Kagoshima

Kagoshima sits at the southern end of Kyushu, on a bay that is dominated by one of the most active volcanoes in Japan. Sakurajima rises directly across the water, a few kilometres from the city centre, and it sends up plumes of ash on most days. Residents watch the weather forecast for the direction of the ash, and visitors watch the mountain, which gives the city a drama that few others have. The comparison that is often made is with Naples, and the likeness is more than a slogan: warm climate, a bay, a volcano and a city that is proud, lively and a little stubborn.

The volcano is the first thing to see, and the easiest way to reach it is by ferry. Boats cross from the city to Sakurajima in about fifteen minutes, day and night, and the ride gives one of the best views of the mountain. On the island, you can visit a footbath beside the visitor centre, walk along lava trails, and take a bus to observatories such as the Yunohira Observatory, which has a view over the crater area and across the bay. Some trails are closed because of volcanic activity, and the daily rumble and the smell of sulphur are part of the experience.

The history of the region is just as striking. Kagoshima was the capital of the Satsuma domain, ruled by the Shimazu family for nearly seven hundred years, and it was one of the main forces behind the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ended the shogunate and opened Japan to the modern world. Saigo Takamori, one of the leaders of the restoration and later the leader of a failed rebellion, is the city's great hero, and his statue stands near Shiroyama, the hill where his last stand took place in 1877. The Museum of the Meiji Restoration, near the river, explains the period with models and displays.

Sengan-en is the garden of the Shimazu family and the most beautiful place in the city. It was laid out in the seventeenth century on the shore of the bay, and its designers used the technique of borrowed scenery, so that Sakurajima and the water become part of the composition. Visitors can walk through the grounds, see the family residence and the buildings that housed early industrial experiments, and stop at a cafe with a view. The nearby Reimeikan, the prefectural museum of history and culture, adds context on the Satsuma domain and the people of the region.

Kagoshima is also a place where Christianity first arrived in Japan. Francis Xavier landed here in 1549, and the small park that bears his name, with a memorial and a church close to the site, marks the occasion. The city's old streets, shrines and stone walls still show the traces of the samurai culture that made it famous, and several areas, such as the samurai district of Chiran, about an hour south, are well preserved with their moss-covered hedges and gardens.

The food of Kagoshima is distinctive and generous. The region is famous for kurobuta, black pork, served as shabu-shabu or as cutlets, for satsuma-age, fried fish cakes, and for keihan, a bowl of rice topped with chicken, egg and shredded omelette. Shirokuma, a mountain of shaved ice with fruit and condensed milk, is the sweet that every visitor tries in summer. The local spirit is shochu, distilled from sweet potatoes, and the bars of the Tenmonkan district serve dozens of varieties, from smooth and light to deep and earthy.

South of the city, Ibusuki is known for its natural sand baths, where visitors lie on a heated beach, buried up to the neck by attendants, and absorb the warmth of the volcanic ground. The Kyushu Shinkansen connects Kagoshima with Fukuoka in about an hour and a half, flights from Tokyo and Osaka are frequent, and ferries and flights reach Yakushima, an island with ancient cedar forests, and the Amami islands. Kirishima, a volcanic range to the north, offers hot springs, hiking and a national park.

The mild climate suits visits in spring and autumn, when the skies are clear and the temperatures are comfortable. Summer is hot and humid, with typhoons possible late in the season, and ash from the volcano can fall on the city whatever the season. A little ash on the cars and the windows is normal for locals, and the city provides special bags for collecting it. Winter is the quietest time and brings clear air and hot springs.

One day is enough for Sakurajima, Sengan-en and the main museums, if you are well organised, and two days leave room for Chiran, Ibusuki or the evening bars. A private walking tour with a licensed guide is an efficient way to connect the volcano, the garden and the history in one day, since the ferry timings and the observatory buses can be confusing. The Kagoshima experience on Excurze is a customised private tour, and our concierge can link it with Kumamoto, Fukuoka and the islands of the south, so that the trip uses the volcano as a starting point rather than a stop.