Mother-daughter Trip to Kagoshima Course 3: Visit areas related to Saigo Takamori and Kirishima, a place that’s filled with secret beauty spots! Three days in Kagoshima City and Kirishima

Sengan-en

Start your trip at Sengan-en, a Japanese garden attached to an old Shimazu Clan residence constructed in 1658. It features a grand landscape incorporating the view of Kinko Bay and Sakurajima into the composition of the garden. The whole area was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2015 as “Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining.”
In the garden there are many places to enjoy Kagoshima sweets! It is hard to choose what to eat, but the best candidate is “Sengan-en Saryo,” where you can create your own shirokuma, Kagoshima’s special shaved fluffy ice with condensed milk and various colorful toppings!

Museum of the Meiji Restoration

Enjoy learning about the history of the Satsuma Domain at the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration. The areas related to the key players of the restoration, including the birthplace of Saigo Takamori and the place where Okubo Toshimichi was born and raised, are located nearby, so it is recommended to walk around to see them before or after visiting the museum.

Bronze statue of Saigo Takamori

Take a photo with the bronze statue of Saigo Takamori, a majestic monument of the historic figure standing eight meters tall, with Shiroyama mountain in the background. Then, trace the footsteps of Saigo Takamori through Goromon Gate of Tsurumaru Castle, which was restored in 2020 as the biggest castle gate in Japan, and Saigo Cave, where he spent the last five days of his life.

Tsurumaru Castle Ruins (Goromon Gate)

Saigo Cave

SHIROYAMA HOTEL kagoshima

Stay at a hotel with a grand panoramic view of Sakurajima, Kinko Bay, and Kagoshima City. Luxuriate in an open-air onsen bath with an awesome view.

Kagomma Furusato Yataimura at Bus Chika & Li-Ka

Recommended night spot!

This is a hot new gourmet spot near Kagoshima-Chuo Station! With 18 restaurants on the first basement floor of the Kagoshima Chuo Terminal Building (known as “Bus Chika”) and seven on the first floor of Li-Ka19-20 (“Li-Ka”), this is a perfect place to enjoy delicious dishes made with local seasonal ingredients and shochu spirits.

Yorimichi Cruise on the Sakurajima Ferry

Join a 50-minute ocean cruise and see Sakurajima and Kinko Bay from a different angle! (*The cruise service is available only Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.)
Have a special relaxing time with your mother or daughter while taking in the atmospheric views! If you are really lucky, you may encounter dolphins.

Tsukiyomi Shrine

Visit this power spot near the Sakurajima Ferry Terminal. This venerable shrine is said to have been constructed as early as the year 708 to 715.

Sakurajima Visitor Center

Here you can learn about Sakurajima’s history of volcanic eruptions and nature. Make sure to check out the museum shop for souvenirs and various original goods only available here.

Yogan Nagisa Park Footbath

While looking at Kinko Bay in front of the park, along with Sakurajima in the background, you can enjoy soaking your toes in the 100-meter long footbath and feel the power of nature.

Yunohira Observatory

Located at the highest point of 373 meters in Sakurajima, this observatory with a 360-degree panoramic view is the perfect place to take a photo as a memento of your trip!

Sakamoto Kurozu “Tsubobatake” Information Center and Restaurant

At the restaurant with a great panoramic view of “tsubobatake,” a stretch of field with earthenware jars for making traditional Sakamoto black vinegar, along with Sakurajima, enjoy healthy delicious dishes made with the traditional vinegar.
The shop offers samplings of various kinds of black vinegar. So bring back your favorite as a souvenir and enjoy its healthy properties at home!

Kirishima Open-Air Museum

View the art works exhibited in the grand natural landscape of Kirishima. You can take photos with some of the art pieces.

Kirishima Hotel

This hotel has a great garden bathhouse of an overwhelming size! There are various bathtubs where you can enjoy an abundant supply of four kinds of spring water flowing from as many as 14 different sources.

Kirishima Onsen Market

The market is a hub for sightseeing in Kirishima Onsen resort, and you can enjoy shopping for nice souvenirs and try delicious local food. Don’t miss the relaxing footbath.

Kirishima Jingu Shrine

Visit the shrine of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, a deity in Japanese mythology, which is said to have been founded in the 6th century. The honden (main sanctuary structure), heiden (offering hall), and haiden (worship hall) have been designated as national treasures.
It is one of the best power spots in Southern Kyushu! There is lots to see in the precincts of the shrine.

Barrel Valley Praha & Gen

Enjoy delicious dishes made with koji, cooked rice or beans inoculated with koji fungi fermentation culture, to be used as a fermentation starter, and shopping at a koji-themed park near Kagoshima Airport. There is an exhibition related to koji and a shochu distilled spirit factory tour, as well as craft beer production.