Kagoshima…one of our favourite places

Every trip that we have made to Japan has included a visit to Kagoshima. We love this city…the ramen is superb, there are great neighbourhoods to explore, interesting shopping, it shares its waterfront (a small island away) with an active volcano….it’s all here. Glad to be back. The only downside of our visit this time is that Mary Ellen started to get sick a few days ago and it is really settling in. We will stay here for at least 3 nights. We hope that staying in one place and the Onsen will help her recover. When we leave Kagoshima, we plan to take the ferry to Okinawa from Kagoshima, a 25 hour ferry ride, which will give us a warmer climate for the final weeks of our trip before heading home.

If only we had the blue skies and warmth this poster suggests. It is so cold here. We are wearing everything we can find in our panniers. Okinawa is sounding like a good idea.

Dormy Inn is giving us a great place to park our trikes in front but hidden by plants and under a security camera.

We each have two panniers and an ortlieb handlebar bag. It makes for easy travel to keep our load small. The only hitch has been the month long Canada Post strike at home. As a result, we can’t mail anything home due to the backlog, so we are carrying an extra dry bag each for extras. These will become our carry on luggage for the plane.

Kagoshima has the distinction of having an active volcano located in clear sight and very close to the city on an island. Sakurajima is legendary. We have often witnessed eruptions and wondered about the people who live at the foot of the volcano and the faith they must have in Mother Nature.

This morning at about 7:30 the volcano erupted and sent the plume of smoke and ash up to a height of over 9000 feet. When we saw the volcano later in the afternoon it had quieted down.

It’s a cold day but sunny, so we decided to ride up to the Shiroyama Lookout to check out the view.

It is a short but steep route to the Shiroyama Lookout. We will go up one side and down the other.

It is odd that we have missed riding up to this lookout on previous trips. It is worth checking out for the view. But, we were also impressed by the natural beauty with a forest/jungle feel. Magnificent trees and fauna.

Sakurajima is such a prominent part of the skyline in Kagoshima. Wherever you go, chances are you will see the volcano. This is the first view we see when we get to the observation anrea and it frames the volcano on Sakurajima very well.

The grounds of the lookout are expansive with have many areas to hike. Walking amongst these trees and the lush growth in the forest was a pleasure.

The Shiroyama Lookout is home to a forest of magnificent Camphor trees, many of which are over 400 years old.

These Camphor trees are massive and their impressive network of branches create a canopy overhead.

Don Square is also located at the lookout. We were anticipating an interesting climb on our trikes and a nice overview of the city, but there is so much more. Worth a visit.

The Torii gate below signifies that this is the site of a shrine. The modernity of a Japanese city intertwines with the culture and traditions of their Buddhist faith.

Kagoshima is often referred as the Naples of the Orient due to the proximity of Sakurajima volcano like the volcano close to Naples. They are sister cities.

These are mascots for Kagoshima… Volcano fairy and Magnion.

Saigo, the last samurai. The photo below talks about the school he created for Samurai called Shikago. It had a bumpy existence and lasted only 4 years. He was beloved by his students.

The central streets of Kagoshima have made history come alive with these life sized copper statues of significant citizens of Kagoshima positioned on street corners. This pair are doctors, William Willis on the left and Takayuki Kanehiro on the right. William Willis was invited in 1869 to become the Principal of the Medical School and he established Akakura Hospital, providing British medical education in Japan. Tamia studied with Willis and also established a University with a School of Medicine. These men are credited with bringing western medicine and practices to the East.

We decided to have a ride on the giant Ferris wheel that is a landmark in central Kagoshima. We chose a car on the Ferris wheel that is completely clear and made of glass which gave us a great view.