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Province · Kyushu
Sakurajima volcano facing the city, the Sengan-en garden, Ibusuki’s sand baths, the forests of Yakushima and the Amami islands.
In the photo: Sakurajima, in Kagoshima.
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
The province
Kagoshima occupies the southern tip of Kyushu and a chain of islands stretching south toward Okinawa, including Yakushima, Tanegashima and Amami. It was the domain of Satsuma, ruled by the Shimazu clan, and the land of Saigo Takamori, a leader of the Meiji Restoration. It’s known for sweet potato shochu and for black pork.
The capital, Kagoshima, sits on Kinko Bay facing Sakurajima, an active volcano that frequently emits ash. Ferries cross the bay in about 15 minutes, day and night, and on the island there are viewpoints and foot baths fed by hot spring water. The Sengan-en garden, belonging to the Shimazu family, has the volcano as a backdrop, and the nearby Shuseikan, one of Japan’s first modern factories, is part of the UNESCO heritage related to Meiji-era industrialization.
To the south, Ibusuki is known for its sand baths heated by hot spring water, on a beach at the foot of the conical Kaimon peak. Chiran preserves a samurai district with gardens and has a museum about World War II pilots. In the north, Kirishima has hot springs and volcanic mountains.
Yakushima, a UNESCO site since 1993, is an island of mountains covered in cedar forests, some trees over a thousand years old, such as Jomon Sugi, reached by a full-day trail. It rains on the island year-round. Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 2021, have subtropical forests and species found only there, such as the Amami rabbit.
Flavors of Japan
Destinations
Cities
Kagoshima is the capital of the eponymous prefecture, on Kinko Bay, facing the Sakurajima volcano. Former seat of the Satsuma domain, it has the Sengan-en garden and the Shuseikan factories (UNESCO), the Shiroyama lookout, the Tenmonkan neighborhood and the ferry port to the volcano and to Yakushima. It is the last stop of Kyushu’s bullet train.
Ibusuki is the hot-spring town at the southern end of the Satsuma peninsula, about 45 km from Kagoshima. It’s known for the hot sand bath on Surigahama beach, heated by thermal water running under the sand. Nearby are Lake Ikeda, in the crater of an ancient volcano, and the cone of Mount Kaimon by the sea.
The mildest days are typically from March to May and from October to November. In summer, winds often carry Sakurajima’s ash toward the city. On Yakushima it rains throughout the year, and the trail to Jomon Sugi is most used from March to November. Sea turtles generally nest on Yakushima’s beaches from May to July. From August to October, typhoons can disrupt boats and flights to the islands.
The Kyushu Shinkansen connects Hakata to Kagoshima-Chuo in about 1 hour 20 minutes and to Shin-Osaka in about 3 hours 45 minutes. Kagoshima Airport (KOJ) is about 40 minutes by bus from the city center. For Yakushima, high-speed ferries depart Kagoshima and take about 2 hours, the ferry takes about 4 hours, and there are flights. Ibusuki is about 50 minutes by train from Kagoshima-Chuo.
Your questions
Yes. The ferry from Kagoshima Port reaches the island in about 15 minutes, and tour buses take visitors to viewpoints such as Yunohira. You cannot climb to the crater, and access to higher areas depends on the volcano’s activity.
By high-speed ferry from Kagoshima Port in about 2 hours, by regular ferry in about 4 hours, or by plane in about 40 minutes. On the island, buses and rental cars connect the ports to the trails.
About 10 hours round trip, on a route of roughly 22 km, part of which runs along old logging tracks. The hike begins before dawn, and during the season a bus takes hikers to the trailhead.
Dressed in a yukata, the visitor lies on the beach sand heated by hot spring water and is covered by attendants for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, you take a hot spring bath in the facility next door.
Beyond the guide
