefecture. The residence is notable for its extremely plain, simplified design. Beyond the narrow wooden gate, can see a section of scenery encompassing Mt. Hahagatake, resembling an unfurled section of a picture scroll. Unusual for a garden in southern Japan, the garden does not make use of stone walls, instead creating walls and borders through trimmed and shaped satsuki azaleas and yew plum pines. The grounds are dotted with trapezoidal cut blocks of stone, which records state were used as stands for placing bonsai on to enjoy the view of.
  • Yogan Nagisa Trail
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Kagoshima-shi Sakurajimayokoyamacho
  • Cape Sata Lighthouse
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kimotsukigunminamiosumichou Satamagome 417
    This lighthouse, one of the oldest in Japan, stands on Owajima Island 50 meters away from the southern cliffs of Cape Sata. The lighthouse has been selected for inclusion in a list of Japan's top 50 lighthouses. Designed by a British man, the lighthouse was destroyed in an air raid in 1945 during the Pacific War and was restored in 1950. Cape Sata faces the Pacific Ocean, the East China Sea, and Kinko Bay, and the emerald blue waters of the ocean create a beautiful contrast with the white walled lighthouse. On clear days, visitors standing on the tip of Cape Sata can see all the way to the islands of Tanegashima and Yakushima.
  • Akamizu Observation Plaza
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Pref. Kagoshimashi Sakurajimakamizuchou 3629-3
    This plaza was established as the site for Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi’s all-night concert in 2004. A statue made from igneous rock known as the “Shouting Statue” serves as a popular spot for commemorative photos.
  • Tenmonkan Dori
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Kagoshima-shi Higashisengokucho Hoka
  • Yani Kawa Dori
    Travel / Tourism
    Kagoshima Amami-shi Naze Irifunecho

Kagoshima Areas

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Over 100 active volcanoes across Kagoshima make it one of the Japan's most exciting prefectures. The prefectural capital, Kagoshima city, looks out to one of the prefecture’s most spectacular volcanoes, Sakurajima, an island of its own that can be visited and seen close up or admired from afar, with the promise of breathtaking sunsets complete with frequent puffs of smoke and ash. Down the Satsuma Peninsula, the most southerly part of mainland Japan, waterfalls, sand onsen, and fascinating history await, while Kagoshima's abundance of satsuma imo (sweet potato) provide a wholesome snack as well as one of Japan's favourite drinks - shochu.

Kagoshima Photo Album

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