Time certainly flies when you are having fun. I was just getting accustomed to the Tokyo lifestyle when it was time to repack my recently unpacked suitcase and journey on a 90-minute flight south to the tropical Kagoshima City.
Prepare for landing, when the airplane landed, I was smacked with the humidity and knew I had landed in a tropical paradise. The rainbow of vivid flower blossoms and tropical emerald foliage were good indicators that I was going to like this visit. It was a short ride to the hotel but it gave us a charming view of Kinko Bay and the volcano. Our tour guide Naoko Oguruma gave us tidbits of information about the city during the ride to our Hotel
I learned only in Kagoshima will you find more than 600,000 Japanese residents who call their home, "The Southern Gateway to Japan". Kagoshima City is the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture(state).
In Kagoshima will you find a city that is often compared with its Italian sister city, Naples, due to a similarly mild year round climate, palm tree lined streets, and Mt Sakurajima, Kagoshima's active volcano. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and serves as the symbol of Kagoshima. The volcano smokes constantly and minor eruptions take place frequently. Sakurajima's last major eruption occurred in 1960. However, we did see steam vents rise from the volcano while we were visiting the city.
Only in Kagoshima will you find a wide variety of specialty products such as the posh Satsuma cut glass, Satsumayaki ceramics, bamboo products and stunning Pongee silk. There are many delicacies such as: Sho-chu (liquor distilled from potatoes) Satsuma-age (deep fried fish), Kuro Buta (black pork), Sakurajimia daikon (the world's largest radishes) and Shirokuma (polar bear, a shaved ice desert with fruit and cream).
Kagoshima attractions include: Tenmonkan a series of covered streets, which form a shopping arcade. It houses restaurants, bars, coffee shops, clothing stores, souvenir shops, 100 Yen stores, Pachinko Parlors, and Karaoke halls. Amu Plaza is a modern mall with seven floors, a food court and a supermarket located in the basement. It has a ten-screen movie theater and gym. Another well-liked attraction is Dolphin Port. It is a modern shopping and dining complex located on the shore of the picturesque bay, it offers a dazzling view of Sakurajimia.
A famous and controversial person from Kagoshima is Saigo Takamori. Saigo was instrumental in the peaceful overthrow of the feudal Shogunate and helped found the Meiji government however a later disagreement and rebellion against the new government led to his committing suicide in 1877. His statue can be seen near Tenmokan. The movie "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise is loosely based on the life of Saigo Takamori.
Quicker than lightning, we all made a mad dash to drop off our luggage in our rooms and meet on the Public Tram Car located directly in front of our hotel. This was one of our few free evenings. I was shocked that you could ride all over the city for only $1.60. After a quick tour of the city, we hopped off at Tenmokan for a leisurely stroll through the covered streets of the shopping district. The streets are covered to prevent any damage from ash that Mt. Sakutajima shares with the city from time to time.
Lo and behold, when I turned the corner there was a friendly face from the south. Colonel Sanders-KFC. How could I turn down some extra crispy chicken? Surprisingly, the chicken did not look like extra crispy or original recipe either but at this point I ate it anyway. The only other choice was rice! Even though it wasn't finger licking good it did the trick for me.
Prepare for landing, when the airplane landed, I was smacked with the humidity and knew I had landed in a tropical paradise. The rainbow of vivid flower blossoms and tropical emerald foliage were good indicators that I was going to like this visit. It was a short ride to the hotel but it gave us a charming view of Kinko Bay and the volcano. Our tour guide Naoko Oguruma gave us tidbits of information about the city during the ride to our Hotel
I learned only in Kagoshima will you find more than 600,000 Japanese residents who call their home, "The Southern Gateway to Japan". Kagoshima City is the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture(state).
In Kagoshima will you find a city that is often compared with its Italian sister city, Naples, due to a similarly mild year round climate, palm tree lined streets, and Mt Sakurajima, Kagoshima's active volcano. Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and serves as the symbol of Kagoshima. The volcano smokes constantly and minor eruptions take place frequently. Sakurajima's last major eruption occurred in 1960. However, we did see steam vents rise from the volcano while we were visiting the city.
Only in Kagoshima will you find a wide variety of specialty products such as the posh Satsuma cut glass, Satsumayaki ceramics, bamboo products and stunning Pongee silk. There are many delicacies such as: Sho-chu (liquor distilled from potatoes) Satsuma-age (deep fried fish), Kuro Buta (black pork), Sakurajimia daikon (the world's largest radishes) and Shirokuma (polar bear, a shaved ice desert with fruit and cream).
Kagoshima attractions include: Tenmonkan a series of covered streets, which form a shopping arcade. It houses restaurants, bars, coffee shops, clothing stores, souvenir shops, 100 Yen stores, Pachinko Parlors, and Karaoke halls. Amu Plaza is a modern mall with seven floors, a food court and a supermarket located in the basement. It has a ten-screen movie theater and gym. Another well-liked attraction is Dolphin Port. It is a modern shopping and dining complex located on the shore of the picturesque bay, it offers a dazzling view of Sakurajimia.
A famous and controversial person from Kagoshima is Saigo Takamori. Saigo was instrumental in the peaceful overthrow of the feudal Shogunate and helped found the Meiji government however a later disagreement and rebellion against the new government led to his committing suicide in 1877. His statue can be seen near Tenmokan. The movie "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise is loosely based on the life of Saigo Takamori.
Quicker than lightning, we all made a mad dash to drop off our luggage in our rooms and meet on the Public Tram Car located directly in front of our hotel. This was one of our few free evenings. I was shocked that you could ride all over the city for only $1.60. After a quick tour of the city, we hopped off at Tenmokan for a leisurely stroll through the covered streets of the shopping district. The streets are covered to prevent any damage from ash that Mt. Sakutajima shares with the city from time to time.
Lo and behold, when I turned the corner there was a friendly face from the south. Colonel Sanders-KFC. How could I turn down some extra crispy chicken? Surprisingly, the chicken did not look like extra crispy or original recipe either but at this point I ate it anyway. The only other choice was rice! Even though it wasn't finger licking good it did the trick for me.
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