Kagoshima For The First Time

Kagoshima Prefecture, at the southernmost part of Kyushu, is rich in stunning and dramatic natural beauty, from live volcanoes to turquoise oceans and mystical ancient forests. Kagoshima city also played a key role in Japan’s modern history, and is the birthplace of significant historical figures. 

The locals take pride in the grand view of Sakurajima, a large active volcano located in the middle of Kagoshima Bay, with an elevation of nearly 1,200m and a circumference of 50km, which continues to have minor eruptions several times a day.

Kagoshima Prefecture extends 600km from north to south and includes about 30 islands far south, counting among them Yakushima Island, an island registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Amami Oshima, which is gaining popularity with surfers for its pristine beaches and blue oceans.

It is also popular for its unique natural steam sand bath, which you can experience at Ibusuki hot spring. These sand steam baths have been around for over 300 years and known for their health benefits.

The prefecture is blessed with fertile soil and clear waters, making for delicious local produce, such as the sweetest sweet potatoes in Japan, tasty black pigs and black cows, fresh fish from the Sea of Japan and East China Sea. There is also a tradition of eating chicken sashimi, as the chickens are reared free range and fresh from the farm.