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Kagoshima 鹿児島 |
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| 鹿児島市 · Kagoshima City | |||
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Kagoshima
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| Coordinates: 31°36′N 130°33′E / 31.6°N 130.55°E | |||
| Country | Japan | ||
| Region | Kyūshū | ||
| Prefecture | Kagoshima | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Hiroyuki Mori | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 546.96 km2 (211.2 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2005) |
605,650 | ||
| - Density | 1,108/km2 (2,869.7/sq mi) | ||
| City Symbols | |||
| - Tree | Camphor | ||
| - Flower | Kyōchikutō | ||
| Website | City of Kagoshima | ||
| Phone number | 099-224-1111 | ||
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11-1 Yamashita-machi, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken |
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Kagoshima (鹿児島市 Kagoshima-shi) is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern world" for its bay location (Aira Caldera), hot climate and impressive stratovolcano, Sakurajima.
As of 1 January 2005, the city had an estimated population of 605,650 and a density of 1,107.81 persons per km². The total area is 546.71 km². In 2003, the city had an estimated population of only 554,136 and density of 1,911.41 persons per km². The total area was 289.91 km².
The city's total area nearly doubled between 2003 and 2005 as a result of five towns—the towns of Kōriyama and Matsumoto, both from Hioki District, the town of Kiire, from Ibusuki District, and the towns of Sakurajima and Yoshida, both from Kagoshima District—merging into Kagoshima on November 1, 2004.
Kagoshima is approximately 40 minutes from Kagoshima Airport, and the city features large shopping districts and malls, is served by trams, and has many restaurants featuring Satsuma Province regional cuisine: kibi (a kind of tiny fish), tonkatsu (caramelized pork, as opposed to the breaded version encountered elsewhere in Japan), smoked eel, and karukan (sweet cakes made from steamed yams and rice flour). A large, modern aquarium has been installed on the old docks overlooking the volcano. The Senganen (Isoteien) Japanese garden is just outside the city.
The St. Xavier church is a reminder of the first Christians who came to Japan.
One of the best places to see the city (and the active volcano across the bay) is from the Amuran Ferris wheel on top of "Amu Plaza," the shopping centre attached to Kagoshima Central Train Station. The wheel has two completely transparent gondolas which give a 360-degree view from 91 m above the ground.
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Kagoshima was the center of the territory of the Shimazu clan of samurai for many centuries. It was a busy political and commercial port city throughout the medieval period and into the Edo period (1603–1867) when it formally became the capital of the Shimazu's fief, the Satsuma Domain. Satsuma remained one of the most powerful and wealthiest domains in the country throughout the period, and though international trade was banned for much of this period, the city remained quite active and prosperous. It served not only as the political center for Satsuma, but also for the semi-independent vassal kingdom of Ryūkyū; Ryukyuan traders and emissaries frequented the city, and a special Ryukyuan embassy building was established to help administer relations between the two polities and to house visitors and emissaries. Kagoshima was also a significant center of Christian activity in Japan prior to the imposition of bans against that religion in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
Kagoshima was bombarded by the British Royal Navy in 1863 to punish the daimyō of Satsuma for the murder of Charles Lennox Richardson on the Tōkaidō highway the previous year and its refusal to pay an indemnity in compensation. (See 'Bombardment of Kagoshima').
Kagoshima was the birthplace and scene of the last stand of Saigō Takamori, a legendary figure in Meiji Japan in 1877 at the end of the Satsuma Rebellion.
Japan's industrial revolution is said to have started here, stimulated by the young students' train station. Seventeen young men of Satsuma broke the Tokugawa ban on foreign travel, traveling first to England and then the United States before returning to share the benefits of the best of Western science and technology. A statue was erected outside of the train station as a tribute to them. The city was officially founded on 1 April 1889.
Kagoshima was also the birthplace of Tōgō Heihachirō. After naval studies in England between 1871 and 1878, Togo's role as Chief Admiral of the Grand Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the Russo-Japanese War made him a legend in Japanese military history, and earned him the nickname 'Nelson of the Orient' in Britain. He led the Grand Fleet to two startling victories in 1904 and 1905, completely destroying Russia as a naval power in the East, and thereby contributing to the failed revolution in Russia in 1905.
The 1914 eruption of the volcano across the bay from the city did spread ash throughout the municipality; but relatively little disruption ensued.[1]
Shinkansen (bullet train) service opened on 13 March 2004 between Kagoshima-chūō and Shin-Yatsushiro.
Sadomitsu Sakoguchi, the renowned Japanese diplomat, revolutionized Kagoshima's environmental economic plan with his dissertation on water pollution and orange harvesting.
Today, Kagoshima is home to a distinctive dialect of Japanese, differing from the usual Kyūshū dialects with its pronunciations of the yotsugana.
