Take a trip around the varied landscapes of central and southern Kyushu
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Kagoshima: Discover the wild and tropical nature of this prefecture
Kagoshima is located in the southernmost part of Kyushu, where you’ll find beautiful scenery and bountiful food…
The Culture Vulture
Take a tour of Kagoshima Fish Market with an English-speaking guide. Kagoshima boasts the third-longest coastline in Japan and with the Kuroshio Current there is a huge variety of fish available.
Time to relax: A hot sand bath
Try a hot sand bath, where you are buried in the sand. You can regulate the temperature by the sand’s depth and you only need to be in one for about ten minutes to sweat out your body’s impurities and feel refreshed.
At the Samurai Armour Experience you can try on armour and walk around the gardens. The atelier here produces 90% of the Japanese armour used in movies.
The Foodie
Kagoshima is known for producing sweet potato and brown sugar shochu (distilled liquor), and is home to 114 distilleries and more than 2,000 brands. Try some to find the best shochu for you.
Kagoshima black cattle are blessed with the surroundings of a warm climate, so the beef is of the highest quality and has won Japan’s beef contest.
Sweet treat: The shaved ice dessert known as ‘shirokuma’ in Kagoshima
Shaved ice is a summer tradition in Japan and people from all over the country travel to Kagoshima just for ‘shirokuma’. While elsewhere the ice is covered with colourful syrups like strawberry or melon, in Kagoshima condensed milk is the topping of choice. With fruit scattered on top, it almost looks like a bear’s face, hence why it is called ‘shirokuma’ (polar bear) in Kagoshima.
The Adventurer
Chiringashima is an uninhabited island floating in Kagoshima Bay. At low tide from March to October, it is connected to the mainland and you can walk the 800m-long sandbar to explore ‘the island of mystery’ as it is known.
On the island of Amami Oshima, which is home to several rare animals, you can kayak through the wild forests.
The Party Animal
Kagomma Furusato Yataimura – a food market – is lined with 25 izakayas offering traditional local cuisine and Kagoshima’s unique tapas. It’s popular with locals and international travellers, and is the perfect spot to while away an evening.
Fair share: Experience variety with Kagoshima tapas
For more travel information…
How to get there
JAL, ANA, Skymark and Solaseed fly between Haneda Airport and Kagoshima, while Jetstar fly from Narita. All in one hour, 40 minutes. It’s only 70 minutes to fly from Osaka and also a 90-minute train ride from Fukuoka.
Click on page three to find out about Kumamoto…