Kagoshima (鹿児島)

Kagoshima (鹿児島) is Kyushu's southernmost major city and the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. The city is often compared with its Italian sister city Naples due to a similarly mild climate, palm trees.  Kagoshima (鹿児島市 Kagoshima-shi, Japanese: [ka̠ɡ̃o̞ɕima̠]) is at the south western tip of the island of Kyushu in Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture. The city was officially founded on April 1, 1889. Kagoshima Prefecture (also known as the Satsuma Domain was the center of the territory of the Shimazu Clan for many centuries. It was a busy political and commercial port city throughout the medieval period and into the Edo period (1603–1867) when it formally became the capital of the Shimazu's fief, the Satsuma Domain. The official emblem is a modification of the Shimazu's kamon designed to resemble the character "市"(shi, means "city"). Satsuma remained one of the most powerful and wealthiest domains in the country throughout the period, although international trade was banned for much of this period, the city remained quite active and prosperous. 

It was a political center for Satsuma, but also for the semi-independent vassal kingdom of Ryūkyū; Ryūkyūan traders and emissaries visited the city, a special Ryukyuan embassy building was established to help prolong relations between the two polities as well as to keep visitors and emissaries. Kagoshima was also a significant center of Christian activity in Japan prior it was banned in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Kagoshima was bombarded by the British Royal Navy in 1863 to punish the daimyō of Satsuma for the murder of Charles Lennox Richardson on the Tōkaidō highway. It also was the birthplace of the last stand of Saigō Takamori, a legendary figure in Meiji Era Japan in 1877 at the end of the Satsuma Rebellion. Japan's industrial revolution is said to have started here. It does attraction such as: Sakurajima (桜島) is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and the symbol of Kagoshima. The volcano smokes constantly, and minor eruptions often take place multiple times per day. Located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, Sakurajima is the area's most prominent geographic feature, having an elevation of 1117 meters and a circumference of about 50 kilometers. Before a powerful eruption in 1914, Sakurajima used to be an island in the bay, but the massive lava flow from that eruption created the volcano's current land connection to the Osumi Peninsula in the east.

The volcano is still most easily accessed by the ferries that run the 3.5 kilometers between Kagoshima Port and the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal. Sakurajima has three main peaks: Kita-dake ("north peak", 1117 meters), Naka-dake ("middle peak" 1060 meters) and Minami-dake ("southern peak", 1040 meters). The Minami-dake peak is currently the most active, with many eruptions taking place from the Showa Crater on the peak's eastern slope. It is forbidden to approach within two kilometers of the volcano's craters however there are many observation points around Sakurajima where eruptions can be observed from about three kilometers away. Travelers visiting Sakurajima can find many attractions just around the Ferry Terminal. 

Those who would like to further explore the volcano should travel by rental car, which can be taken across the water from Kagoshima by the ferries. Sightseeing buses, regular buses and rental bicycles are other possible methods of travel. Senganen Garden (仙巌園), also known as Isoteien (磯庭園), is a Japanese style landscape garden along the coast north of downtown Kagoshima. One of the garden's most striking features is its use of Sakurajima and Kagoshima Bay as borrowed scenery. The garden also includes small ponds, streams, shrines and a bamboo grove. Senganen was constructed in 1658 by the wealthy Shimazu Clan, one of the most powerful feudal clans during the Edo Period (1603-1867). The Shimazu ruled the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima) for almost 700 years until the end of the feudal age in 1868. They continued to be influential into the modern era as some of the earliest adopters of Western science and technology. At the center of the garden stands the Iso Residence. The residence was originally built in 1658 along with the rest of the garden, but the current building mostly dates back to a mid 1880s reconstruction. After the end of the feudal age, the Iso Residence became the main residence of the Shimazu family, and its rooms are preserved in the way they were used in the 1890s. The interior of the residence can only be seen on a guided tour.

Kagoshima Aquarium (いおワールド鹿児島水族館, Io World Kagoshima Suizokukan) is located along the water beside Kagoshima Port, just beside the Sakurajima ferry terminal. The aquarium was opened in 1997 and has a total of seven floors. There is an emphasis on local marine life, including the chain of islands to the south that are also part of Kagoshima Prefecture. The aquarium's most impressive attraction is its massive Kuroshio Tank, which holds fish of all sizes. There are schools of tiny fish, rays, a giant whale shark. Other exhibition areas include sea otters, giant crabs, coral reefs, electric eels and mangroves. There is a Dolphin Pool that has three dolphins shows per day. Occasionally the dolphins are allowed to swim freely in the canals outside the aquarium where they also perform tricks. The Reimeikan Museum (黎明館) is dedicated to local history and culture. On three spacious floors it presents a wide variety of exhibits that cover the span of Kagoshima’s history from ancient to modern times. There are a few interesting models, such as a large diorama of downtown Kagoshima at the beginning of the Showa Period (1926-1989) and a small scale model of a village from the middle ages. The museum was built on the former site of the local castle, known as Tsurumaru Castle, and is surrounded by parts of the former moat and stone walls. The museum and castle ruins are located at the base of Mount Shiroyama, which literally means "castle mountain". Within the vicinity of the museum there are a few other museums and cultural attractions. One of the most popular is a statue of the local hero Saigo Takamori, a leader from the Meiji Restoration of the late 1860s. Saigo is believed to have died in combat on Shiroyama mountain. Shiroyama Park (城山公園, Shiroyama Kōen) is a park in downtown Kagoshima that extends over Mount Shiroyama. With an elevation of 107 meters, the mountain formerly served as the site of a castle fortification, which led to its name. Shiroyama literally means "castle mountain", the castle's former grounds at the base of the mountain now serve as the site of the Reimeikan Museum. The park is most famous for its Shiroyama Observatory with spectacular views over downtown Kagoshima, Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima. Furthermore, the park will hold the interest of travelers who are interested in Japanese history, as it was the site of the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. The local hero Saigo Takamori is said to have made his last stand at Saigo Cave which is located in the park. There are many types of sweets produced in Kagoshima Prefecture. Kagoshima-based Seika Foods Co., Ltd. (セイカ食品株式会社: Seika shokuhin kabushiki-kaishahas produced some of Japan's most popular and timeless sweets such as hyōrokumochi Bontan Ame (ボンタンアメ), Satsuma Imo Caramel (さつまいもキャラメル), and green tea-flavored Hyōrokumochi, Minami "shirokuma” shaved ice desserts, etc. Traditional treats outside of Seika Food Co., Ltd. products include karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour), jambo-mochi, kokutō brown sugar from the Amami Islands, getanha brown sugar cake.

    Bibliography:

"Kagoshima", Illustrated London News. 24 January 1914.

Headquarters, XXI Bomber Command APO 234, "Tactical Mission Report Mission No. 206-209." June 18, 1945.

 角川日本地名大辞典  

鹿児島県 

角川日本地名大辞典

鹿児島県

 "気象庁 / 平年値（年・月ごとの値）". Japan Meteorological Agency.

姉妹・友好・兄弟都市 [Twin cities]. Kagoshima International Affairs Division (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2013-08-08.

Amu Plaza Visitors Guide (2006), Kagoshima, Japan

角川日本地名大辞典 ; 鹿児島県. Kadokawa Shoten. 1983-03-08. ISBN 4-04-001460-X.

  https://www.city.kagoshima.lg.jp/