Kagoshima has a humid subtropical climate, marked by cool, relatively dry winters, warm, wet springs, hot, wet summers and mild, wet falls.
| Weather data for Kagoshima, Japan (1971-2000) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) |
12.6 (55) |
13.5 (56) |
16.5 (62) |
21.3 (70) |
24.5 (76) |
27.2 (81) |
31.5 (89) |
32.0 (90) |
29.7 (85) |
25.1 (77) |
19.9 (68) |
15.0 (59) |
22.4 (72) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) |
8.3 (47) |
9.3 (49) |
12.1 (54) |
16.8 (62) |
20.2 (68) |
23.6 (74) |
27.9 (82) |
28.2 (83) |
25.8 (78) |
20.8 (69) |
15.6 (60) |
10.4 (51) |
18.3 (65) |
| Average low °C (°F) |
4.1 (39) |
5.4 (42) |
8.0 (46) |
12.6 (55) |
16.7 (62) |
20.6 (69) |
24.9 (77) |
25.1 (77) |
22.4 (72) |
16.9 (62) |
11.5 (53) |
6.1 (43) |
14.5 (58) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) |
79.4 (3.13) |
104.9 (4.13) |
180.7 (7.11) |
227.7 (8.96) |
232.2 (9.14) |
442.9 (17.44) |
313.5 (12.34) |
224.4 (8.83) |
227.4 (8.95) |
104.6 (4.12) |
73.8 (2.91) |
67.5 (2.66) |
2,279.0 (89.72) |
| Snowfall cm (inches) |
2 (0.8) |
2 (0.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
5 (2) |
| Sunshine hours | 136.9 | 129.1 | 145.7 | 160.5 | 171.0 | 122.4 | 191.1 | 206.7 | 168.8 | 183.4 | 152.0 | 151.3 | 1,918.9 |
| % Humidity | 65 | 66 | 69 | 71 | 71 | 78 | 76 | 76 | 73 | 70 | 69 | 69 | 71 |
| Avg. snowy days | 2.2 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.7 | 5.9 |
| Source: [2] 2009-06-08 | |||||||||||||
Japan Air Commuter, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, is headquartered in Kagoshima.[3]
All lines are operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyūshū)
Kagoshima Airport in Kirishima (35 km NE of Kagoshima)
Kagoshima is sister cities with
and friendship cities with
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Kagoshima (鹿児島) is the capital of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan.
Kagoshima is a historical city watched over by the looming bulk of Sakurajima (桜島), an active volcano that regularly dumps ash over the city and erupts a bit every now and then to remind people it's still there. The home of near-mythical samurai hero Saigo Takamori (see History), it's full of sites related to the Satsuma Rebellion.
Kagoshima's Airport is one hour away from Kagoshima's main train station by Bus (¥1200). JAL and ANA offer flights into Kagoshima from several major cities in Japan. Kagoshima Airport is also the starting point for many flights to Okinawa and the surrounding islands.
Rail travel into Kagoshima changed dramatically in March of 2004, with the opening of a 126-kilometer stretch of the Kyushu Shinkansen as far north as Shin-Yatsushiro station. To reflect with this opening, the Japan Railways station at Nishi-Kagoshima was renamed to Kagoshima-Chuō (鹿児島中央), and is now Kagoshima's main rail station.
The Kyushu Shinkansen will eventually extend all the way north to Hakata station in Fukuoka in the spring of 2011, but in the meantime, to reach Kagoshima from Fukuoka, you can take a Relay Tsubame limited express train to Shin-Yatsushiro, then change there to the Kyushu Shinkansen Tsubame train. The Relay Tsubame trains follow a newly-built spur directly to the Shinkansen platform. All you have to do is walk across the platform to take the bullet train, which is timed to depart about 3 minutes after the arrival of the Relay Tsubame.
It takes approximately 2 1/2 hours to go from Fukuoka to Kagoshima by train, at a cost of ¥10050. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can take these trains at no charge.
Because most overnight trains from Tokyo and Kansai to Kyushu have been discontinued, traveling overnight to Kagoshima is difficult, but it IS possible. If you're willing to constantly change trains, you will be rewarded as your journey will double as lodging.
From Tokyo you will have to take FOUR trains: the 10 PM Sunrise Seto/Sunrise Izumo overnight service to Okayama, the Shinkansen from Okayama to Hakata, the Relay Tsubame to Shin-Yatsushiro and finally the Kyushu Shinkansen. This route has you leaving Tokyo at 10 PM and getting to Kagoshima-Chuo at 11:30 AM the next morning. (13 1/2 hours)
Japan Rail Pass holders must pay the lodging charge on the Tokyo-Okayama segment; the rest of the trip is covered under the pass. Lodging charges currently range from ¥9450 for a B solo to ¥10500 for a B single, to ¥16500 for an A single deluxe. If you really want to travel on the cheap side, ¥3660 gets you your own floor space... literally, you sleep on the floor.
