Kurobuta (black pork)黒豚
Tender Berkshire pork, famously served as tonkatsu or shabu-shabu.
Kyushu
Kagoshima Travel Guide
Local tips, regional food and places off the tourist trail
Kyushu’s southern tip, facing the active Sakurajima volcano across the bay. Kagoshima city has Sengan-en garden, Ibusuki has sand baths, Chiran has samurai houses, and Yakushima’s ancient cedar forests lie offshore.
Open Kagoshima on the map39 places on the map · 6 local favourites
Local tips
- TipThe Sakurajima ferry runs round the clock from near Kagoshima city centre, and the crossing is short.
- Heads upIn summer the wind often carries Sakurajima’s ash over the city; carry an umbrella or mask on ashy days.
- Heads upYakushima is famously rainy all year; bring proper rain gear and boots, and hire a guide for long hikes.
- TipReach Yakushima by high-speed boat or ferry from Kagoshima port, or by flight; book ahead in busy seasons.
- DoTry a sand bath in Ibusuki: you lie buried in naturally heated sand, then rinse off in the onsen.
What to eat
Shirokumaしろくま
Shaved ice with condensed milk and colourful fruit, arranged to look like a polar bear’s face.
Satsuma-ageさつま揚げ
Deep-fried fish cakes, often sweetened, sold fresh and hot around Kagoshima city.
Local favourites
Places mostly visited by people who live here — quieter, and often the highlight of a trip.
Maruo Falls
丸尾滝 Nature & SceneryA waterfall fed by hot spring water in the Kirishima area, illuminated in autumn.
● Mostly localsMakurazaki Fish Center
枕崎お魚センター Local FoodHarbourside market in Makurazaki, Japan's katsuobushi capital, selling bonito flakes, dried fish and fresh sashimi bowls.
● Mostly localsFlower Park Kagoshima
フラワーパークかごしま Nature & SceneryLarge botanical park near Ibusuki with subtropical plants and flowers on a hill overlooking the sea and Mount Kaimon.
● Mostly localsKanoya Rose Garden
かのやばら園 Nature & SceneryOne of Japan's largest rose gardens, on a hill in Kanoya with thousands of varieties. The spring and autumn rose festivals are the times to go.
● Mostly localsChin Jukan Kiln
沈壽官窯 ShoppingHistoric Satsuma-ware kiln in the pottery village of Miyama, run by a family line of Korean-descended potters for centuries. Gallery, garden and shop.
● Mostly localsIzumi Fumoto Samurai Residences
出水麓武家屋敷 Sights & HistoryOne of Kyushu's largest surviving samurai quarters, with stone walls, hedges and a few houses open to the public. Very few visitors.
● Mostly localsThe famous sights
The places most visitors come for. Worth it — just go early.
Shiratani Unsuikyo
白谷雲水峡 Nature & SceneryThe mossy, stream-filled forest on Yakushima said to have inspired Princess Mononoke. Hike up to Taiko-iwa rock for a view over the island.
Sengan-en
仙巌園 Nature & ScenerySights & HistoryShimazu clan garden and villa that 'borrows' Sakurajima as its backdrop. Try the jambo mochi, skewered rice cakes sold inside.
Tenmonkan Mujaki
天文館むじゃき Local FoodThe café that created shirokuma, a giant shaved ice topped with condensed milk and fruit arranged like a polar bear's face.
Ibusuki Sand Bath Sa-Raku
砂むし会館 砂楽 Hot SpringsExperiencesLie buried in naturally heated black sand on the beach in Ibusuki.
Kirishima Jingu
霧島神宮 Temples & GoshuinchoSights & HistoryBrilliant vermilion shrine in the forested foothills of the Kirishima mountains. Look for the giant sacred cedar.
Sakurajima Yunohira Observatory
湯之平展望所 Nature & SceneryThe closest viewpoint to Sakurajima's smoking summit that you can reach by road, with the whole of Kagoshima Bay spread below.