Kagoshima, also known as 'Naples of the Orient', is a picturesque town with a subtropical climate in southern Kyushu with a large active volcano - Sakura-jima. Kagoshima is one of the warmest places in Japan and also during our stay the weather was beautiful and sunny with temperature around 25 degrees Celsius. Which is decent for the time we were there (middle of November) compared to weather in Slovakia at that time which was around zero.
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| Kagoshima - main railway station |
After arrival we were first of course attracted by the train station which was integrated into a huge shopping center - even with a ferris wheel (!) on the roof and a cinema. In front of the station was a statue of seventeen students who had traveled to England and the United States to bring knowledge of western technologies and help spark the Japanese industrial revolution.
Japanese flora and fauna
The city was nicely kept with a lot of flowers, trees, bushes and statues with koi karps swimming alongside the sidewalk. Ideal weather too. On the other hand, since this is a popular tourist destination, these Japanese southern folks here are little more temperament than usual. For example they were bugging us with leaflets or literally dragged us into a restaurant we were looking at before.
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| Really beautifully kept promenade |
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| Golden koi carp swims to grant me a wish |
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| Japanese heron is posing |
The landmark of the city is a huge stratovolcano Sakura-jima. The highest peak of the volcano reaches a height of 1117 meters and the last major eruption occurred in 1914. Another major eruption is expected within 25 years. During our stay Sakura-jima was quiet :)
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| We had a view of the volcano directly from the hotel room |
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| We slept again on the traditional Japanese style of futons on tatami |
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| Terukuni shrine |
During the hike to Shiroyama Park I felt like walking through the jungle with large trees and spiderwebs. The weather was very pleasant, the sun was shining and cats were walking on the pavement. There were five vending machines upstairs, a group of Japanese elderly yoga practitioners, and a beautiful view of the whole city and Sakura-jima.
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| When one vending machine is not enough (yes, that is Tommy Lee Jones :) |
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| View of Sakura-jima and harbor (there is even a submarine visible on the right) |
In Kagoshima we visited a local aquarium, whose mascot is the largest fin - whale shark, and we also watched a dolphin show (where we were by far the only Europeans :). Whale shark is not dangerous to humans, feeds on plankton and reaches a length of up to 14 meters and weighs more than 12 tons. The dolphins also unpacked it nicely and jumped to respectable heights.
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| Whale shark |
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| Dolphin show |
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| Dinner is served: Fish with soy sauce and beer |
Video below is from the observation point in Shiroyama Park. Part 5 -
Beppu.
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