Ai Nishimura
Administrator of the blog "My Diary," which began in 2004. A writer who has traveled to all 47 prefectures and loves local culture and history.
Author of Shimane's "Geography, Place Names, and Maps" Mysteries (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha), My Town is the "Number One in Japan" Dictionary (PHP Institute), and Prefectures Explained in Neko Neko Japanese History (Jitsugyo no Nihonsha). Official blogger for Suntory Gourmet Guide, official top user for Retty, and official platinum blogger for Excite.
On the second day, we will travel around the center of Kagoshima. We will take a look at the history of the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration! We will walk around the city while feeling the "love of Saigo Don" of Kagoshima Prefecture residents here and there. We will also introduce the public hall with a rare architectural style built in the early Showa period, the famous restaurant of a long-established department store that has been in business since the Taisho period, and photo spots for Sakurajima!
We will travel a course that visits the birthplaces of the great men who brought about the Meiji Restoration and built modern Japan.
Saigo Takamori's popularity was boosted by last year's taiga drama. It is clear throughout the city that the people of Kagoshima really love Saigo. However, Saigo-don is not the only hero in Kagoshima. There are many great people who made great achievements in Satsuma.
This time, I participated in a walking course called "Kagoshima Stroll Around Town" where I could walk with a volunteer guide!
Kajiyacho, which we visited on this course, is an area where low-ranking samurai lived. Many people who held important positions in the Meiji government and young samurai from Satsuma at the end of the Edo period lived here. First of all, it was surprising that such talented people lived in such a small area.
Even if it was for the justice they believed in, brothers, cousins, parents and children were separated into different sides based on their own thoughts, and as a result, they were unable to meet even after the Satsuma Rebellion, despite their lives being saved. It is a sad history. However, we who live on that history believe that it is important to calmly know and learn about this history. Only 150 years have passed, so there are many detailed anecdotes that remain, and the guide's stories were very interesting.
We will participate in a historical information course with a volunteer guide. Each course costs 500 yen, which is very reasonable. And the meeting point is the tourist information center inside Kagoshima Chuo Station, which is easy for tourists to find.
We started from the station. First, we talked about Kagoshima's lifestyle and customs. Apparently, they use these bags to dispose of the ash that falls from Sakurajima. We received the bags as souvenirs (laughs).
In front of the station stands the "Portrait of Young Satsuma," a group of 17 Satsuma students. Satsuma's relationship with Britain worsened after the Namamugi Incident, but after the reconciliation with the enemy country, they proposed to send their elite students to study in Britain, which they then realised.
The first principal of Kaisei School (the predecessor of Tokyo University) was Yoshinari Hatakeyama, the first Minister of Education Arinori Mori, and the founder of Sapporo Beer Hisanari Murahashi. The youngest was Nagasawa Tei, who was 13 when he went to England, and later went to America and became a wine magnate. The person in the photo (sitting in a chair) is Tomoatsu Godai, an Osaka merchant who became famous through the NHK morning drama "Asaka ga Kita."
We continue to tour the bronze statues. Standing in the park beside the Kotsuki River is a statue of Okubo Toshimichi, whose dress flutters in the wind. He is the man who returned the lands and people to the Emperor, abolished the feudal domains and established prefectures, and built the modern Japanese government.
The highlight of this statue is the back side, at Okubo's feet. There is a small sculpture of the horse and driver of the carriage in which Okubo was assassinated. The guide will also show you around this area.
The day I visited happened to be Saigo Takamori's birthday, so a birthday party was being held by volunteers.
While I was taking photos, I was given a share of the "Sakurajima Ko Mikan" (small mandarins) that were served at "Saigo-san's birthday"! They are the smallest mandarins in Japan. They have a lot of seeds, but are sweet.
There is also this near the stone monument. "Goju education" is an educational system taught to young people in Satsuma. It is the Satsuma way of raising young people, who were trained mentally and physically on a daily basis.
One of them is the swordsmanship of Jigen-ryu. There is also Jigen-ryu, a martial art unique to Satsuma that is still passed down today.
When taking a historical stroll around Kajicho, you might want to start at the pink, historic Kagoshima Chuo High School. There are many stone monuments around the high school. These are the birthplaces of the people surrounding Saigo, which means they were all neighbors.
Finally, I walked to the Saigo Takamori bronze statue at the site of Tsurumaru Castle. It's a little far from the station, but the statue was erected here because it's the place where Saigo died. The statue in Ueno is dressed casually, while this one is in military uniform.
There was also a wonderful building nearby. This is a registered tangible cultural property! A community center built to commemorate the marriage of Emperor Showa. The former Kagoshima City Public Hall (now the Central Community Center) opened in 1927. The walls are made of welded tuff, which is unique to Kagoshima, and the window frames feature Islamic-style pointed arches. The building, with its graceful curves and ornamentation, was apparently also used as a wedding hall.
Despite our unexpected visit, we were allowed to go up onto the roof, which is usually closed off. To our surprise, roof tiles were used in places that could not be seen.
The last stop on this day's historical walk was the Kagoshima Cathedral Xavier Memorial Church, which was on the way from the old Kagoshima City Public Hall to the station. Kagoshima was also the place where the missionary Francis Xavier, who brought Christianity to Japan, preached. The first Japanese person Xavier met while sailing around the world to spread Christianity was Yajiro, a samurai from Satsuma. Kagoshima was the place where Xavier first landed in Japan. He lived in Kagoshima for about a year, and then expanded his activities to Nagasaki and Yamaguchi.
Of the original stone church built in memory of Xavier, only the stone gate remains in front of the current church.