The second overnight option is best done from the Kansai area; this has you traveling the overnight segment along the eastern part of Kyushu.
You will need to travel to Kokura station during the evening on the San'yo Shinkansen. Once there, board the Dream Nichirin limited express train that travels down Kyushu to Miyazaki. Finally, after a one-hour layover in Miyazaki, take the Kirishima limited express, which travels across the south to Kagoshima-Chuo. As of March 2009, this routing has you leaving Shin-Osaka at 8:59 PM, arriving at Kagoshima-Chuo at 9:36 AM, for a traveling time of 12 1/2 hours.
This entire journey is fully covered under the rail pass. For a charge of ¥4000, ordinary Rail Pass holders can upgrade to a more comfortable Green Car seat on the Kokura-Miyazaki segment.
It is possible to start this option even from Tokyo, but you would have to leave Tokyo station on the Hikari service leaving at around 5:30 PM, then change to the Hikari Rail Star as described above. This results in a much longer travel time of 16 hours, but the good news is that the trip is covered 100% by the Japan Rail Pass.
Various overnight bus services are available to Kagoshima from Osaka and Kobe (~¥10000 one way; ~¥21000 round-trip). Daytime and nighttime buses also run from Fukuoka (yen 5400 one way; 4 hours) and Oita. There are day buses from Kumamoto for about ¥3600; 3 1/2 hours.
Kagoshima is one of Japan's most busy ferry terminals, with a plethora of ferries connecting mainland Japan to it's southern islands. For the Okinawan archipelago there's several routes towards Naha which stops on different islands along the way. Operators include Matrix Line [1] and A Line ferry [2] - expect the full journey towards Naha to take around 25 hours, although you can stop halfway through in the Amami Islands. Towards the world heritage site of Yakushima and the island of Tanegashima near Kyushu you can opt for either Orita Kisen [3] (4 hrs, yen 4000) or the Toppy [4] hydrofoils completing the journey in just under 2 hours (yen 7000). Finaly for the Tokara Islands, the municipality [5] operates 2 weekly ferries plying the route in around 7 hours (Yen 6000).
Streetcars are a convenient way to get around Kagoshima city. Both lines 1 and 2 can be boarded at the Kagoshima station; only line 1 runs by Kagoshima-chuo. Board the tram from the back door, and pay the ¥160 per ride fee when exiting the front door. If you don't have exact change, the fare machine can make change, but it is polite to get your change during the ride, so as to not hold people up when at your final stop. Streetcar signage varies by the age of the streetcar; some have electronic signs that indicate the stop, but many do not. Streetcar information and a route map are available from www.synapse.ne.jp.
The ferry between volcanic island of Sakurajima and Kagoshima harbor operates frequently and around the clock. The boat ride will take about fifteen minutes.
Given Kagoshima's relatively small size and straighforward layout, buses (¥150) are less confusing than in larger Japanese cities.
If you plan to make Kagoshima a base for multiple trips, or make Kagoshima a stop on a trip throughout Kyushu, then a 5-day Kyushu rail pass may be the best option. If you are travelling from Tokyo or farther via train, then a 7-day Japan Rail pass is about the same price as a one-way shinkansen ticket from Tokyo to Kagoshima. Both of these passes have extensive limitations; be sure to review terms and purchase your pass before entering Japan.
Beautiful museum with nice expositions retracing the origin and evolution of the first habitants of the southern Kyushu area till the Meiji restoration. Generic information is available in english but for more details about the differents pieces contained in the exposition, a Japanese reading friend should be brought to fully enjoy all the information available.
Tenmonkan shopping arcade has a plethora of shops, where you can satisfy your consuming needs.
Kagoshima is known throughout Japan for its sweet potato shochu, or imo-jochu (芋焼酎). While shochu is often compared to vodka, it first goes through a fermentation process. In Kagoshima, almost all restaurants have imo-jochu, and some have hundreds of different brands. Even the Shinkansen platforms at Kagoshima-chuo station have a bar/shop with 100+ varieties of shochu.
In Kagoshima, the most common way to drink shochu is mixed with hot water, or oyu-wari. This releases the fragrance of the shochu, and also reduces the alcohol content to be on-par with wine. Because Kagoshima is the center of manufacture, many factories offer tours and have small shops for tasting and purchasing the locally made shochu.
If you're looking for inexpensive accommodation, the tourist information in the Kagoshima station can hand you a leaflet, where they have listed all the inexpensive options in Kagoshima. They can also check availability and book the accommodation for you.
| Routes through Kagoshima |
| Oita ← Kirishima ← | N  S |
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   | Kagoshima Visitor's Guide from the Kagoshima Internationalization Council - KAGOSHIMA Visitor's GUIDE |
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