The current church is the third in its kind and was built to commemorate 450 years since Xavier arrived in Japan. The cathedral was filled with light from the beautiful stained glass.
Even though I've never been there, it brings back memories! The famous fried noodles served at the cafeteria of a long-established department store from the Taisho period.
You can get around the center of Kagoshima using buses and trams that depart from Kagoshima Chuo Station. This time I mostly walked around, but the buses and trams were part of the scenery as I walked around the city, creating a unique Kagoshima landscape.
In particular, the flowers planted along the road are in full bloom even in winter, creating a tropical landscape, and a short walk away is Kinko Bay and Sakurajima. Just a short distance from the city center, you can encounter magnificent views.
During this time, we visited Yamagataya Department Store, which has a luxurious and elegant Taisho era feel, and as soon as you step inside you can sense the dignity and presence of a prestigious store.
This is where you can find the soul food loved by the locals, "yakisoba." You might think it's called yakisoba, but you can try this specialty at Yamagataya Shokudo on the upper floor.
A streetscape of a city with trams running. There are also many local bus routes.
It's a very pretty town with flowers lined up along the roadside.
Kagoshima City is carrying out a project to green its streetcars in an effort to curb the heat island effect.
Apparently, the only lawnmower train in Japan runs after the last train! I'd like to see this someday.
The walkway is made of lava from Sakurajima. It's a great combination of landscape maintenance and promotion!
Starbucks in the center of town is on this street too.
You can see pictures of Saigo and characters depicted all over the city.
Saigo-san Chocolate. Kagoshima Prefecture loves Saigo-san too much.
Yamagataya Department Store resembles a European castle. Founded in the Edo period, the department store format we see today opened in the Taisho period. The store exudes a retro atmosphere.
The name "Yamagataya" seems to have come from a merchant from Yamagata Prefecture who started a kimono business in Satsuma.
A relief of the store's former appearance remains in front of the store, giving a sense of the bustle that was there back then.
I thought, "Yamagataya has a rock in it?", but it turns out that the logo is derived from the name of the founding family, Mr. Iwamoto. The clock tower and dome-shaped protrusions can be seen even closer from the rooftop, which is an impressive sight.
I headed to the 7th floor of Building 1 to try the yakisoba at Yamagataya Shokudo, which was recommended to me by locals.
The specialty, yakisoba, is a perennial favorite among Yamagataya Shokudo, which has offered a wide variety of dishes since it first opened. It is similar to a thick sauce-style sara udon. Because the plate is so large, it may be hard to tell how much you're getting.
The vinegar on the table is not too sour and has just the right amount of saltiness. I think this way of eating it by pouring it generously on top is also what's driving its popularity... It's delicious.
The thick, crispy fried noodles absorb the moisture from the rich filling and become fluffy. Kamaboko, shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts and pork. The shiitake mushroom flavor is strong. It has a gentle sweetness and goes down easy. Almost everyone, young and old, men and women, orders this! Once you try it, you'll understand the secret behind its popularity.
An active volcano that still erupts fire! When you think of Kagoshima, you think of Sakurajima.
What is the best spot to see Sakurajima across Kinko Bay? First, head to Dolphin Port.
Dolphin Port is a complex facility with restaurants, souvenir shops, foot baths, etc. It is 2.5 km from Kagoshima Chuo Station, so it is possible to walk there while looking around, but it takes about 15 minutes by local bus.
There is a free observation space on the 4th floor of the NHK Kagoshima Broadcasting Station right next to the Dolphin Port, and the view from here is also amazing. Also, if you go past the Io World Kagoshima Aquarium and look around the observation lighthouse from the North Pier Terminal, you can get a great view of Sakurajima.
When I visited in late January, the Sakurajima area was hazy every morning and difficult to see, but by mid-afternoon it would always be clearly visible and I could enjoy the beautiful Sakurajima from all around until the evening.
Even if it's hazy, don't give up, just choose the right time of day and enjoy the beautiful and majestic sight of Sakurajima.
Heading towards Kinko Bay, heading for Dolphin Port. It's a straight road from Kagoshima Chuo Station. On the way, there was an old stone lantern. There are several stories about the origin of this lantern, but this area is said to have been named "Izuro" (stone lantern) after this lantern.
"Kagoshima Waterfront Dolphin Port, a complex commercial facility."
If you take a photo from around Dolphin Port, you can see the view of Sakurajima across the harbor, with ships in the foreground.
I'll also go to the observation deck of NHK Kagoshima Broadcasting Station.
NHK Kagoshima's "Sakurajima Observation Plaza." A space that is open to the public.
It is a large deck balcony with a glass-walled view of Sakurajima and Kinko Bay.
Even through the glass, the view was beautiful! I really liked the view from here. The distance was just right, and I was able to enjoy the majestic Sakurajima.
You can see it in this kind of atmosphere. It's so comfortable, I want to just relax here forever.
I thought to myself, let's go beyond Kagoshima Aquarium and get closer to the ocean!
By coincidence, we were in the middle of a dolphin show. What?! Can we see it for free?!
Dolphin jump!
And one more, the two of them jumped together!! It was fun.
Sakurajima stands out above the sea from the ferry terminal at North Pier and near the observation lighthouse.
Sakurajima was emitting smoke again on this day. This island is alive.
For your information, unfortunately the view of Sakurajima from the rooftop of Yamagataya Department Store is gradually disappearing.
What about the Ferris wheel at Kagoshima Chuo Station? There was only one gondola that was clear from top to bottom and left to right, so it might be easy to take pictures!
Read the second part here
The contents published are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change.
